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The
Council House Refurbishment Explained
How the project
will save the Derby Tax Payer money year-on-year and completely
transform delivery of services to you.
The Conservatives
inherited a completely unsustainable level of spending and
inefficiency from the previous Labour Government and a national debt
larger than anything faced in modern times. We need to tackle that
and Derby City Council needs to completely transform the way it
delivers services to you - long term.
For too long,
Derby City Council has been working from many expensive and
completely ineffecient buildings across the City. Staff worked behind
closed doors and in offices and rooms designed for 1940's working
styles. This could not continue. It was unstainable and costing YOU
£millions unnecessarily.
 Q. Why
is Derby’s Conservative Council spending money on refurbishing
the Council House when it’s having to make cuts as part of the
measures to tackle the Country’s massive debt?
A. It’s
about saving money for Derby tax payers year-on-year. It’s part
of a massive cost saving restructure to bring departments, services
and staff together to work in one building that is fit for purpose -
as opposed to the many sites being used across the City.
Q. I’ve
heard the refurbishment will cost £34million or more and still
need convincing that it’s justified when cuts are being made.
Can’t that money be spent on facilities, services and saving jobs?
A. The
money we need to deliver the project is being borrowed like a
mortgage. We will pay it back in only a few years due to the savings
it delivers. This ‘capital borrowing’ can’t be used to
protect Council budgets that deliver services like road repairs, bin
collections or other any other service we deliver.
There was also a
£14million repair bill pending for the Council House and
refurbishing wipes that out. We’re also building a new 3rd floor
which will bring in around £200,000 in rent each year.
Q. So
why are the local Labour party so against the refurbishment of the
Council house?
A. Labour
supported the refurbishment plans until the Conservatives took
control of the Council. Now they oppose the refurbishment but without
being able to tell us how they would fund the massive long-term costs
of keeping things as they are.
They also are
wrong in saying that we could spend the funding being raised on other
services. |
