March 23, 2019 - 1256 views
Our local authority remains under the spotlight this weekend after a serious errors in a commercial property deal were labelled 'farcical' and 'unprofessional' by residents and council tax payers on social media.
Late last week Conwy County Council revealed that an independent, external review has found that there were major failings in the way that authority took on a new lease for a property on the Mochdre Business Park.
The mistakes were said to have cost 'hundreds of thousands' in rent and costs despite the council not being able to use the building due to problems with the buildings fabric.
Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, Cllr Sam Rowlands said: “The report into how the situation at Mochdre came about is a very sobering read, with many parts highlighting weaknesses in our processes which we don’t normally see."
"We must take on board the recommendations to ensure the errors highlighted do not happen again and to allow us to move forward with what has been a very difficult piece of work.”
In learning from what we’ve got wrong, we will now use our robust project management framework as a structure for entering into all high value leases."
"Other significant changes we will be introducing include: clarifying the roles and responsibilities of staff members involved in acquisitions; introducing a new system of checks and balances so that the most senior staff are aware of and have final sign-off on arrangements on high value leases before they are entered into; and implementing a comprehensive programme of training for staff. It has been agreed that Audit Committee monitor implementation of the action plan".
In addition to learning the lessons, Council staff are now focussed on negotiating a way forward with the Landlord, who is not collecting rent from the Council while these complex discussions are continuing.
The timing of the report which was presented to a special meeting of the Finance and Resources Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, comes on the back of cuts to school budgets, services and serious concerns about the state of play parks and amenities in the Colwyn Bay area. It was reported on Friday that Eirias Park will be no longer offering training to schools, clubs and watersports enthusiasts with the said suspension of the boating lake facilities due to lack of budget.