A councillor has thanked LichfieldLive for giving residents a chance to have their say on decisions over the doomed Friarsgate redevelopment in the city.
The local authority finally brought the curtain down on the project after more than a decade of planning after funding failed to materialise.
The decision comes after we revealed that the council was debating a proposal to foot the £49million bill from the public purse, a much which was eventually rejected after sources revealed the proposals would not be backed by the wider Conservative group that controls the council.
But with the majority of discussions around Friarsgate held behind closed doors and a wall of silence beyond press releases quotes from council leader Mike Wilcox, LichfieldLive was eventually forced to make a public request for answers to key questions.
These were put to Cllr Wilcox at a meeting of the council last night by Labour opposition group leader Cllr Sue Woodward, leading to the revelation that the total bill for Friarsgate, even though a brick will never be laid, is likely to be almost £7million.
Cllr Woodward told the meeting: “I would like to thank the local independent news website LichfieldLive for giving residents the opportunity to express their views on the situation surrounding Friarsgate, particularly given so much of the discussion has been wrapped up in confidentiality and secrecy.”
