Sponsored by
VOTE NOW: How should council spend £1.5million windfall?
A WINDFALL of £1.5 million has been received by the council as a result of transferring its council housing stock to a private firm.
The cash boost for Harborough District Council has been labelled a once in a lifetime opportunity by community groups who are calling for urgent discussions as to how the money should best be spent.
Cinema campaigners have immediately leapt at the chance of getting a slice of the cash, saying 500,000 would be a decisive factor is clinching a deal for Harborough.
Other proposals have been mooted such as saving the under-threat 99-year-old cottage hospital in Coventry Road which was recently valued at 1.3m.
However, the council confirmed to the Mail yesterday (Weds) that it intends to plough the cash into its general fund and has no plans to place the issue on executive or full council agendas.
TO VOTE IN THE MAIL'S POLL, SEE THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND SIDE...
To post your comments follow the link 'Comment on this Story' at the bottom of this article.
This is despite the council revealing yesterday (Nov 5) that it already has 1.2m set aside in its reserve fund - a sort of savings account - for emergencies.
Alastair Campbell, who has campaigned since August 2007 for a cinema to be brought back to town for the first time in 30 years, said: "This is a great opportunity to do something big. I'm almost certain that the cinema could go ahead with 500,000 put towards it. It would be just the ticket."
Health campaigner Phil Knowles, who thinks the cottage hospital should be saved for community use, added: "A windfall like this doesn't come along very often. It is vitally important that this is debated.
"If the cash goes into the council's general fund it will melt away and nothing tangible will come of it."
Chris Sewart, Harborough Improvement Team's project manager, said he would be interested in applying for funds should they be made available for community use.
The unexpected windfall has come about as a result of the council transferring its 2,074 former council housing stock to private firm Seven Locks Housing in December 2007.
The 1.5m was in the council's Housing Revenue Account, a ring-fenced fund made up of council tenants' rents which could only legally be spent on council house matters.
But the Government's Audit Commission is set to approve the council's application to keep the 1.5m with the money transfer due to be rubber stamped next month (Dec).
Alistair Swatridge, the council leader, told the Mail yesterday: "Councillors are elected by the community to make important budget decisions on its behalf and this has always been the case.
"However, we always listen to and consider the views of the public and consultation is an ongoing process which helps us decide how budgets are spent. It is important, considering the current national economic climate, that the use of this funding is looked at through the normal process."
Lutterworth town councillor Clive Weston said: "We're very short on affordable accommodation so perhaps the money ought to be spent on affordable housing.
"If the money were spent on one project in Harborough then people in outlying towns and villages might feel like they're the poor relation. It would be better to spread the money across the district."
Lutterworth county and district councillor Rosita Page said: "Putting the money into a community project might seem like a good idea but it is a quick fix. With the economic climate being the way it is, it might be more sensible to look to the future and have this nest egg to sit on in case something unforeseen comes along."
Email to a friend
Print this page- X-Wings banned from the town centre as Harborough gets a Star Wars-inspired makeover
- Shoplifter caught with trolley load of goods
- Paula Elmer bids for Worst Garden award
- VIDEO: Darth Vader pledges tough action in Star Wars signs saga
- Home-town sports hero Johnno will open Olympics-inspired family day
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Market Harborough
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 7 C to 12 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North east
