A Liberal Democrat-led council has been slammed after it was revealed the running of their abandoned headquarters was estimated to cost over £450,000.
Cambridgeshire County Council voted to leave Shire Hall in Cambridge in 2018 and moved to Alconbury Weald, near Huntingdon, in 2021.
However, new figures suggest the unused property was estimated to cost the council £461,000 in 2025/26.
The authority said the figure was mainly due to business rates, and that it was “expected to be the final year of this pressure”.
However, campaign groups have told GB News the council must stop “dragging its feet” over the proposals.
Grassroots development manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance Benjamin Elks, told The People’s Channel: “Taxpayers will be furious that an empty council HQ is still costing more than £450,000 a year, years after the authority decided to move out.
“This is money being burned on business rates, security and upkeep for a building providing no public service whatsoever, at a time when residents are being told there’s no cash for frontline services.
“Councils must stop dragging their feet on disposing of surplus property, challenge punitive business rates on empty public buildings, and make sure taxpayers are never left footing the bill for years of inertia.”
The council left the building in 2021
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The council had previously decided to sell the building in early 2024 while protecting the public area around the site, including the scheduled monument of Castle Mound.
Cambridge Apartment Hotels exchanged contracts on a 250-year lease for the hall with the council in 2025.
The deal is expected to be completed within the next 12 months, reports BBC News.
Liberal Democrat leader of the council Lucy Nethsingha previously said it “had been sad for the community to see this much-loved building standing empty”.
The new council building in Huntingdonshire
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A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesman told GB News: “Business rates, which are set by Government, account for more than 80 per cent of our estimated spend for Shire Hall in 2025/26.
“Other smaller expenses include services such as security, insurance, utilities, and ground maintenance.
“We are currently in the process of selling Shire Hall and total costs related to this building have been significantly reduced over the last five years through proactive management.
“The adjacent car park has generated income that offsets these costs for the council in this financial year and will be retained by the council following the sale of Shire Hall.
“Until the sale is complete, spending on services such as security and insurance is necessary in order to protect the council’s investment.”
