Question marks have been raised after emergency powers were used to secure £800,000 of taxpayers’ money towards plans for a new regional indoor climbing and bouldering arena in Fife.
Members of Fife Council’s policy and co-ordination committee will be told on Thursday that the one-off investment was needed now to allow Fife Historic Buildings Trust to timeously let a tender for phase two of the £1.5 million Rockgelly project in Lochgelly’s St Andrew’s Church.
But the move has been criticised amid suggestions the money should have been spent elsewhere.
A report to councillors has revealed that the move to allocate the cash, which was included in the council’s capital investment plan for 2017-2027, was made because council officials felt there would be a contract penalty resulting in increased construction costs if the contract was not let before a deadline of December 20 2019.
With councillors unable to debate or consider that approach in the timescales concerned, the local authority was able to use emergency powers to ensure enterprise and environment executive director Keith Winter could sign it off and also avoid the possibility of “claw back” by the Scottish Government for funding awarded for the initial phase of work completed in early 2018.
Independent councillor Linda Holt hit out at the spending and called for it to be put before the local authority’s scrutiny committee.
She believes the move is not justified at a time when leisure centres and swimming pools are cutting opening hours.
She also suggested attendance figures and opening hours at the £2.4 million Fife Cycle Track had been “very poor”, describing the business case as a “work of fiction” and claiming lessons had not been learned.
“Many people will be shocked that councillors are merely being asked to note an £800,000 bung going to a £1.5 million indoor climbing project in Lochgelly,” she said.
“Huge amounts of public money are being used to kit out a building for a private provider who caters for a niche sport which Fifers will have to pay dearly to participate in.
“What guarantees do the public have that Rockgelly isn’t just another trophy development which will turn out to be a costly white elephant?
“Ultimately Fifers need to know that these are not vanity projects, but that they deliver the best value for money when it comes to addressing the needs of multiply deprived communities in central Fife.”
Mr Winter urged committee members to support the investment into the project and the use of emergency powers in this instance.
The director said: “This is an exciting and ambitious project that will have a positive impact for Lochgelly and the surrounding area and will increase the opportunities to promote sporting, health and physical activity opportunities.”
