 |
Kenilworth and Southam Liberal DemocratsLocal party for Kenilworth & Southam constituency |
 |
Conservative Empty Promises Exposed
April 27, 2008 12:00 PM
Liberal Democrats in Kenilworth have reacted with anger and disbelief to the admission by Councillor Vincett, Conservative leader of Kenilworth Town Council, that sufficient funding cannot be found for the planned Public Service Centre on Smalley Place, Kenilworth.
For year after year, election after election, local Conservatives have claimed that Kenilworth did not get its fair share of the council tax that it paid, and that it did not get its fair share of capital funding. Since last year's district council elections the Conservatives have been running all three levels of local government - the County, District and Town Councils, so they have had an unparalleled opportunity to deliver on their promises by backing the Smalley Place scheme. The Liberal Democrats say that the Conservatives are failing the people of Kenilworth.
Cllr John Whitehouse
Councillor John Whitehouse (Liberal Democrat, Kenilworth Abbey) said:
"Back in 2005, during the high profile "Get It Right" campaign for the Public Service Centre to be located at Smalley Place instead of Abbey End, local Conservatives were quick to jump on to the band wagon, but they did not spell out to the public the huge financial difficulties of delivering the project on that site.
The fundamental problem has always been that the Police Authority requires market value in any sale of the Police Station site, and that leaves a gaping black hole in the financing of the project. The need for additional capital funding has been obvious from the beginning.
As it stands today, the only investment being committed to the scheme would come from selling off the Talisman Theatre site, which would only raise about a third of the money needed for a new theatre, and selling the Council House site at Southbank Road, a site paid for by Kenilworth ratepayers before 1974.
It should be quite clear to all Kenilworth council tax payers that if this scheme fails, if we do not get a new Civic Centre and theatre, it is because not one penny of capital spending from the District or the County is going into the project. The only money pledged is to be raised by selling off what we already have.
The Conservatives run the County, District and Town councils. They have been promising us for years that under their rule Kenilworth would get a fairer share of capital spending. This is the only major public sector capital project in Kenilworth on the cards, and not one brass farthing can be found for it.
Words are very cheap in elections, but actually delivering requires a bit more than words."
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats
-
Help out or donate
-
Tell us what you think