Dundee City councillors have come under fire over their ‘secret’ decision to give £5 million to help fund the £45 million V&A.
The manner of the decision, taken in private by members of the policy and resources committee this week, was criticised by a senior opposition councillor.
Labour member Richard McCready said he was not against the spending of £500,000 a year over 10 years on the project, which has been billed as the crown jewel on Dundee’s central waterfront.
He believed, however, that the deal at a time when the council is considering budget cuts of more than £7 million should have been debated in public.
He commented: “I was not elected to Dundee City Council to take decisions in secret.”
It is understood the decision, which SNP administration leader Ken Guild said had to be taken in private because of commercial considerations, is linked to the V&A’s application for £9.2 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund to be determined this week.
Without the council’s pledge of £350,000 in revenue and £150,000 ‘in kind’ for each of the 10 years from 2016/17, the HLF cash and indeed the entire V&A project could be in jeopardy.
The £45 million V&A has been presented as the prime attraction in the £1 billion waterfront development which will bring in thousands of visitors and thousands of jobs to Dundee over the next 20 years.
For more on this story see The Courier or try our digital edition.