Mystery surrounds the future of a listed building in Burton town centre which may be left empty as two charities leave the premises.

Learning disability charity Mencap has run a café at Crossley House, in Manor Croft near the Market Place, since the 1960s, but this will soon be stopping after Mencap said town hall chiefs have asked them to leave the premises. East Staffordshire Borough Council owns the building.

This latest development comes after the closure of the mobility scooter hire service Shopmobility. It was operated out of Crossley House by East Staffordshire Borough Council.

The authority said it could no longer afford to run the service and had tried to get someone else to take it over, but so far it had not found anyone. Shopmobility hired out mobility scooters to people with disabilities.

A spokesman for Mencap said it has now been told it must find an alternative home to hold its twice-weekly cafes. The borough council pays for its electricity, while the charity provides its own tea and coffee.

However, when the Burton Mail asked the borough council what plan it has for Crossley House, the question remained unanswered.

Instead, a council spokesman said: “Crossley House will remain open for Mencap to continue holding its café on Thursdays and Saturdays.”

Mencap has said this will only be until it finds alternative accommodation.

When asked if the council will be finding Mencap a new home, the spokesman said: “We are discussing options with Mencap.”

It would not answer questions around the future of Crossley House.

While Shopmobility has now closed, angering many elderly people who claim they are now unable to shop in Burton, Mencap has been allowed to continue its café until alternative accommodation can be found.

It is not the first time Mencap has been threatened with eviction from Crossley House. In 2005, the council made a U-turn when it had previously asked it to move out to make way for Shopmobility following a £150,000 renovation, However, Mencap was later allowed to stay and had shared the facility with Shopmobility.

Shopmobility has now closed down, with council leader Richard Grosvenor saying that one of the council’s main priorities was to provide value for council money services and made a commitment to appraise and investigate options for the delivery of the council’s Shopmobility service.

The review suggested that if there was not an appropriate alternative provider willing to take on the service, the next step would be to consider closing the service.