New Office Purchase Sparks Debate Over Scarborough Committee Meetings

North Yorkshire Council is advancing plans to purchase Resolution House after pictures revealed unacceptable conditions at Scarborough Town Hall, prompting questions over the future location of local committee meetings.

Newly released pictures have revealed the unacceptable and uncivilised conditions at Scarborough Town Hall, prompting North Yorkshire Council to push forward with purchasing a new office space.

The proposed move to Resolution House has highlighted the impact of the town hall changes in relation to the ability to hold committee meetings in Scarborough.

The authority's Corporate Director for Resources, Gary Fielding, outlined the financial challenges and the poor state of the current back-office accommodation:

"Despite the decision not being progressed by Scarborough Borough Council, a plan was not put in place to invest in the town hall building, and with only minimal investments in that since that time, this council has therefore inherited a considerable liability which is estimated at circa 19 million pounds. The acquisition of Resolution House offers a far more cost-effective solution to our accommodation needs than continued investment in the town hall. A proposal to spend a sum to the magnitude of 19 million pounds for what is essentially staff accommodation would cause a similar set of public challenges around value for money. We are also dealing with very real issues around the quality and suitability of the back office accommodation at the town hall."

However, concerns have been raised regarding public transport links to the proposed new site and the need to maintain local customer service provision.

Councillor Liz Colling highlighted the travel difficulties residents might face:

"Can we please ensure that residents who present at the new customer services centres have all their needs met and issues resolved on site and are not expected to travel out to Resolution House. From Scarborough there is no direct bus service and until such time as we get the much mooted bridge over the A64, there is no readily accessible rail link. I imagine a journey by public transport from some parts of Ryedale would be almost impossible. In addition, and this is my suggestion, I propose that we provide an additional customer first service at Resolution House to meet the needs of residents of what we call South Scarborough, but essentially is Eastfield, Seamer and Cayton, and extending down to Filey and the villages."

The potential relocation has also raised questions about how public meetings will be accommodated.

Councillor Colling added:

"Speaking as the chair of Scarborough and Whitby area committee, I would like to understand how we are going to maintain local democratic access to our meetings which are well attended by the public. Is the expectation the meetings would move to Resolution House? I think I've heard from Mr Fielding that probably not, um, but I've already mentioned the transport issues. The recent area committee in Whitby was standing room only, there were several hundred members of the public present, and as you can see today's meeting is well attended. So will Resolution House have dedicated space to accommodate area committee and planning meetings or will we be looking elsewhere."

Addressing the broader concerns regarding the town, Deputy Leader Gareth Dadd acknowledged the difficulties while reaffirming the authority's dedication to the area:

"We know Scarborough's struggling. I don't think there's, there's anybody could doubt our commitment as a council, as an authority, to try and deal with some of the issues in Scarborough. I've got to say that informally we get a load of grief and earache from members from elsewhere in the county because of the time and effort and resources we've committed to Scarborough. I'm not going to read the list off that I've got in my mind but I'll be Mari springs to mind amongst many others."

Related Stories

•  
• 
  Council Pledges To Protect And Maintain Scarborough's Historic Town Hall

  27 Mar 2026 - The authority recently confirmed its intention to purchase Resolution House in Eastfield, which will serve as a new primary office base for the ...
• 
  'Last Ditch' Attempt To Stop Council's Scarborough Office Purchase Fails

  26 Mar 2026 - North Yorkshire Council's 'asset rationalisation' plan, which includes the purchase of Resolution ... “It's worth remembering that Resolution ...
• 
  Scarborough Council Offices Branded 'Appalling' And 'Smelly' As Relocation Plan Advances

  26 Mar 2026 - The revelations come as North Yorkshire Council approved an asset rationalisation plan, which includes the purchase of Resolution House by ...