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STEVE FINAN: Dundee Olympia Leisure Centre questions aren’t going away

As The Courier reveals the latest twist in the Olympia Leisure Centre saga, the silence of key players in Dundee remains deafening.

Olympia Leisure Centre, Dundee
Steve Finan has laid out 10 expectations of the Olympia inquiry.

A week goes by and we are no wiser about Dundee’s Olympia Leisure Centre, why a public inquiry isn’t being held, and why there doesn’t seem to be any action being taken to recoup monies from the builders?

Dundee City Council, did you think the questions would go away if you closed ranks and stayed quiet?

In the week in which Big Noise Douglas had its funding cut, can you look people in the eye, people who worked hard on that, and say: “I am too high and mighty to explain why we had to spend elsewhere money you could do so much with”?

So let’s try naming names.

The writer Steve Finan next to a quote: "To each councillor, council officer, MP, MSP, and PR guru, I repeat what I said last week: silence makes you look terrible."

John Alexander, leader of Dundee City Council: The Courier is reporting the council isn’t pursuing the builder for compensation. Has there been a decision taken to not attempt to recoup the money? If so, why is that?

Bill Campbell, Lord Provost and city councillor. Do you think there should be an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding a £6 million bill your city faces?

Ken Lynn, Lynne Short, Georgia Cruickshank: you represent Ward 5 where the Olympia is situated. Are you angered by lack of transparency surrounding a matter on your patch which might cost you votes?

John Alexander
Dundee City Council leader John Alexander has previously defended the Olympia Leisure Centre closure.

Willie Sawers, council finance spokesman. With £6 million you could have reduced council tax by £88. Any thoughts on that?

All of you, any of you: drop The Tele or Courier an email explaining your thoughts.

Olympia Leisure Centre saga is an issue for PRs and politicians

The PR Department might have done their job and explained: “For the sake of clarity for the people of Dundee, this is the situation with the Olympia Leisure Centre…” But they haven’t.

While I won’t name the head of that department (he isn’t an elected member) I will put a question directly to him – what is the official reaction?

exterior of Olympia Leisure Centre.
The £32 million Olympia Leisure Centre pool in Dundee is due to reopen in October 2023, two years after it closed for repairs.

I believe there are four other members of the PR team. Might any of you discuss (over a chai latte) how to respond? Why don’t you earn your salaries with a press release explaining it all?

Stewart Hosie, MP for Dundee East. Chris Law, MP for Dundee West. Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee City East. Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West. Surely you won’t duck this issue? It directly affects your voters.

Any thoughts on one of the biggest things happening in the city you represent?

Council tax payers deserve to know where their money is going

People of Dundee, each of the 68,004 households paying council tax while the Olympia Leisure Centre stays shut. Are you accepting a “do nothing, say nothing, think nothing” approach from your representatives?

This is not a party political issue, it is a matter for everyone. We want our kids to learn to swim, don’t we?

To each councillor, council officer, MP, MSP, and PR guru, I repeat what I said last week: silence makes you look terrible. You look impotent. Or like you don’t care, don’t understand, or don’t have the courage to speak up.

Come on, shut my pus for me. You know you want to – my inconvenient insistence is making you look bad. Give honest answers to honest questions.

I won’t shut up until you do.

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