News, East Midlands
Almost £30m of taxpayers’ money has been spent on maintaining an empty fire control centre, which was never used.
The idea to operate fire services across five East Midlands counties from the site in Castle Donington, Leicestershire, was suggested in 2004 as part of a nationwide reorganisation dubbed FiReControl, which was later scrapped.
But that was not before the government had signed a 25-year contract in 2007 for the £14m building, which must run until 2033.
Costs, including rent, rates, utilities and security for the site, currently account for about £2.5m a year, so a further £20m or more could need to be spent by the contract’s end.
Releasing ongoing financial details of the contract, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) confirmed to the that there are “no circumstances” that could end the contract earlier than was agreed in 2007.
The 2024-25 financial year saw £2,580,154.62 spent on the building in Warke Flatt.
The MHCLG said while it was tied to the contract, it was looking to find an alternative use or an occupier for the site to offset the ongoing costs.
A spokesperson said: “We are working to find new tenants for these buildings so that we can deliver value for money for taxpayers.”
The three-storey site in Willowbrook Farm Business Park was planned to open in 2009 to handle emergency calls for Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire.
It would have been one of nine new centres replacing the existing 46 control rooms across the country.
The Fire Brigades Union opposed the plans as costly and potentially leading to a reduction in service.
And by 2010 the project had been scrapped.
In 2011, a committee of MPs said the entire scheme was a “complete failure” and had cost almost half a billion pounds.
