A COMPLETE £25,000 overhaul is being planned for Northwich's outdated council offices.

Northwich Town Council's gothic-style headquarters, in Church Road, has damp, dry rot and a leaky roof.

At their latest meeting councillors agreed to refurbish the building, located by Witton Cemetery, in a single project from the roof to the ground.

Chris Shaw, Northwich’s town clerk, said: “We need to create a safe and workable environment for staff and members of the public.

“We encounter endless problems with IT and electrics, which need to be totally upgraded.

“This will cost around £20,000 and will mean moving from the building for five weeks.

“We have damp and dry rot which will cost another £5,000.

“The building needs re-plastering and the roof is leaking in two places, so it needs to be re-roofed.

“We've never spent any money on the building other than the minimum to get us through.

“I think we should start at the roof and work our way down in one hit rather than over five years.”

Councillors agreed unanimously for the work to begin.

A £25,000 sum has already been set aside in the council’s 2013 to 2014 budget for the refurbishment.

Town mayor Clr Bob Robinson said: “It’s a health and safety issue as we are breaking the law, it’s as simple as that, and it needs to be addressed.”

Clr Kevin Rimmer said: “It makes sense to get it all done at once then it’s over and done with and we can move forward.”