1 week Ago
THE headquarters of the council have been closed for months now as fencing and 'danger' signs go up while the faulty concrete and legionella saga drags on. Investigations are underway at County Hall, the HQ of Worcestershire County Council, now closed for more than two months after the legionella bacterium was found in the water. Chain link fences with 'danger, keep out' emblazoned on them now surround parts of the deserted building as assurances are given that the closure has not affected the delivery of key services.
PROBE: An investigation is underway into RAAC at County Hall after legionella bacteria were found in the water (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones) No hint has been given so far about when workers will be able to move back. The popular Lakeview Cafe on the site has also been closed as a result. The discovery of the bacterium comes as parts of the building remain inaccessible because of safety concerns over reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, known as 'RAAC'.
Workers have struggled to access and maintain the water system because of ongoing issues with the faulty concrete which is liable to collapse, forcing the closure of the second floor. Before the sudden closure on Friday, June 21, signs even warned people inside County Hall to only flush the toilet with the lid down. A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council, said this week: “Staff continue to be based at alternative locations whilst further investigation and works at County Hall are underway.
This has no impact on service delivery.” We have previously reported how works and repairs costing up to £1.85 million are set to take place at County Hall.
Staff continue to work from home. On July 18, the county council's cabinet approved plans to spend £375,000 on stripping out and inspecting RAAC panels on the upper floors of the building. The presence of RAAC means parts of County Hall have been off-limits since September last year.
Depending on the findings of that investigation, another £1.5m could be spent on returning the building to the state it was in before it was vacated in June, when legionella bacteria was found. RECOMMENDED READING: Legionella bacteria in water as County Hall closes suddenly RECOMMENDED READING: Worcestershire Royal Hospital parking problems: watch The council’s leader, Conservative councillor Simon Geraghty, said in July: “I’d like to pay tribute to officers and staff across the council in all areas for making sure our services to the public have continued.
“We have carried on maintaining roads and educating children. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t see, to make such a transition possible at a time of real change. “We now need to get in there with some real professionals and do a full analysis of the RAAC panels and get a realistic idea of what can be done.
“We are not spending £1.85m for no end. But we have a duty to try to get it open - we owe it to our staff, who are our most important asset, we have tenants in Defra who are paying us and we host public meetings.
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