Lib Dems want to keep Town Hall

At a stormy Full Council meeting last night the Liberal Democrats spelt out their position on the Town Hall, confirming that they want to see the current Town Hall kept.

At the meeting, Lib Dem leader Cllr David Kendall expressed his anger and frustration over the way the Conservative administration was handling the future of the Town Hall. His comments came during a heated debate that was cut short by the Mayor even though there were still many councillors who wanted to speak.

Cllr Kendall expressed serious concerns as to why a "Set of Principles" put forward by the Leader at the start of the debate had not been circulated to all members of the Council prior to the meeting so that proper analysis and discussion could take place on what was being proposed. The Leader failed to give him an answer.

He also asked why the "Set of Principles" had to be voted through en bloc rather than separately as there were some points he supported but again the Leader failed to give an answer.

Speaking about the future of the Town Hall, Cllr Kendall spelt out the Liberal Democrats position based on all the information that was currently available. The key points were as follows:

• Against purchasing the Coptfold Road site for a new Civic Centre
• Serious concerns about the projected cost for a new civic centre on the Coptfold Road site given what happened with the Town Hall extension in the 1990s when the costs escalated from £350,000 to £3.5 million.
• Support keeping the existing Town Hall building with a phased programme of works for repair and major renovation. Members must be given a detailed breakdown of all the costs and all the options to ensure we maximise the opportunities the existing building has to offer.
• Sell off the Warley Training Centre site for development and use the money for repairs and refurbishment of the Town Hall.

Cllr Kendall said:

"I am very angry that the Conservatives tried to bounce the Liberal Democrat group into agreeing their "Set of Principles" without giving us the opportunity to see and discuss the information before the meeting. They also curtailed the debate when many members still wanted to speak which was out of order.

"Their actions showed a total disregard for the democratic process and we were not prepared to play their silly game. We have spelt out to residents that we want to keep the existing Town Hall and repair and renovate the building. We have also made it clear that we do not want the Council to purchase the Coptfold Road site for a new Civic Centre.

"I now expect the Conservatives to try and drag this whole process out for as long as possible and past next May's election if they can. In the meantime residents will be clear on the Liberal Democrat group's position on this very important issue".