Sutton Coldfield council calls for £3m reparation fund

Sutton Coldfield Town Council has called on Birmingham City Council to provide £3 million to restore a crumbling town hall to enable it to host events and performances.

The councillors have proposed that Birmingham City Council take over the historic Sutton Coldfield Town Hall, after it was initially handed to the council as part of its devolution deal.

However, the building is currently in a dangerous state, with brick work disintegrating and ceilings collapsing. It has been an estimated that £1.4 million is needed to repair the hall, with an additional £1 million required to update and modernise the facilities.

Negotiations are currently underway for the handover of the Town Hall’s restoration.

Councillor Ewan Mackey, of Sutton Coldfield, said: "There is a significant capital required to make good the current dilapidations and we hope that Birmingham City Council, which has had responsibility for the town hall for the last 42 years, will feel a moral and financial obligation to meet the lion's share of these capital costs.

"Either way, it would not be fair for the new town council to be excessively burdened with historic costs which on any objective basis belong elsewhere. So far, all parties to these discussions have been extremely constructive and helpful and I am optimistic that a fair and exciting conclusion could be within our grasp."

Steve Hollingworth, Birmingham city council assistant director, said: “We are in talks with the interim Sutton Town clerk regarding the future of Sutton Town Hall.”