Council silent on office claim

Mansfield District Council is remaining tight-lipped over claims that the Lindhurst Rooms will be used by Nottinghamshire County Council for office space.
Mansfield Civic Centre.Mansfield Civic Centre.
Mansfield Civic Centre.

Chad revealed last week that Sodexo - the company that currently runs banqueting at the Civic Centre-based hospitality suite - had pulled out of its contract with the district council.

The move has left couples without a wedding venue from January, although Sodexo have pledged to honour all bookings until the end on 2014.

Following the revelation last week, Chad was contacted by council sources to say that the site was already being measured up for office space.

It is understood that the district council has been in negotiations with the county council about taking it on.

But Coun Roger Sutcliffe, portfolio holder for resources, denied that plans have been formalised with the county authority.

He said: “No decisions have been taken and the council is continuing to consider all potential options for the letting and re-use of the Lindhurst Rooms.”

Last month Chad reported how catering company Churchill had also pulled out of the contract to run the cafe at the council-owned Mansfield Library.

Tim Gregory, corporate director for environment and resources at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “With on-going budget reductions and changes to the way the County Council operates, we need to keep our property portfolio regularly under review and be adaptable to our changing circumstances. The County Council continues to explore a number of options with regard to sharing buildings with other local authority partners to secure the very best value for money for local taxpayers.

“We continue to discuss potential options with all partners but have no firm plans at present.”