Council tight-lipped on Town Hall costs: GIVE US YOUR VIEW

COUNCIL chiefs have refused to make public details of how they spent £2.9 million on sprucing up the Town Hall––now £500,000 over budget—because they claim it would cost too much.

A request for a budget breakdown was made by the Advertiser under the Freedom of Information Act but Rotherham Borough Council refused to divulge the total cost of interior furnishings or a breakdown of individual items, such as wallpaper, carpets, technology and other fittings.

The council said: “A breakdown of costs into these items is complex and the time required to break down the costs for these items would be greater than £450. This information is not being supplied.”

The authority, whose original budget for the Town Hall was £2.4 million, did however explain that new windows, in the style of the original windows, had been provided at a cost of £40,000.

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A statement went on: “The refurbishment has been designed and carried out to reflect the status of the building.

“Apart from the windows, work has included extending the reception to form a more impressive entrance and has a coffered ceiling in keeping with the period style of the original building.

“The committee rooms in the original building have egg and dart and dentil cornicing which has been reproduced in the extension to committee room two.

“The walnut panelling which was taken from the old Town Hall has been installed in the Mayor’s and Mayoress’s Parlours and French polished.”

The work is being funded from the council’s capital programme.

The council said it had cost the authority £53 to respond to the Advertiser request.

Advertiser editor Doug Melloy hit back: “Given the rigid procedures and accountability around local authority spending, it is stretching credibility that someone at the borough council is not able easily to put their hands on a breakdown of the costs of the refurbishment of the Town Hall.

“We don’t waste our time or that of council officers by submitting frivolous or vexatious FOI requests but we sincerely believe that Council Tax payers have a right to a detailed breakdown on why refurbishment of the Town Hall is costing nearly £3 million.

“Especially at a time when some of those ratepayers are council employees whose jobs are being sacrificed to balance the budget.

“Stonewalling behind spurious claims of notional costs for providing information is a million miles away from the openness and accountability that the borough council claims to aspire to.”

The Advertiser has now asked for a review of the council’s response and has indicated it will refer the matter to the Information Commissioner.

Tim Mumford, Assistant Chief Executive and Head of Legal Services, said: “The council is committed to openness and transparency and its annual accounts are available for public scrutiny.

“However, to provide the level of detail requested in the original FOI request from the Advertiser—which included relatively small items of expenditure such as toilet fittings and desk materials—would take a significant amount of time and would exceed the FOI cost limit of £450.

"However, we are now undertaking an internal review to determine what information can be provided within the cost limit. We hope to conclude the review as quickly as possible.”

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