Council offices which opened less than eight years ago are largely empty, with the authority considering leasing one floor of offices to bring in cash.
The three Grade-B listed buildings that make up the former Clyde Street School in Helensburgh were converted into centralised accommodation for Argyll and Bute Council staff at a cost of £8.3m.
When the newly-named Helensburgh and Lomond Civic Centre opened in 2015, the council’s depute leader Gary Mulvaney said: This investment will make it easier for people to make contact with the council and find out about our services.
“Having around 140 members of staff based in the heart of the town can only be good news.”
But the authority made the reception area ‘digital only’ to save money in this year’s budget, and many officials who worked from home during lockdowns are still doing so.
The council’s provost, and Cllr Mulvaney’s fellow Conservative, Maurice Corry told Rhu and Shandon Community Council last week that he was exploring the possibility of all council staff currently working upstairs to be brought down to the ground level so that the upstairs offices could be rented out to generate income.
He also said that as provost he had discretionary powers which he was using for cost-cutting exercises – so far he had identified savings of approximately £100,000 by stopping a practice where some landowners had their grass cut by council staff free of charge.
The East Clyde Street buildings were designed by Alexander Nisbet Paterson and constructed in 1903.
The council renovated the existing buildings and added an extension, relocating staff from four town centre buildings as well as Blairvadach House and the community wing of Colgrain Primary School.
£100000 That’s a lot of Grass