|
Friday’s Executive Committee saw the strangest meeting yet of the Council’s new Executive Committee. With the LibDem’s Christopher Mason away on holiday, John Mason was the only opposition councillor present. The 25 or so others at the meeting consisted of the City’s most senior councillors and staff. The meeting lasted about 45 minutes with 100% of the questions being asked by John Mason! It got to the stage that he did not have to put up his hand but was automatically invited to put a question. If he had not been present, as Labour had originally intended, there would have been no questions and no discussion at all. How can this possibly be considered a healthy democratic process?
The business at the meeting included:
a) JUMP IN PARKING CHARGES?
The Council is considering moving its multi-storey car parks into a separate company. At least these would still be owned by the Council so the idea is an improvement on the previous plan to sell them off. However, John Mason asked what the advantage would be of using a separate legal entity and how more money would be raised. The answer was that the company could take more risks than the Council could in borrowing money. And income would be raised by building on top of the car parks (offices or more parking) and increasing charges. As the Council only charges about £2.40 for 3 hours and the private sector can charge £8, this could mean a serious increase in parking costs.
At the meeting John Mason said he was suspicious of all these potential “float-offs” of Council departments. And he remains to be convinced that big increases in parking charges will not drive away shoppers and damage the City Centre.
b) PRIMARY SCHOOL COSTS JUMP £3.2 MILLION
Friday’s meeting also heard about and approved an extra £3.2 million for the latest phase of the Primary School rebuilding programme. The reason for this extra cost was underground mines, peat, and demolitions. It is not clear where this extra money will come from. Cuts could either be in the funds for building other schools or in some other part of the Council’s capital programme.
The SNP considers that finding mines under the ground in Glasgow should not be a great surprise to anyone! The original cost estimates should have been less optimistic and a safeguard should have been built in for problems that might arise. It is also worrying that the extra £3.2 million has not been found yet. It leaves a question mark hanging over other Council projects, including other primary schools or the Transport Museum.
c) RUSH TO BORROW
Another report considered was how the Council could bring in more capital receipts more quickly. Broadly speaking the plan is to move surplus land into a joint venture with a private company. This company would give the Council immediate cash even before the land was sold. So instead of the Council sitting on a landbank, the joint venture would, admittedly with the Council still involved.
John Mason asked if this was not the same as the Council taking its assets to a pawn shop because it was so desperate for cash. However, officers seemed optimistic that there will always be more land and other assets to sell off.
The SNP remains cautious about selling off the family silver. At the present rate of sales we will run out of assets sometime in the future. And to sell off even faster may be creating an illusion of optimism which is not really justified.
|
