DN 04/2023       31/01/2023 

Ripon Estate Refurbishment

The Commissioner has decided to approve investment to fund the refurbishment of the estate in Ripon in order to support the continued co-location of Fire and Police, and ensure the building remains fit for purpose.

Background

Following the co-location of Police and Fire at the Fire Station in Ripon in 2018, a project to improve the arrangements at the existing Fire Station and ensure they were fit for purpose for both services was approved in 2021. A capital budget of £1,162,000 was agreed to fund a modular build on the current site, which was deemed to be the best value for money solution to address the issues with the current accommodation.

Following further investigations aligned to the commencement of work, it was identified that issues with the ground conditions at the site raised significant concerns with the viability of further construction work. Combined with escalating construction costs, this led to an increase in projected cost for the work so that it no longer represented value for money. As a result, the project was paused, and alternative options explored linked to the contingency options developed for use in the instance that the ground conditions prevented building work.

Following this additional work, a revised proposal has been developed. This involves the refurbishment of the existing Fire Station building to address key challenges with the existing estate, including availability of space, accessibility and public access considerations. It also includes the creation of additional space and facilities for some Police resources at another partner site in the Town Hall in Ripon.

It is projected that a capital investment of around £1,161,000 will be required to fund the refurbishment works, with costs apportioned 55% to the Fire Service, and 45% to the Police. In addition, a recurring annual revenue investment of around £33,000 is required to fund the new co-location at the Town Hall for the Police.

Decision Record

The Commissioner has decided to invest around £1,161,000 in the refurbishment of the estate in Ripon, with a further annual revenue investment of around £33,000 per year.

Zoë Metcalfe
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire

Statutory Officer Advice

Legal, Management and Equality Implications

The Commissioner’s Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer, having read this report and having considered such information as has been provided at the time of being asked to express this view, is satisfied that this report does not ask the Commissioner to make a decision which would (or would be likely to) give rise to a contravention of the law.

Simon Dennis
Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer

Financial and Commercial

The Commissioner’s Chief Finance Officer and S151 Officer has advised that the separate funding for both Police and Fire are included within the recently agreed budgets for 2023/24 and that the split of costs between the 2 services is appropriately apportioned.

Michael Porter
Chief Finance Officer