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The bill for a council’s plan to improve its headquarters has increased by £301,000 because of rising construction costs.

Labour-run Bassetlaw Council has approved the extra funds as it progresses with improvements to its Queen’s Buildings home on Potter Street.

The Worksop building, which also hosts the police and a JobCentre, is due to benefit from nearly £2.4 million of decarbonisation works, funded via Government grants rather than council tax.

The work, which aims to reduce the carbon emissions and improve the energy footprint, while also including measures to save on bills, will include fabric improvements and a new heating system, bringing forward “large cost savings for operation and future maintenance”.

It is expected to save the council as much as £50,000 per year and also “shield” the building from future energy price increases.

A new roof, with solar panels, is also due to be installed on the building, with the current roof “a decade or more beyond its guaranteed life expectancy”.

The council said: “While in good condition, it will be better to insulate and renew the roof before a leak or issue is evident, especially with the heat pumps and solar panels being installed across its surface.”

The first phase of the scheme was initially expected to cost £1.398m but has since risen to £1.699m, due to a 30 per cent rise in construction costs “most notably from supply shortages”.

A council report said: “Through fabric improvements and a new heating system, this project will induce large cost savings for operation and future maintenance at Queen’s Buildings.”

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“Since its inception, a global energy crisis, supply chain shortages from the Covid-19 pandemic, and a change in the principal contractor have increased the total project costs greatly from the original expectation.”

The report says staff and leaseholders such as the police may be required to “work flexibly” while work to the building takes place.

This includes moving to alternative floors or working from home.

The extra funding was approved during a delegated decision by Coun June Evans, cabinet member for finance.

The second phase, which is expected to cost £698,000, is due to be approved in February.

It brings the total cost of the works to £2.397m.

Extra £300k needed to decarbonise council’s Worksop headquarters