The rebuilding of a listed chimney at a Highland Council office is finally due to start more than two years after it was shrouded in scaffolding.
The local authority has confirmed reinstatement work will begin on the unstable stack at its Golspie HQ at Drummuie House in March
The authority has run-up a bill for nearly £40,000 for scaffolding to support the structure at the B-listed building since concerns were first raised in 2013.
It is understood that the case has been referred to the council’s internal auditors and a report could be published as early as next month.
Golspie-based Councillor Graham Phillips branded the situation a “ludicrous waste of money”.
The first phase of work to strip-down the chimney was recently completed and work to rebuild it to a lower height should start in March.
The council confirmed that, although the scaffolding remains up, the contractor has not been charging for it between the two phases of the work.
However, the scaffolding was being charged at £325 a week, with costs having topped at least £31,000 while the council and Historic Scotland considered options to repair the structure.
Erecting the scaffolding cost about £6,139, meaning the final bill is likely to be about £40,000.
Mr Phillips said he had been concerned about the project since the chimney was first considered at risk in 2013.
He said: “The council has been burning money that should not have been burnt.
“It has now been running up costs for more than two years.”
Mr Phillips said he believed the issue could have been dealt with a year ago.
Landward Caithness councillor Willie Mackay said the situation had been “embarrassing” but added it was a “small relief” that work was due to start in March.
A spokeswoman for the council said: “Following a competitive procurement exercise the chimney remedial works have been awarded and the phase one down-takings are now completed.
“The support scaffold is currently off-hire but the appointed building contractor is keeping the scaffold in place rather than taking it down and then re-erecting it when the phase two reinstatement works are carried out.”
The building was first opened in 1903 and was a previous home of Golspie High School.
It was empty between 2000 and 2006 before being converted into council offices and reopened in 2008.