The building which houses Weymouth Registration Office could be sold off as Dorset County Council looks to save money.

A spokesman for the authority stressed that no decisions have yet been made and any weddings which have been booked at the offices on Dorchester Road will be honoured.

The building also houses an adult education centre, community resources team and a team from mental health charity Rethink. If the building were to be sold off the same services will continue to be offered but at a different location.

The reassurances from Dorset County Council come after a number of people contacted the Echo over concerns for the building’s future.

A DCC spokesman confirmed that discussions are ongoing over whether to sell the building, which is owned by the authority, but that no decisions have been made.

The spokesman said: “The building at 45 Dorchester Road, Weymouth, has been earmarked for possible future development but the services that operate there would need to have a place to go which is suitable for customers.”

The discussions are part of Dorset County Council’s Way We Work programme, which looks to transform the authority and save money without cutting services.

The county council has saved millions of pounds over the last several years after dramatic changes to government funding.

In December last year the Dorset Echo reported how DCC has sold or ‘given up’ 60 buildings across the county in efforts to make ends meet. The programme to rationalise the council’s property estate is expected to save around £1m per year in running costs. Meanwhile, a programme called ‘A community offer for living and learning’ is aiming to combine assets with other public sector bodies to create a comprehensive offering of services delivered out of key buildings across Dorset.

The community offer 'vision' is in its early stages and six pioneer project areas have been identified to progress the scheme – in Weymouth, Portland, Beaminster, Blandford, Wareham and Ferndown. It will be different for each area depending on need.

The scheme has received a funding boost from the government to the tune of almost £100,000. It has come from the One Public Estate (OPE) programme to support councils to fund potential land and property initiatives, generate jobs and homes, and create more joined-up public services.

The Dorchester Road building offers a ceremony room which can be hired out for weddings. A number of adult learning courses are also offered there, such as arts, crafts and media, English as a foreign language and personal and professional development.