Residents need to be aware of the failures of the Princes Buildings Project by the Labour-run Calderdale Council. Councillor Howard Blagbrough urges residents to read the report on the project and said, “It is a very worrying example of mismanagement and weak leadership.”
The report on the project was first presented to the Audit Committee in October 2023 (this comes after multiple requests over a period of two years by Conservative Councillors to see details of the projects). The report is available for all residents to read on the Council’s website and can found on page 99 of the Audit Committee’s Agenda for October - (Public Pack)Agenda Document for Audit Committee, 02/10/2023 18:00 (moderngov.co.uk).
The Princess Buildings project was part of a wider Town Centre Office Strategy (TCOS) by the Council to refurbish several buildings, including Northgate House. The main findings of the report confirm that:
- The reporting of costs and requests for additional funding to Members regarding the refurbishment of Princess Buildings (as part of the TCOS) are unclear. It has hindered member’s ability to challenge costs.
- The total TCOS approved budget was £15.33m. There is currently an unapproved overspend on the TCOS of £2.7m. The Final Account for Princess Buildings has yet to be agreed, so the final out-turn position is not yet known.
- The earmarking of future capital receipts or capital resources to reduce the costs in relation to Princess Buildings on a retrospective basis, were not always evidenced within the committee meeting minutes to show the approval/confirmation given.
The report also confirms the following risks:
- Additional funding for the scheme was not adequately approved by financial regulations.
- Officers may have been acting beyond their delegated powers
- Reports presented to members did not clearly highlight the overspend so allowing them to robustly challenge costs.
- Reporting of the wider TCOS programme may lead to individual cost centres (e.g., Princess Buildings), not being reported in a clear and transparent manner.”
"It is shameful that the project was overspent by £2.7m. This is £2.7m more than the approved budget of £15.3m. Therefore, the total cost is now £18m. To put this into context, the Council's true general fund reserves are only £5.8m, so an overspend of £2.7m is not an insignificant issue ", said Cllr Howard Blagbrough, adding "But the fact that it was unapproved is more serious – the report confirms it’s a breach in the financial regulations set for Local Government."
Overall, this raises many questions about the Council's leadership and shows that Councillors were presented information which led to uninformed decision-making. This is undoubtedly evidence of weak management and leadership - Political leaders and Senior officers either allowed this to happen or didn't know it was happening.
One thing is abundantly clear from all this – Labour cannot be trusted to deliver for the residents of Calderdale. It's time for a Conservative-led Council.
