Crediton Town Council has put a £60,000 package of refurbishment work at Manor Office out to tender, around 17 months after it began paying rent on the North Street building.
The council is looking for a contractor to carry out internal alterations and refurbishment work at Manor Office, 6 North Street, with bids due by 5pm on the 9th October.
The estimated contract value is £60,000 excluding VAT, or £72,000 including VAT, with work currently scheduled to begin on the 1st December 2026 and finish by the 31st March 2027.
The historic building is subject to Listed Building Consent, and the tender specifically asks for contractors with experience of heritage buildings and conservation-led construction.
What is being done?
The work covers both the ground and first floors and is intended to turn Manor Office into a more complete public-facing council building.
The tender documents include internal alterations, work to the entrance and doors, staff and kitchen facilities, office changes and provision of an accessible toilet.
Crediton Town Council says the building is eventually intended to provide council offices, public reception and meeting space, while also accommodating community uses.
But even now, the council’s own website says Manor Office is not yet fully open to the public, citing continuing accessibility and safety work. Residents are instead being offered scheduled appointments, phone and digital contact, and a Monday drop-in at Crediton Library.
Rent started in May 2025
The timetable is notable because the council began paying for Manor Office well over a year ago.
Its published accounts record a payment of £1,408.33 on the 9th May 2025, described as “Manor Office rent – May”.
Later accounts continue to show the same monthly figure. A July 2026 bank record, for example, lists £1,408.33 for Manor Office rent, while the same amount also appears in council records for November 2025 and April 2026.
At that rate, 17 months from May 2025 through September 2026 equates to £23,941.61 in rent. All for a building that has so far seen little usage.
And if the same rent continues through the scheduled completion date of the 31st March 2027, the period from May 2025 to March 2027 would total 23 months – £32,391.59 in rent alone.
That doesn’t mean Manor Office has been completely unused throughout that period. Some limited council activity has taken place there — including a few meetings — and it is now the council’s official address.
But the building has taken much longer to become the fully operational, publicly accessible council office originally envisaged.
Worth knowing
The £32,391.59 figure is rent only. It is calculated from the council’s recorded monthly rent of £1,408.33 over the 23 months from May 2025 to March 2027. It does not include utilities, business rates, insurance, professional fees, or refurbishment costs. It also does not include fees paid to hire other venues while waiting for Manor Office to become fully functional.
The cheapest bid will not necessarily win
The £60,000 figure is an estimated contract value rather than an already agreed final price.
The council says bids will be assessed 50% on quality and technical capability, with price accounting for 30%.
Programme and deliverability carry another 10%, while the final 10% is based on local economic benefit — encouraging the money spent on the project to have a wider benefit to the local economy.
That means the lowest quotation will not automatically be selected.
The tender closes on the 9th October, with the contract award currently expected by the 27th October.
Work could continue into spring
The published programme currently runs from the 1st December 2026 to the 31st March 2027.
There is, however, provision for the contract to be extended as far as the 31st May 2027, depending on the timescale proposed by the successful contractor.
So March is the target rather than an absolute guarantee.
If the project does finish on schedule, almost two years will have passed between the council’s first recorded Manor Office rent payment and completion of this latest refurbishment programme.
For the moment, contractors have until next Friday to submit their bids.
Sources & transparency
This article is based on Crediton Town Council’s published financial records, its current information about Manor Office and the public procurement notice for the refurbishment contract. The rent totals are Tidings’ calculations using the recorded monthly figure of £1,408.33. Manor Office has not been described as wholly unused: council meetings and some limited activity have taken place there, although it is still not fully open to the public.
