What’s the oldest town hall in the UK? The newest? The prettiest? We want to know what your town or city hall means to you.
A home to the mayor, a central meeting place, or a venue for festivals and performances - many of these buildings are now powerful symbols of their local place.
But at a time when local government budgets are being slashed, it can be hard to justify the upkeep of historic buildings. This has led to some controversial decisions. Cash-strapped Ealing council, for example, is considering a plan to lease out its headquarters, a Grade II-listed gothic structure built in 1887, for use as a luxury hotel. The plan has attracted criticism, not least from our contributing editor Hannah Fearn: “The decision will pay the bills for this decade, but what will bind your community in the next?”
Other councils are making different decisions. Rochdale borough council’s offices, for instance, named the UK’s best workplace for 2014, was built in 2013. It cost £42.5m and has faced criticism, with local Labour MP Simon Danczuk denouncing it as “indulgence”. But the council says this new development will revive the town centre and boost staff productivity.
Whatever the price tag, there’s no denying that many of the UK’s town halls and council offices are impressive. We want you to share your pictures – or stories – of your local town hall, to celebrate its place in your local history.
Afterwards we will be putting together a gallery of your images on the Guardian Public Leaders Network.
You can share your photographs or videos by clicking on the blue ‘contribute’ button on this article or you can download the free GuardianWitness app if you have a smartphone. Please use the description field to tell us more about the photo or video.
- GuardianWitness is the home of user-generated content on the Guardian. Contribute your video, pictures and stories, and browse news, reviews and creations submitted by others. Posts will be reviewed prior to publication on GuardianWitness, and the best pieces will feature on the Guardian site.
