Council staff crammed into an old public toilet block in Chorleywood will have to wait at least a year before a bigger office can be found.

Councillor Jackie Worrall said in a report that the office was too small and highlighted several hazards including trailing wires and a poorly fitting loft hatch.

According to the councillor, each of the council's four part time administrators should have a minimum of 11 cubic metres.

With the current layout of the office and the equipment stored in it, the available space was under this health and safety minimum.

Yvonne Merritt, council clerk, said: “At the moment we're dealing with budgets and the council office is a long-term project. It's no good looking at accommodation space now because the Localism Bill is coming in, so we are waiting to see how that will affect us.

“It's no good looking for office space for four people, only to then find out something else is delegated to us and we need more room.”

The fire door leading to the kitchen is often left open and the hatch into the loft, which is full of paper, does not fit properly and is not fire retardant. Trailing wires were also highlighted as a health and safety risk.

Short term fixes included weeding out the filing and removal of all the paper in the loft space.

The council has explored a number of alternative sites for meetings, so that staff could use the existing chamber as office space.

Ms Merritt added: “We've been looking at using the memorial hall but we have long standing paying customers who have historically been in there. We'd have to cancel dance classes and things which does not seem right, and would reduce our income.

“The council table and chairs are antiques from Chorleywood House, and we are very loath to get rid of them as they are part of the council's history.

“There are lots of other pieces of the jigsaw that can be put forward before we can move on.”

  • The office of the parish council was originally called South Lodge and was home to the gardener of Chorleywood House.

It was converted into a public toilet when Three Rivers District Council sold the house in the 1970s, but had to be closed after a police inquiry ten years later. Since then it has been used by the four part-time administrators of Chorleywood Parish Council and three rangers, who are not based in the office, but use it to make phone calls.