Empty council offices should be used to help people who are homeless or rough sleeping in Salford, a councillor has said. Offices in Salford Civic Centre in Swinton are often left empty when staff work from home, Councillor Robin Garrido said. The building was first opened in 1938 and later extended – and the newer part of the site could offer accommodation to those in need or even be turned into new homes, Coun Garrido believes. The leader of Salford Conservatives said: “That building could be used to solve the problem of homelessness and rough sleeping. We think we could have put some people in there but we were told it wasn’t practical. “Andy Burnham when he was elected four years ago one of his pledges was to solve that problem, but he’s failed. “In the longer term it could be knocked down and several houses could be built on that site, where we’ve already got the infrastructure. “Some social housing, some affordable rents, some shared ownership, It should be a mixed development.” Swinton is one of the towns which make up the city of Salford, and the local authority is working up plans for the future of the area. After a survey launched in 2022, people said that “Swinton needed to be a more vibrant place” and called for “a plan to tackle empty buildings and shops”. The council’s masterplan for the town, called the Swinton Vision, includes a plan to “repurpose the Civic Centre” and “rethinking” the shopping centre on the other side of Chorley Road. This work has taken place with a homelessness crisis rumbling on in the background, which led to the opening of an emergency shelter last December in an old school building in the town. Around the same time, homeless tents were put up by people outside the council offices in a display of just how bad the problem has become. Would housing people in council offices make a difference? The option was seriously considered, according to Coun John Merry, who is the deputy city mayor and lead member for adult services, health and wellbeing at Salford council. He said: “The city is facing a housing crisis where demand for housing has risen and the number of people presenting as homeless has increased. “An option to use the Civic Centre was considered – but we would need to secure planning consent and extensive work to make it suitable for residential use and this was not considered a viable option. “The work to create the Swinton Vision is not new and has been going on since before the pandemic. A key part of the future includes looking at the council’s civic estate to better shape and modernise how we provide services for all Salford’s residents and businesses. “The retail part of the town centre is privately owned and we continue to talk with them and all key stake holders about the realising the vision. “The next stage is to appoint a strategic development partner to put the vision into reality. We aim to make an announcement on the partner in the near future and we will continue to consult with local people as we shape the future for Swinton.” Andy Burnham’s office was contacted for comment.
