The plans voted through by a majority of Councillors, follows the ‘Call In’ of the Cabinet decision made earlier this month to make face to face facilities available to residents in Leamington Spa town centre following the vacation of its current HQ at Riverside House and transfer of the Council’s principal office space to Saltisford, Warwick.

The Leader of Warwick District Council, Councillor Ian Davison commented:

“Thank you to all those who have expressed their view through their emails and the petition. I know the ambience of the Pump Rooms has been a concern for many and so we have listened carefully and as a result put additional measures in place to minimise the impact to visitors.

Buildings like the Pump Rooms and the Town Hall are special for our town and district as a whole and it’s right the options and plans put forward have been very closely scrutinised.

It is now vital that there are no further delays to long-held plans to vacate our Riverside House premises and in doing so to make considerable savings for taxpayers by substantially reducing the Council’s running costs. It’s time to get on with sensitively providing a high-quality customer service point for residents whilst continuing to look after our beautiful historic buildings.”

Portfolio Holder for Transformation, Councillor Jess Harrison added:

“The petition and call-in of the proposals for the Pump Rooms have been extensively debated and we are sensitive to the strength of feeling of the public and our local artist community. Nevertheless, we have now concluded that a Customer Service Area in the Pump Rooms is the most cost-effective way for us to provide a welcoming place for residents who need to see a member of staff face to face, with private areas, in an accessible, central location.”

“This decision doesn’t mean that we have closed the door on our creative community, and we will continue to work with local artists to seek a viable new outlet to display and sell local art.”

Further information about the relocation from Riverside House and Q&As on the new Customer Service Centre can be found on the Warwick District Council website.