City council spends £240k on car park... for its staff
CASH-STRAPPED council bosses spent almost £250,000 on bulldozing a former job centre and transforming it into a staff car park.
Accounts revealed under a Freedom of Information request show Stoke-on-Trent City Council spent £202,300 buying the empty building in Fleming Road, Stoke.
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PARK UP: Above, the car park on Fleming Road, Stoke, with the city council's Swann House in the background. Left, the former job centre before its demolition. Pictures: Phil Radcliffe
The council then spent a further £36,532 to demolish the building and clear the site and another £1,445 for hard-core and £925 for railings to transform it into the 20-space staff car park for workers based at Swann House.
That adds up to a total cost of £241,202, or £12,060 per space.
But the council, which is going through the most widespread programme of cuts and efficiency savings the city has ever known, has defended its decision.
The authority has identified £24 million of savings in its 2012/13 budget having made savings worth £35.6 million during the current financial year.
It says the building needed to be bulldozed as part of a 20-year masterplan for the city and a staff overflow car park was the best use for the site.
Sandyford and Goldenhill Residents' Association recently challenged the council over cuts to youth centres.
Secretary Tom Simpson, aged 55, said: "Spending that amount of money looks bad, with all the cut backs."
Helen Burgess, pictured left, of Milton, who fought to save Shelton swimming pool from closure, said: "Where is the council getting the money from, if they are so strapped for cash?
"They seem to be able to find money for things they want. Yet they are making so many cuts there won't be anything left."
Councillor Ruth Rosenau, Labour cabinet member for regeneration, said: "The Stoke Town Masterplan was prepared by the council to set out a 20-year strategy for the regeneration of the town and the former Jobcentre building was bought as part of this.
"The project cost about £241,000, covering procurement of the building, legal fees, and demolition costs.
"Finance for this work came from the council's capital programme and, as a by-product of the demolition, has created an overspill car park which can used by staff from Swann House.
"We looked at a number of options for the site including increasing the size of the adjacent public car park through the incorporation of this site, but this plan was most cost-effective."
64 Comments
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by HAGGI5
Wednesday, March 07 2012, 8:52PM
“"Stoke City Council, spending YOUR money, unwisely!"”
by salmanrushdi
Monday, March 05 2012, 8:49PM
“Its a lovely looking Car Park.”
by debt_on_trent
Sunday, March 04 2012, 9:55PM
“Mr.Norris ,my friends on the bins could do with an ally who is intelectually savvy regarding everything that this council are trying to impose.If you would like to help please supply an email address and i will contact you forthwith on their behalf.Thanks.”
by I_Norris
Sunday, March 04 2012, 9:11PM
“debt_on_trent: no ERDF was actually used on this Project, ERDF funded the Masterplanning Consultants.
According to the FOI request this story is based on this complete project the purchase, demolition and works were funded from The City Council's Capital Programme. (go see website whatdotheykow )
senseisteve I think it will look even worse if staff from Swann House are now relocated back to the Civic or the CBD (if that ever get funding)”
by FactOnPoint
Sunday, March 04 2012, 8:51PM
“how surprising, the council wasting money, well they never do that now do they!”
by Speccy9eyes
Sunday, March 04 2012, 8:29PM
“I reckon the jippps who the council bend over backwards to accommodate could have done this job for 40k pounds . Cash of course.”
by senseisteve
Sunday, March 04 2012, 8:18PM
“Thanks Ian ... trying to unravel what money went to pay for what scheme is almost impossible. The minutes of the relevant meetings online don't make it easy.
I've just driven past the site and had a look at the layout.
This bit of land is some 15-20cm lower than the adjoining public carpark - and trying to extend the public car park into this piece of land as some have suggested would lead to the loss of at least two maybe three bays on the existing car park to create adequate access.
Not sure how much more that would have cost but it may not have resulted in an outpouring of such anger as we've seen here.”
by debt_on_trent
Sunday, March 04 2012, 5:54PM
“Thanks for that Mr.Norris but can you clarify the actual amount of ERDF that was used on this project just so we know exactly how much of a white elephant it has been.”
by Speccy9eyes
Sunday, March 04 2012, 5:49PM
“That's ok then, receive funding and waste it on a car park for council employees. I don't know sboit you, but I feel so much better.”
by I_Norris
Sunday, March 04 2012, 4:51PM
“sorry the complete ERDF funding was £665,000 for the three towns of Burslem, Stoke Town and Longton. I may have made it sound like it was just £20,000”