Council Confirms Move to Modern Scarborough Hub but Pledges to Retain Town Hall

North Yorkshire Council’s executive committee has today confirmed it's intention to purchase of Resolution House in Eastfield, establishing a new primary office hub for the region.

The decision marks the end of an era for the Grade II listed Scarborough Town Hall site, as the authority moves to address what it describes as a "disproportionate" maintenance crisis.

The Victorian part of the Town Hall site will be maintained and alternative uses for the building will be explored but other parts of the site will be vacated.

Located on the A64 just a few miles from the seaside town, Resolution House will provide modern, flexible office space for staff and provide future options for wider staff co-location as well as options for partners and commercial ventures. It could also open the door to regeneration opportunities in a prime location in Scarborough town centre.

The council has committed to keeping a central office base for staff who need to work in and around Scarborough town centre, as well as for its customer service centre.

North Yorkshire Council’s deputy leader, Cllr Gareth Dadd, whose responsibilities include property, said:

“We remain absolutely committed to supporting Scarborough town centre, and the potential purchase Resolution House does not change that.

“Unfortunately, we inherited a large number of buildings in a poor condition suffering from under-investment and some major health and safety issues from the former borough council. Running costs as a result are up to £1 million a year.

“Scarborough Town Hall in particular provides significant challenges with 80 per cent of the available floor space unused due to its deteriorating condition. It is estimated that it would cost up to £19 million to modernise and bring the Town Hall up to standard.

“Purchasing Resolution House is too good an opportunity to miss and would help us to make savings of up to £400,000 each year, while ensuring that our estate is modern, affordable and fit for the future.

“But this does not mean that we are vacating Scarborough, far from it. A small number of staff can continue to safely operate from the Town Hall and the 100 staff currently working in Castle House will remain.

“Earlier this week, the council leader and chief executive also met with the mayor of Scarborough to offer reassurance that the Town Hall can continue to be used by the town council”.

The acquisition of the former Anglo American headquarters was secured for a price described by officials as "significantly less" than the £4.5 million asking price. Richard Flinton, the council’s Chief Executive, championing the move as an "opportunistic moment," highlighted that the modern facility is ready for immediate occupancy.

A Case of Necessity

The council’s decision was driven by the deteriorating state of the existing Scarborough Town Hall site, where 80 per cent of the floor space is currently unusable. High-level assessments suggested that refurbishing the historic site to a modern standard would cost between £15 million and £19 million—an investment deemed unsustainable.

Mr Flinton spoke candidly about the inherited state of the workspace, noting that asbestos issues and the "poor condition" of the 1960s extension had effectively halted collaborative office work. Council Leader, Councillor Carl Les added; 

"I'm quite ashamed of the condition that we’ve inherited in these buildings here,We need to do something about that".

Addressing Public and Economic Concerns

The proposal initially met with resistance from local representatives in Scarborough, Filey, and Whitby, who feared that relocating hundreds of staff—the town’s largest employer—would "kill the town centre" and impact independent businesses on St Nicholas Street.

In an effort to clarify the council's position and address these concerns, Mr Flinton provided a detailed explanation of the strategy for maintaining a presence in the heart of the town. Speaking to This is the Coast he said:

"I think there's been a few misleading points out there and it's good to have an opportunity to correct that.

So the council is not moving out of the centre of Scarborough. We're keeping one of our main buildings at Castle House which can accommodate 100 staff. That's going to be the main base for those people who need to operate in and around Scarborough.

But we have other people who need good office accommodation. And we're also seeking to rationalise one of our buildings in the Ryedale area as well called Ryedale House. So we we need better accommodation to bring people together in a single place. Resolution House provides that opportunity.

And the other thing that we need to be clear about is whilst much of the town hall, particularly the old 1960s building, that's the extension of the town hall is in a very poor condition. We absolutely respect the main heritage building of the town hall. We want to find a good use for that. We will carry on investing in that. We don't want that to deteriorate and we want it to be the heart of Scarborough. And we also want the town council to carry on having their base here as well for the foreseeable future until we get that new use for the building".

Resolution House will become the councils main office facility in Scarborough but the authority will maintain a town centre presence at Castle House and the historic Victorian part of the town hall will also be maintained and potentially put to a new use.

Council Leader Councillor Carl Les - says resolution house is a great asset for the council.

"It's an excellent building. We are buying it as it is, so with everything fitted in it, the electronics and also all the desks etc.

It's a good location with a with a large car park which is handy for the number of people that we have who actually come to and from work in that respect, but it's also on a bus route. It's 10 minutes walk from the railway station. So it is an excellent opportunity to start rationalising some of our estate on the coast.

It's a turnkey operation.  You know, we can take possession of it and move in almost the following day".

Resolution House was originally built as the HQ for the Yorkshire Building Society but later became mining firm Anglo American's base in the region, they moved out of the building in 2024 and had been marketing the building at four and half million pounds.

Council Chief Exec Richard Flinton says the Council hasn't paid that much.

"We have paid significantly less than that or we will pay subject to the decision that's taken by the executive but it won't be anywhere near 4.5 million pounds.

It's commercially confidential at the moment. There will be a time when we can put that into the public arena but it's very significantly less than that".

Future Regeneration and Customer Care

The move is expected to save at least £400,000 in annual running costs and avoid over £20 million in long-term maintenance liabilities across the Scarborough and Malton estates.

Cllr Dadd added:

“We cannot stand still. We have to be dynamic and flexible to help our town centres and high streets thrive in the years to come.

“Continuing to run expensive, deteriorating buildings that are no longer fit-for-purpose can only stifle investment and blight our high streets in the long term.

“That’s why it’s crucial that we carefully look at the future of these sites, working closely with our staff, stakeholders and partners, to see what is possible and accelerate redevelopment where it is possible to do so.”

At today’s meeting, councillors agreed to invest up to £750,000 to help progress redevelopment proposals on any vacant sites and support the possible creation of new customer service points in Scarborough and Malton town centres.

Councillor Carl Les, Leader of North Yorkshire Council, along with Mr Flinton, met with the Mayor of Scarborough, Councillor Thomas Murray yesterday, to offer an apology for the initial lack of consultation and provide assurances that the "civic heart" of the town would remain intact.

The original Victorian section of the Town Hall is safe from being sold, and a face-to-face customer service centre—which Mr Flinton confirmed is "going absolutely nowhere"—will be maintained in the town centre.

By vacating the modern sections of the Town Hall site, the council hopes to unlock a "prime location" for a "quality commercial leisure development" that could revitalise the South Bay, potentially providing a much-needed boost for the wider Yorkshire Coast.

IN FULL : Paddy Talks to Richard Flinton and Carl Les in Scarborough Town Hall

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