Labour-run council plans £41m revamp of ‘soon to be obsolete' town hall
A Labour-run council is pressing on with plans to blow £41m on refurbishing a 'soon to be obsolete' town hall.
Cambridge City Council has already committed £4m of taxpayers' money to a consultation for a revamp of the Guildhall.
Yet under Labour's plans to merge two-tier councils into a single unitary authority, Cambridge City may cease to exist from 2028.
Naomi Bennett, Green party councillor, told The Telegraph: 'The project was completely disproportionate even before we knew about the reorganisation plan.
'It's a speculative passion project on a building which may soon be obsolete.'
In December Angela Rayner revealed plans to scrap district councils and create so-called 'super councils'. These unitary authorities would be responsible for all services, rather than duties being split between two town halls.
Cambridgeshire is one of the areas that faces being turned into a super council, meaning Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire councils would no longer exist, for example.
'The Labour council believes that the office is the natural centre of the new super council. It might be true, but it also might not be. They are gambling with our money, not their own. I don't think that's right,' said Ms Bennett.
The devolution plans have been met with some scepticism, and a recent survey of senior council figures by the Local Government Information Unit found that only one in 10 feel they have been properly consulted on the process of reorganisation. Less than a quarter, 23pc, believed it will solve the local government funding crisis.
Ms Bennett, who worked as an accountant for 30 years before becoming a councillor, said: 'Millions are being spent on the consultation alone. This is not how council tax should be spent. Public money should be a sacred trust but I don't think it is to these councillors.'
Unitary authorities have attracted headlines in recent times as they face serious budget shortfalls. Notable examples include Nottingham City Council, which declared effective bankruptcy in 2023, and Somerset Council, which has been allowed an above-inflation tax raid of 7.49pc.
Cambridge City has agreed upon a 2.99pc rise in tax, the maximum amount a district council is permitted to increase bills.
The council has previously funded services such as public toilets and street cleaning, but are having to cut back: 'Things like this really matter to residents. It's depressing if your town seems dirty and people won't be happy.'
The £41m revamp is part of a larger £83m proposal to renovate the city's civic quarter at a time when councils across the country are slashing public services and increasing tax bills. One in 10 households faces a £3,000 charge for the first time ever.
'It's like a lot of Labour plans. They look good on paper but when you look at the details they don't add up,' added Ms Bennett.
Bridget Smith, the Liberal Democrat leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council and vice chairman of the District Councils' Network, previously told Sky News: 'Unitary and county councils are struggling financially, and in many cases going under, because of the ever-increasing demands of social care.
'It will be no different for these proposed 'super councils'.'
She also said that simply reorganising local government is 'simplistic and naive'.
Mike Davey, leader of Cambridge City Council, said: 'We are a city of regional and national importance, and the Labour administration will be promoting the Guildhall as the centre of any new authority.'
'What's more, the Council has not yet taken a decision to commit funding, which opposition members are well aware of. We have, however, agreed to progress the Civic Quarter proposals to planning over the next year – alongside work to the Guildhall.'
Kevin Hollinrake, Shadow Local Government Secretary said: 'Clearly, this is not a good use of taxpayers' cash. Councils should be focused on delivering services for residents, not spending lavishly on an office they will barely use.'
A Housing Ministry spokesman said: 'While councils are responsible for managing their own finances, we have been clear that they should use taxpayers' money wisely and carefully consider the impact of their decisions.'
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