The long-awaited decision to close the Shrewsbury headquarters has gathered pace in recent weeks amid the council’s ongoing financial crisis.

THE advice said staff would work from home until there was space available at Guildhall in Frankwell in the coming weeks.

Public meetings, which have taken place in Shirehall’s committee rooms and council chambers since the 1960s, will continue for now in the Abbey Foregate building, with plans to move them to Guildhall from September .

Shropshire Council has been committed to leaving Shirehall since 2021.

Campaigners, who want the building preserved, hailed the civic base as a “modernist icon”, but efforts to prevent any future demolition were thwarted when the government granted a certificate of immunity from listing – preventing thus the building obtains a protected status.

This means that once the municipality has completely vacated the site, it will be able to sell the building and land to property developers, without them being required to keep the historic building in place.

One of the main reasons for the decision to vacate the building is its cost, while authorities have also been unable to use the upper three floors for some time due to the potential fire risk.

Speaking in September, Councilor Dean Carroll, the authority’s cabinet member for housing and assets, said the decision to leave was not only “practical” but also a “moral duty”.

He added: “I think we are well past – years, decades even – where Shirehall was a good thing in terms of council offices.”

In a statement today, as workers completed their final shift at the building, Shropshire Council said the closure was vital for the future of the authority.

He said: “Closing Shirehall to staff from today is part of our urgent action to reduce council spending and become the modern, efficient and financially viable council we need to be.

“The council had already made the decision to vacate the Shirehall as it is too large for its future needs and we are simply speeding up that decision by a few weeks.

“As such, staff who use Shirehall have been asked to work from home where possible, until space becomes available at Guildhall, Frankwell, in the coming weeks. This is a temporary measure, accelerating our relocation plans announced in September, and reflects measures we have taken so successfully during the pandemic.

“We expect the first teams to begin moving into Guildhall from November 18 with all moves expected to be completed very early in the new year. We expect public meetings to move from Shirehall to Guildhall from December.

“A small number of statutory functions, such as check-in services, will remain at Shirehall until they can be transferred to Guildhall. Some tenants who use Shirehall will also stay, but free up the space we currently use will allow us to relocate them to other areas and has closed many parts of the building.

“These urgent measures will allow us to make savings on Shirehall’s operating costs sooner and reduce our expenses further over the course of the year. We expect these measures alone will save over £100,000 this winter through reduced heating, lighting and cleaning costs, and moving house. will provide a suitable seat on the council of the future.

Speaking in September about the original project, Councilor Carroll said: “The building is, in some respects, impossible to modernize due to the structure of the building. »

Shirehall opened in 1966 and at its peak could accommodate up to 1,000 workers.

Councilor Carroll said: “It was built for a very different type of organization, where everyone came to a central office and did their work in a defined office. »

He added: “We can’t look the people of Shropshire in the eye and say we’re cutting services they need, but we’re not cutting costs on a building we don’t need.”

Shirehall was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1967 and was designed by county architect Ralph Crowe.

Its value was recognized by the famous architectural historian, the late Sir Nikolaus Pevsner.

The building’s structural engineer was Ove Arup, founder of Arup, a multi-award-winning global construction group.

He has worked on many world-famous buildings, including the Sydney Opera House.