Sheffield Council lost ‘shocking’ £882,000 in business rates from John Lewis closure

Added to the £80,700 costs related to security up until September 4 when an asbestos contractor took over, the council lost nearly £1 million.

Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, leader of Sheffield Liberal Democrats, asked council leader Terry Fox for the figures in the latest full council meeting.

In response, he said the number was the difference between the current situation and the hypothetical situation where John Lewis stayed and paid the bill in full.

Councillor Mohammed said: “I knew there would be a cost but I’m a bit shocked it’s almost £1 million.

“Money is tight, we are having to count all the pennies and balance the budget – here is another example of money we could have had and money we could have spent on something else that might have been more important to the taxpayers of Sheffield.

“The quicker we do something with John Lewis now, the better but the job has been made harder [by listing the building].”

The latest on the John Lewis building in Sheffield

It was revealed last month that the number of developers interested in the former Cole Brothers site in the city centre dropped from 16 to four after it was given Grade II listed status.

Council officials said there was “at least four” prospective bidders but the final figure would only be known after the deadline for final submissions in early February. A decision on who gets the 250-year lease will be made in March, several months later than first planned.

In August, Coun Mazher Iqbal said there were “15 or 16” “credible and exciting” bids for the building, which meant it would not stand empty. And a final decision was pushed back from summer to November due to the sheer number of applicants, he added.

There was an outcry when it was Grade II-listed in August. Sheffield MP Clive Betts warned it would be a “a real obstacle” to attracting developers.