The King Centre is to have new boilers for winter. The council-owned office space is getting new boilers in time for winter, Rutland County Council has heard.

The King Centre in Barleythorpe, Oakham provides 12,000sq ft of serviced office space for about 32 businesses.

Members of the cabinet of Rutland County Council heard from Lib Dem Cllr Andrew Johnson, who said: "Cabinet is being asked to approve funding of up to £87,000 for the replacement of the boilers and ancillary heating and ventilation systems at The King Centre in Oakham, which urgently needs attention to restore it to a condition where it works.

Leader of the council, Lib Dem Cllr Gale Waller, added: "I think this is a quite straight-forward decision. We have tenants at The King Centre – we cannot expect our tenants to go through the winter cold, and without hot water. Nor would they expect to be in that situation, to be fair."

The King Centre was built in 1977, and acquired by the council in 2010, with the current boilers installed in 2009.

They have had regular and persistent faults and breakdowns despite the council carrying out regular servicing and maintenance, but this has resulted in periods when heating and hot water are not available affecting occupiers and causing reputational damage to the council.

Repair costs of £25,000 have been incurred for the boiler and plant room since 2018, with £11,500 being spent on the boilers alone. Both boilers have been assessed as beyond economic repair due to their age.

These regular and persistent faults and repairs are having an adverse effect on the limited maintenance budget available for the property. In addition, it is necessary to have a regular regime of three-monthly servicing at a cost of £450 per visit, whereas modern boilers are normally only serviced annually; and managing the faults and repairs and tenant liaison impacts on Property Services limited resources.

Members unanimously voted to approve the funding of up to £87,000 for the boiler replacement project.