Independent audit call for Bedworth's Civic Hall amid Tory claims it is failing to hit budget

A call for an independent audit of the Civic Hall has been made amid Tory claims it is failing to hit its budget.

Conservatives at the Town Hall say there needs to be an urgent review of the venue to figure out why, they say, it has not stuck to its budget over the last 10 years.

They say it has cost taxpayers £5million since 2009.

Ruling Labour members refute these claims.

They say the Tory figures are wrong and do not take into account the depreciation of it as a council asset and instead say there has only between two of the last five financial years where it has not made a profit.

Councillor Kris Wilson led the Conservative calls for an independent external audit into the operations at the Civic Hall during full council.

Kris Wilson, leader of the Tory group on Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.

"The Civic Hall is an ideal opportunity to give a cultural heart not only to Bedworth but also to the borough but unfortunately what we are seeing, time and again, despite having an approved budget from this council, which has been voted upon, it has not once in my ten years as a councillor, actually stuck to budget," Cllr Wilson said.

"If a trader was to operate a business like we currently do the Civic Hall, they would be insolvent because there is no default position. whereas with the Civic Hall default position is bank of the tax payer. What we need to do and I am extremely keen to see that we put the Civic Hall into a 21st century frame of operation and actually make it fit for the next generation to be able to enjoy it.

"I actually have fond memories of the Civic Hall and I know the power and influence it can have on young people but we make sure we are using Council Tax payers money wisely and I honestly can't say at the moment, hand on heart, that we are spending every single penny piece that goes into the Civic Hall wisely because it is not operating to its approved budget."

He went on: "We have to catch up with the times. If the Birmingham Hippodrome operated like this, they would go bust, if the Belgrade operated like this, it would go bust. It is a dereliction of duty to not look at the biggest single expenditure of this council."

Cllr Kyle Evans added: "Since 2009, it has cost £5.5m to run the Civic Hall, that is despite Council Tax going up and Labour introducing the green bin tax.

"We have no intention of closing the Civic Hall, in fact we want to save it from Labour's financial mismanagement. If it was run properly, perhaps we wouldn't have a green bin tax."

Smokescreen

But Cllr Bill Hancox hit back saying: "I don't know how he managed to get the green bins into this debate, it is the 60 per cent cut from the Tory government that put us in this position.

"All this is a smokescreen to implement the Tory plans to close it. They want to shut it or privatise it. The Tories have always been jealous of Civic Hall. If they could get wheels under the Civic Hall, they would have it in Nuneaton."

But the Tories denied the closure claims and Cllr Hayden Walmsley said: "I believe in fact, the fact is that this council, roughly spends £15m.

"Four per cent of our spend goes into subsidising the Civic Hall, we are bailing out this organisation. We need to get someone in to look at it in microscopic detail.

"Let's strive to get in more performances and actually make a profit, return it to be a jewel in the crown as it could potentially turn into a millstone."

Value for money

Cllr Keith Kondakor said that they need to get auditors in to ensure that the council is getting value for money, to see if the venue is being run efficiently.

"It is a shocking lack of income that is our problem, we aren't getting people through the doors," he said.

"It should be a value for money audit. We are spending £20 for everyone going to see a £10 show."

But Cllr John Glass said: "We need to set up another group - save the Civic Hall from the Tories.

"We know the value of the Ciivic Hall, you know the price of everything but the value of nothing."

He then spoke about the plans in the Tories' alternative Council Tax budget: "Wasn't it in your budget to close the Civic Hall two days a week? Then they have the cheek to say save the Civic Hal - yes - save it from them!"

'Paying for an empty building'

Cllr Clare Golby hit back at claims that the figures were wrong.

"The figures we have got are from senior finance officers so we do know they are accurate, everything is taken into account including income and expenditure," Cllr Golby.

"You can find £5.5m in times of austerity, yet you are refusing to let anyone in to see why it is costing the taxpayers, not us, the taxpayers, money."

In regards to the Tory Council Tax proposals to close the Civic Hall for two days she said: "We looked at the day to day costs of the Civic Hall, when we made the suggestions we made. It was because there were no shows, we are literally paying for an empty building.

"We want an auditor to come and have a look and put some suggestions on the table. Why aren't you open to that suggestion? You have an abject refusal to look at this. You will decry the figures but we have had them from senior finance officers."

Councillor Ian Lloyd, deputy leader and cabinet member for arts, leisure and economic development, dubbed the Tory motion 'spin'

But Cllr Ian Lloyd, cabinet member responsible for the arts, questioned the Tory figures and said: "What they are not telling you - there is a thing in there - that depreciation of the council asset - that figure has to be added in, it is wooden dollars. It is just an accountancy process to show the value of properties.

"If you take that out, the wooden dollars, the Civic Hall in the last five years has come under budget. There has been mention of closure of the Civic Hall - it is not us on this side. They want to close it for two days.

"All they are doing, as far as I am concerned, is spinning rubbish."

But Cllr Wilson concluded: "His so called wooden dollars are taken out of these figures - direct cost to the taxpayers, what every other person is paying to keep the Civic Hall open - after the income.

"The point of the matter is, the Civic Hall needs improvement and looking at - what are you afraid of?

"As custodians of public finances, we need to make sure that the Civic Hall is there in the future, in the next 20 or 30 years."

A vote was taken on the Tory motion and it was lost.