All you need to know about Falkirk town hall debate

Is there any chance that Falkirk will lose its town hall? In a word, yes. The SNP and Independent administration wants to replace the current municipal buildings and its neighbouring town hall with a modern council headquarters and arts centre. But as a minority administration they need the support of at least one other party, and neither Labour nor Conservative groups are willing to commit to the project.

Where would the new HQ and arts centre be built? We don’t know yet. The work has gone out to tender so we’ll have a better idea of where exactly the site will be as well as get a better idea of cost once developers come back with suggestions.

So it could be anywhere? Not exactly. The SNP group believe placing it in the heart of the town will help to regenerate an ailing high street, not just by bringing in extra footfall, but helping to change the very nature of the town centre. They argue there will be no return to the days when shops such as Marks & Spencer dominated the high street, so they want a better mix: with smaller, speciality shops and more housing in the town as well as offices.  And they hope that the new HQ and arts centre will lead the way in the regeneration fo the town.

But what’s the plan? There isn’t one just yet. Council officers have narrowed the options down to two – one will have space for 300 members of council staff, the other will have 500. But after taking advice from consultants, they have agreed that both options will have a 500-seater theatre. The new building will also be home to the town’s library and will have smaller meeting rooms for community groups to use. The idea is that events will take place throughout the day and in the evening – boosting shops during the day and restaurants and bars at night.

So, what’s the problem? In a word: cost. The council has budgeted for spending of £45 million, but the cost of the project has risen and currently sits at around £53 million. That could rise, however, because that is the price for building on council-owned land. And the council is already beginning to see the effect of Brexit on other tenders which have come back much higher than anticipated.

So, what do the other parties think? The Labour group says it is unwilling to support a project that concentrates too much cash on one location at a time when other places around the district face losing halls. And while they recognise that the cash will come out of the council’s capital pot, the repayments will be made from the revenue budget. That, they argue, could impact on vital council services that are already facing cuts. They also question how much difference it would make as the current offices on West Bridge Street are so near the town centre already that there is no guarantee that a move would make any difference – but they have said they are willing to look at any proposals and judge them on their merits.

What about the Conservatives? They are very much against retaining the town hall. They have already tried to persuade their fellow councillors to relocate council offices into a converted shop unit and abandon the arts centre altogether.  They argue that there are many venues suitable for such community events across the council such as schools and church halls, the new Falkirk College and smaller venues in other towns within the council area.

So, will it be an arts centre or a town hall? Campaigners say calling it an ‘arts centre’ is putting people off and what we’re really talking about is a replacement town hall. Members of Falkirk Arts Network (a new name for the Arts and Civic Council) say local amateur drama groups, dance schools and other community organisations would not exisit without a venue the size of the current town hall. But it’s not just about amateur groups. The current town hall’s outdated back stage facilities mean that many shows cannot come to town. A new theatre would allow bigger touring shows and bigger name acts to come to Falkirk.

Why can’t they just keep the old town hall?  There’s one thing that everyone can agree on – the 1960s council buildings are very close to being unsafe to work in and are costing a huge amount to heat and power. New council offices are regarded as a ‘spend to save’ project which means they should pay for themselves fairly quickly. The town hall has been refurbished recently so is not in quite such a desperate condition so there is a possiblity that it could be retained. But officers believe that a modern town hall with the facilities to bring in bigger acts would be another draw for Falkirk, which is increasingly attracting tourists to the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel but has so far failed to entice them into the town centre to feel the full economic benefit.

So, what’s going to happen on budget day? It’s not at all clear. The process has been muddied by delays to the UK and Scottish government budgets so the council has struggled to pull together a budget on time. There is a real possiblity that council tax will rise by 4.5 per cent and some of that money will be used to plug the gap in the council’s spending power. The administration will argue that the project will deliver massive benefits for Falkirk, creating jobs, transforming the high street and attracting much-needed tourism. But the opposition parties will be much more cautious, anxious about the affordability of the project and unwilling to give it their full backing while so many other areas of council spending are being cut, yet again.

When is the vote? Falkirk Council will set its budget at a meeting on today at 9.30 am.