The future of Bath’s historic Guildhall could look very different.

The building has been at the heart of city politics for 350 years, but Deputy Leader, Richard Samuel said other sites could work “much better” as B&NES Council’s centre of operations.

He has been urged to consider the city’s heritage as he launches a review of the authority’s retail-heavy property portfolio so it can boost the income it receives.

Cllr Samuel, the cabinet member for resources, told a public meeting at the grade I-listed Guildhall on December 17th: “The council is a major landowner and property owner. The property base needs to work harder and earn its keep better.

“A lot of the property is retail. The sector is under some stress of late, in Bath, in particular. We will be looking at how we can diversify our portfolio. A big piece of work going on is looking at the operation of this building [the Guildhall]. This is not a popular building for staff, because it’s not really identified for office accommodation.

“We’re looking at what the future is for this building in terms of our use of it as an operational centre.”

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Samuel said: “We aren’t leaving the Guildhall and we aren’t going to sell it. People recognise it as a symbol of the Council. We have no plans to change that.

“We want to make it a much better space for the public to be in. We want it to be their space, rather than the Council’s.”

He said there are fewer than fifty staff currently working in the Guildhall in worse conditions than their colleagues in other Council buildings, who could be moved to Bath or somewhere else in Keynsham.

Council and committee meetings would stay at the building, as will the Mayor, and it will remain the civic hub. A facelift is planned for the Guildhall next year.

A recent freedom of information request confirmed that the Guildhall is a costly building to run. Electricity bills alone were £56,944 in 2017/18, compared to £7,000 for the new-build offices in Keynsham, although that building is far smaller.

The Guildhall cost more than £19,000 to heat, while business rates on the property set the Council back £224,000. Stephen Sumner