Confidential report into blunder which caused costly delays to Pedestrian Heart project

A confidential solicitors’ report into costly delays to the Pedestrian Heart project after a digger hit a gas pipe in January 2006 will be moved to the public part of next week’s cabinet meeting by Darlington Borough Council leader John Williams.

The move comes after the Echo obtained a copy of the report by Ward Hadaway solicitors and published details of it yesterday.

The council said the £40,000 report had been made confidential because it was pertaining to legal action.

The report concluded that the council could not recoup any of the £780,000 cost for rerouting the gas pipe and delaying the scheme for four months, largely because of its own mismanagement and inability to produce necessary paperwork.

Coun Williams said: “The resources scrutiny committee have done much valuable work in examining all aspects of the Pedestrian Heart project in the past and I will be asking my cabinet colleagues to ask it to examine whether the officers’ advice not to take further action at this time unless further evidence comes to light is sound.”

Meanwhile, traders yesterday criticised the council over the details of the report.

The council responded by claiming there had been a boost in trade to the town since the completion of the pedestrinisation scheme.

It said more people were coming to the town and staying for longer than they had before the start of the scheme.

Yesterday, Darlington town centre shop owner Beryl Hankin dubbed the gas pipe affair “a scandal”.

“We had barriers outside for nearly two years,” said Ms Hankin, who owns Guru Boutique in Blackwellgate. “It was very tough and the delays definitely made it worse.

“The council has wasted £780,000 and people should know what happened,” she said. “It is a scandal.”

Robin Blair, an indoor market fruit and vegetable stallholder, whose family have had a pitch in the market for 136 years, said businesses had suffered badly during the works.

“The Pedestrian Heart is an asset to the town, but it was so badly managed. Why should traders be penalised for the council’s mistakes?” he said.

A council spokeswoman said car parking figures showed more people were coming to the town and staying for longer than before the pedestrianisation works.

“In the current economic climate, Darlington is doing better than other towns of a similar size nationally, according to surveys carried out by the Association of Town Centre Managers,” she said.

“Footfall figures increased from the first quarter this year bucking national trends that have seen other towns of similar sizes reporting decreasing footfall figures.”

£87,000 pay back after permit error

DARLINGTON Borough Council is preparing to repay £87,000 to residents following an error in charging for residents’ parking permits.

Residents of four streets in the town could be entitled to a refund on the cost of their permits because the council failed to complete the necessary parking orders correctly.

Council leader Councillor John Williams admitted mistakes had been made when he addressed the full council on Wednesday.

“It is accepted from time to time that mistakes are made,” he said. “We will work promptly to correct or amend our approach.”

The affected streets are Larchfield Street, North Lodge Terrace, South Terrace and Hollyhurst Road.

The council had earlier admitted that when it advertised amendments to parking orders in the affected streets in 2002, it did not follow up the advertisements with the necessary orders.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Coun Williams said officers were not alerted to the situation until a Freedom of Information act request was made by a member of the public in July.

He added: “The maximum financial impact of this could be £87,000.”

Coun Williams said residents had been informed through a publicity campaign.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Mike Barker, who raised the initial question with Coun Williams, said: “I hope it is such a low figure, but I suspect it will be a fair bit higher than that.

“Residents did get the benefit of permits but, nevertheless, to keep the council above the law and to prevent it falling into disrepute, it is important everyone is reimbursed, they shouldn’t have to ask for it.”

Residents can contact the council on 01325-388799.

‘Scrapping Crier will save £800,000’

DARLINGTON Borough Council could save £800,000 over five years if it scrapped its free monthly magazine, opposition members claim.

Heather Scott, leader of the borough’s Conservative group, said the Town Crier magazine served only as a “propaganda machine”.

At a meeting of Darlington Borough Council on Wednesday, Coun Scott said: “I think we should have a proper debate on this issue.

“The reason you support the Town Crier is not the reason you say, it is because it is a propaganda machine for the controlling group of this authority.”

The comments follow criticism of council-run publications by Northern Echo editor Peter Barron.

Fellow Conservative, coun Ian Galletley, said the Town Crier takes advertising revenue from local newspapers.

Referring to The Northern Echo’s American-based parent company Gannett, he added: “If its international owners were to pull the plug on the Echo, it is this council that would suffer.”

Coun Galletley suggested a model whereby each councillor was given a “communications allowance” of £500 to £1,000 which would be spent on giving information to ward residents.

He said the move would save £800,000 over five years.

He said: “Given the inevitable reduction in council expenditure, whoever wins the next General Election, we must be finding ways to bite down on waste.”

But council leader Coun John Williams said there is enough room for local newspapers and the council magazine in Darlington.

He added: “I think the Town Crier fulfils a valuable purpose, and I think it will continue. I think The Northern Echo also fulfils a valuable purpose, and I think it would be a big loss to Darlington.”