Civic bill is way too high
I read with mounting anger your headline item on Wednesday 22nd Nov edition regarding the Civic revamp to cost another 21 million pounds. This from a 'cash strapped' council who continually whine on saying they have no money defies belief.
What sort of surveyors did the council employ to do the initial breakdown of work needed to be done? Why did they not spot the roof and electrical problems at the time? Maybe they were looking greedily at their consultancy fees and not the structural problems of the building building?
In a city that has so many social care problems I am astounded as to how they can find this eye watering amount of money for 'repairs' as the figure now seems to have gone up to £36m. Grade 2 listed building or not, it would have been cheaper to have knocked it down and rebuilt it (or made it into yet another car park!). They seem more than happy to tell groups that there is no funding and that social activities so vital to older, lonely, isolated and disabled people will have to close.
No doubt come next March/April the council will have the temerity to say yet again they have no cash and its the Government’s fault that they are in this mess, etc, etc. And then go on to tell us they need to increase our council tax yet again. It seems to me that along with the finance department the whole council are unable to do a proper job. But oh it is so easy to spend other people’s money!
Christine Guy
Finchfield
