Wolverhampton Civic Hall design fees hit £1.9 million
Spiralling costs behind the Wolverhampton Civic Hall revamp include £1.9 million of taxpayers’ cash – just on design and trial fees – it has been revealed.
Refurbishment of the city centre venue has soared to £38.1m, despite the authority initially saying it was due to cost just £14.4m.
The Civic Hall is expected to be closed until 2020 as the large-scale improvement works are carried out.
A Wolverhampton council spokesman said: “This report relates to a specific aspect of the design work for the Civic Halls refurbishment project.
"It was put in front of Cabinet Resources for transparency as one possible option and the £1.9m figure mentioned is included within the overall £38 million budget.
“Shaylor Group are helping us deliver the project.”
Shaylor Group is a family-owned company with offices in the Midlands and London.
Opposition leader councillor Wendy Thompson said there needed to be close scrutiny on how money was being spent on the project.
She said: “We need to see exactly where the money is being spent.
"We need to see the detail of it and ensure we are happy with where the money is going.
“We have seen in the past that, frankly, the amount appeared to have been conjured out of thin air.
"There needs to be robust questioning to ensure the money is being spent in the right way.
“I have had calls from residents who are furious at what’s gone on because they know they know they will have to pay for it through council tax.”
Major events that attract thousands to the Civic Hall, including the Grand Slam of Darts, will be held elsewhere in the city while the venue is closed.
It was revealed earlier this week an unrealistic budget and flawed contingency plan had forced a major overhaul of Wolverhampton’s Civic Hall to ‘fail’.
In a Lessons Learned report from the local authority, it has now been revealed that decisions were ‘rushed’ after delays.
