Abandoned East Midlands fire control centre still costs millions
Releasing ongoing financial details of the contract, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) confirmed to the BBC 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-story 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.
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