Sports Centre - “Business as Usual”
The title of Item four of the next cabinet meeting at the County Council is a bit ironic - “Business as usual - Consett Sport Project - Report of County Treasurer”.
The only this that is “as usual” about this is delay.
It’s more than five years since this project was supposed to be set in motion, but a lack of openness about the finances, and clinging to a pipe-dream of an all singing, all dancing Sports Village long after it was clear that the finance wasn’t there, has resulted in the project being put at the mercy of the County Council Cabinet.
You might think that with four Derwentside-based councillors in that cabinet Consett’s interests would be well looked after. You’d be wrong. Instead, old rivalries between the district and county council threaten the new facility.
The notes for this section of the cabinet meeting read: “Purpose of report - the report seeks approval to appoint consultants to examine proposals by Derwentside District Council to design and build a sports facility.”
That sound ominously like civil-service-speak for kicking it into the long grass.
Make up your own mind by clicking this link: http://www.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/etech/DCCMinutes.nsf/6fe09dd7d993002780256aef003c01ab/f2ffabd7442a1fc6802574aa004ee04d?OpenDocument
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