The emerging scandal of the escalating cost of the Lanes Car Park has brought this statement from Alex Knutsen, UNISON Branch Secretary. I couldn't have put it better myself. Staff working in the Council offices in Priory House, and visiting service users will be particularly interested to see the cost of the works which frequently filled the place with fumes and dust.
In the light of The Argus report (9th January 2010) UNISON is demanding that the City Council holds a Scrutiny Committee enquiry into the cost of the refurbishment of the Lanes (and London Road) Car Parks. At a time when the Council is threatening the livelihoods of at least 100 staff through redundancy, is facing tens of millions in budget cuts over the next few years at least, and has been instructed to keep front-line services safe, this is a scandalous waste of money. And to now ask for a further £440,000 is an outrage!
My 3,500 members in the organisation, who are, like Argus readers, also Council Tax payers, want to know why this enormous sum has been spent, and UNISON accuses politicians in the ruling ConservativeGroup, along with senior officers of, at best, being wasteful of our money.
What did the Car Park need? For years our members, now relegated from their essential face to face contact with the public, to a control centre in an office removed from the Car Parks, wanted better security, better equipment, and a few more staff. Did anyone listen to them, or their Trade Union? Very simply, no. The arrogance of elected members and officers was breathtaking, but then a glass lift (to be installedat great cost, when all that was needed was a new one in the existinglift shaft) and a pretty coloured "mood wall" (don't ask, go and see it!) is so much better for the image of the Council! Except, of course, it isn't. What the staff, and what the users of the Car Park, want, is a decent, secure (for the vehicle and the occupants) facility, with modern pay machines. The cost of this would have been a fraction of what has been spent on contractors, whose health and safety record in both the Lanes and London Road has been, at times, dangerous, for their staff and for users, and kept under some control by the efforts of Council staff and UNISON. It is now time for Councillors of all Parties to have a public look at what has gone on in their name. UNISON for its part will contribute detailed evidence, but until then the £440,000 should stay where is, inthe rather sparse Council safe !
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