A councillor says taxpayers should now exactly what the bill for a new leisure centre in Lichfield will be.
It comes after a Lichfield District Council task group was told the project to build the facility at Stychbrook Park was “currently over budget”.
A report to the local authority’s overview and scrutiny committee said an additional £300,000 was needed in order to fund improvements, including a larger car park and community space.
But Cllr Sue Woodward, leader of the Labour opposition group, told the meeting that the additional funding – which formed part of a confidential section of an earlier meeting – needed explaining to residents more clearly.
“There is reference in the minutes to a £300,000 impact on the medium term financial strategy, but there are other impacts as well.
“We haven’t got the full picture of what the decision that eventually went to council as a confidential item is.
“When will members have the opportunity to ask further questions about the overspend?There ought to be more public exposure of the decision.
“It is the intention of the council is to be as transparent as possible as we’re talking about public money.
“At some point there needs to be clarity about the total expenditure.”
Cllr Sue Woodward
A Lichfield District Council spokesperson said:
“We are currently in commercial discussions with the contractor to finalise all costs and once these details are confirmed, we will be able to provide a full update to residents to highlight the improvements that are being proposed.”
Lichfield District Council spokesperson
