Lib Dems demand scrutiny of Civic Hall finances

1.23.12pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 3rd Jul 2007

At last week's full meeting of Guildford Borough Council, Liberal Democrat councillors demanded closer scrutiny of the financial arrangements for the new Civic Hall. Plans for the new Civic have been unanimously approved by the Planning Committee, but there is currently no business plan setting out the future subsidy requirements, and no precise schedule of capital funding to meet the estimated minimum £20 million cost. The council has now agreed to Lib Dem calls for scrutiny of the progress of the Civic in July, and of the capital programme in November.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr Fiona White told the Council "We are very concerned about comments in the District Auditor's 'Annual Audit and Inspection Letter' expressing deep concerns about the fragility of the Council's capital reserves. The Council is assuming that the new Civic can be built to a budget of

£20 million, but it isn't clear precisely where that money will come from or when it will be available. The Conservative administration has talked in the past about raiding housing reserves or borrowing money. Both those alternatives would be unacceptable to Guildford's council tax payers, and it's time the Conservatives got their financial act together."

Cllr Tony Phillips, the Lib Dem Chair of the Council's Community and Health Scrutiny Committee, has insisted that a report on the progress of the new Civic Hall should come to the July meeting of the committee, and should not be deferred until November as officers had suggested.

Cllr Phillips said "The new Civic has obtained planning approval, but huge questions remain about the financial viability of the building and the amount of subsidy that will be required from council tax payers. The Conservatives closed the old Civic prematurely, using the excuse that it required public subsidy, but they still do not have a business plan in place for the new hall. The public need to know what sort of subsidy will be required for our new hall, and we need reassurance about the management arrangements. The Civic must provide facilities for all the groups that used it in the past, including our orchestra, local bands and local community groups. We don't want to see the hall given over entirely to commercial interests at the expense of Guildford's residents."