Council to ask Government for support on Wolverhampton Civic Halls revamp costs
Council bosses in Wolverhampton will ask the Government to help meet the costs of projects impacted by the coronavirus crisis.
City council leader Ian Brookfield said it would be unfair for taxpayers to "shoulder the burden" for increasing costs on projects such as the Civic Halls revamp.
It was revealed this week that the budget for the Civic scheme was set to rise again due to the pandemic.
The overhaul of the iconic venue was initially expected to cost around £10 million before rocketing to £38.1 million. That figure is now set to rise again, though the authority has not said by how much.
Councillor Brookfield said he expected to Government to step in and help councils facing extra costs through no fault of its own.
He also hit back at opposition councillors who have criticised the latest budget rise. The Civic has been shut since 2017, apart from a short period that year, and is not expected to open until next year. Work has paused due to the pandemic.
The leader said: "It shouldn't fall on the shoulders of local people. They are unforeseen costs that can't fall onto local people's shoulders.
"This is an event nobody could have foreseen. We are going to be asking them (Government) for help with all our schemes.
"I'm sure the Government hasn't got a bottomless pit of cash but maybe we are talking about marshalling borrowing where the country pays it back over 50 or 100 years because that's where we're at."
On his critics, Councillor Brookfield added: "If it was my fault or the group's fault I would have stuck my hand up. But when they blame us when extra costs are because of a pandemic it's a bit low."
Work on the halls ground to a halt last year when contractor Shaylor Group went bust. A new builder, Willmott Dixon, was subsequently brought on board to continue the job, before the coronavirus pandemic added further complications.
When it eventually does reopen it will be run by an external operator.
