Borough Council Bombshell!

A Letter to the Editor (well worth framing) from DAVID HALL, who spells out, in a few telling words, what everyone knows about Scarborough Borough Council – and what the Enquirer has documented over the past decade.

PURE DYNAMITE!

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Dear Editor

There seems to be focus on the Benchmark fiasco; what about these other matters where huge sums have been wasted.

• Wasted £4m on property purchases for Station Gateway and Argos redevelopment that are unused, including:
• Pavillion House (£2.6m Paid to DWF Law LLP 1/11/2021)
• Comet (Paid £833k to DWF Law LLP 1/11/2021)
• St Helens Square Newsagent (£144k 7/1/2022)
• Flat above St Helens Newsagent(£105k 31/1/2022), and
• Shakespeare public house (£195k 20/7/2021).
• Other ongoing costs during the debacle of what must be in excess of £1 – 2m of staff time on the actual project, plus other things not being concluded like over 40 leases on properties owned by the Council.
• What was the cost of Council officers who achieved nothing of note (Director – Cole, Manager Richards and then the Legal and Finance Officers)?
• Ongoing Business rates for all above properties not in use plus maintenance and security of the same.
• How much Interest has been paid on borrowing so far and going forward?
• Demolition of the Indoor pool – what is there to show for it?
• Demolition of the Futurist in excess of £4m – what is there to show for it?
• Town Centre in desperate need of investment. Surely that is what the Towns Deal Funds are for? Why has nothing been achieved?
• The finger of blame must be pointed at those 3 Chief Executives and their Senior Officers who were in control (or not in control) of delivering these pie-eyed projects.

They took the six-figure salaries and eye-watering pensions – what did we get?

NOTHING!

If the Council employed Professional Developers who knew what they were doing, perhaps the financial mess they have handed over to North Yorkshire Council would not be there and a redeveloped Futurist Theatre (like Stockton-on-Tees Council has done with The Globe Theatre in that town), along with all the other theatre and arts venue, Scarborough could have been the Mecca for shows outside London.

For 20 years, all local folks have wanted is a modern Cinema and Town Square.

Perhaps if anyone had bothered asking them, they could have been delivered and the failed Executive Team would be remembered for the right reasons!

The Amateurs at the Town Hall have wasted Public Funds purchasing what seems to be various ‘White Elephants’ that cost a fortune and will cost even more with their maintenance and running costs until they are demolished and rebuilt.

They should hang their heads in shame.

It’s time for a Public Inquiry into this multi-million mismanagement.

Yours sincerely

David Hall

Scarborough