THE door ‘remains open’ for a hospital bosses to buy and develop the derelict County Hall site after a key motion was withdrawn following legal advice, a blow branded ‘cruel’ by one leader.
The county council’s deputy leader, Cllr Adam Kent, has said the door remains open for Worcestershire Royal Hospital to acquire the site off Spetchley Road in Worcester, if that’s what NHS bosses want to do.
The remarks by the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Finance, Corporate Services and Business at Worcestershire County Council, come after a motion by Reform UK in Worcestershire was withdrawn ahead of a full council meeting on Thursday.
Adam Kent (Image: Worcestershire County Council)
Cllr Kent said: “The process for the future of County Hall has been well publicised, transparent and open to all interested parties. That includes the NHS. At no point has the door been closed to the NHS purchasing the site, and any suggestion otherwise is simply misleading.”
His comments follow a statement issued by Cllr Alan Amos, leader of the Reform UK group and leader of the opposition at Worcestershire County Council.
Reform UK had been due to propose a motion calling for the site to be used to help expand Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester.
However, he said the group received legal advice that the motion could not be moved because of fiduciary issues while a tendering process was under way.
County Hall in Worcester. previously the home of Worcestershire County Council, is empty because of serious problems with the building itself, particularly RAAC, followed by the discovery of Legionella. The council eventually decided that bringing the building back into long-term use would not represent value for money.
CLOSED: The council wants to investigate RAAC panels in County Hall while it is empty (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)
Politicians including Worcester’s Labour MP Tom Collins have said the mothballed building should be handed over to the health service – and not turned into housing.
At a full meeting of Worcestershire County Council on Thursday, Reform councillors had planned to present a motion calling for the authority to make NHS use its preferred option for the sprawling Spetchley Road site, which has been closed since 2024.
Cllr Amos described the development as a “cruel and devastating blow” and said Reform UK would abide by the legal advice.
He said: “This is a cruel and devastating blow, and a tragedy of historic proportions, for the vast majority of the residents of Worcestershire who want and expected the council to use this vacant site right next to the hospital to expand the hospital, already overwhelmed by demand and working well beyond its capacity, with the county’s rapidly growing population.”
Cllr Amos accused previous and current administrations at County Hall of failing to take advantage of what he described as a “one-off golden opportunity”.
He claimed the council could have acted earlier and made a policy decision to support hospital expansion before reaching the current stage of the process.
DRAMA: A picture taken the day County Hall closed on Friday, June 21, 2024 after Legionella bacteria was detected in parts of its water system (Image: Newsquest)
He also argued that legislation allows councils, in certain circumstances, to dispose of land for less than its unrestricted market value when doing so would improve the economic, social or environmental wellbeing of an area.
Cllr Alex Mace, Co-Leader of the Green Group, said: “Councillor Amos seems to have forgotten that Reform were in administration between May 2025 and May 2026, and he was a member of the cabinet at the time.
“If this is a “tragedy of historic proportions”, perhaps he can explain why he didn’t do anything about it when he could, and why he waited to submit a motion on this until the sale process was already concluded.”
OUTSPOKEN: Cllr Alex Mace asked why Cllr Amos ‘didn’t do anything about it when he could’. (Image: Supplied by the Green Party)
Meanwhile, Conservative group leader Cllr Adrian Hardman disputed Reform’s argument over how the land should be used.
He said the proposal may appear an “easy win” but claimed the NHS locally had no plans to expand onto the site.
Cllr Hardman said: “While at first sight this seems to be an easy win, and one we would support, the NHS locally has no plans to expand to this remote site from the main site.
“If the NHS was to buy the site it would be land banking it, and use the parking.”
He said the Government was placing greater emphasis on prevention and providing more treatment in primary care settings.
‘CRUEL’: Alan Amos is calling for the County Hall site to be used as an extension of the hospital and for NHS parking but the motion could not go before full council following legal advice (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)
“The health system is more than a hospital system, and with finances being tight on both sides we would need to ensure this is value for all parties,” he said.
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Cllr Hardman also rejected Cllr Amos’s description of the political make-up of the administration.
He said: “Cllr Amos seems to be living in the past. The Conservative Group forms no part of the administration, we are not in coalition, and will hold all groups to account.”
Despite his criticism of the decision, Cllr Amos said Reform would respect the legal advice preventing the motion from being considered.
He said: “As Reform UK has always been a party of law and order, we will abide by the legal advice, even knowing how big the loss of an expanded hospital is to the people of Worcestershire.”
RESPONSE: Cllr Adrian Hardman said Cllr Alan Amos was ‘living in the past’ and the NHS had no plans to expand to the County Hall site (Image: Worcestershire County Council)
He described it as a “savage indictment” that two public authorities with neighbouring sites had not been able to reach a solution which could facilitate hospital expansion.
Cllr Adam Kent, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Finance, Corporate Services and Business at Worcestershire County Council, said: “Let’s be absolutely clear. Our responsibility is to act in the best interests of Worcestershire residents, and that includes securing the best possible value for taxpayers at a time when the Council is facing significant financial pressures.
“The process for the future of County Hall has been well publicised, transparent and open to all interested parties. That includes the NHS. At no point has the door been closed to the NHS purchasing the site, and any suggestion otherwise is simply misleading.
“We have consistently demonstrated our willingness to work with health partners, including through regular discussions about the potential diagnostic centre at Shrub Hill. We absolutely recognise the importance of improving healthcare provision for Worcestershire residents.
“But recognising that need does not remove our legal and financial responsibilities. With inadequate funding from central government and the Council operating under Exceptional Financial Support arrangements, we cannot simply disregard the value of a significant public asset or the consequences for council taxpayers.
“It is easy to make sweeping political statements when you don’t have to take responsibility for balancing the books. What residents deserve is responsible leadership, not political grandstanding.
“We will continue to welcome genuine interest in the site, including from the NHS, while doing everything we can to protect public services, minimise the financial burden on residents and secure the best outcome for Worcestershire.”
IMPORTANT: Liberal Democrat Mel Allcott called Cllr Amos’s remarks ‘disappointing’ but wants to see the hospital have increased capacity (Image: Submitted)
Cllr Mel Allcott, the Parliamentary Prospective Candidate for the Liberal Democrats called Cllr Alan Amos’s comments ‘disappointing’, ‘political and frankly at this stage, unhelpful to Worcestershire residents’.
She added: “I absolutely agree on the importance of ensuring Worcestershire as a county has the hospital capacity it needs. Regarding Worcestershire Royal Hospital, it was to my mind and the mind of many Worcester residents at the time, built too small.
“Additional housing and inadequate government funding mean it is under enormous pressure, with significantly longer than average A & E wait times and ambulance wait times amongst the worst in the country. There are some important realities that Cllr Amos appears to have overlooked.
“Firstly, the decision about whether Worcestershire Royal Hospital should expand, what additional facilities are needed and whether the County Hall site is the right location, rests with the NHS and the hospital trust, not the County Council. It must be based on a proper assessment of clinical need, future demand, feasibility and funding.
“Secondly, building a new acute hospital would be an enormous undertaking, potentially costing £1 billion or more. Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is already facing considerable financial challenge and in receipt of deficit support funding, we cannot simply assume that a major new hospital development is affordable or deliverable.
“Thirdly, the County Hall land is currently subject to a tender process. It is particularly ironic that a party which constantly talks about financial responsibility should now be demanding that the council prejudges a live commercial process, potentially putting the interests of council taxpayers at risk.
“I personally want to see Worcestershire Royal Hospital expand but a decision as to if, when where and how will be funded, is within the gift of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and the NHS.”
We have approached Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust for comment.