Local paper The West End Extra has revealed that since 2006 the Balmoral Castle public house on the Churchill Gardens Estate has remained empty. The building is not only derelict but also has structural problems which necessitate it being wrapped in scaffolding. The Councils' property team have admitted that this is costing £20,400 per annum to maintain.
Whilst the Victorian structure is designated as an unlisted building of merit it is worrying that WCC have spent this money year after year with no end in sight.
Once again we discover that as WCC continue to cut posts and end livelihoods they are still wasting significant sums of money:
- £23K having supper at the Civic Dinner.
- £900 per day (£216K per year) the Council are spending on just one contractor.
- £20K being spent to keep an empty building standing.
How many more hidden savings are out there? Why hasn't the Council first of all looked at these expenses before considering making posts redundant?
Yet again it seems the Council are determined that their staff can carry the can for WCC's wasteful finances.
For more info on this story visit the West End Extra's website:
