A ROW has broken out over the amount of revenue generated by buildings hired out by Bromsgrove District Council for special events and private functions.
The authority has come under fire from Coun Michael Thompson who said the projected figure for the hall at the Parkside Council House was £14,000 whereas the Spadesbourne Suite at the old Council House, Burcot Lane, generated £25,000 in its last year.
He said he felt the new venue should be making more cash than it was.
“We were promised that the move would pay for itself because it was a more desirable venue to be hired out for private functions.
“It turns out that the old Council House made more money.
“The Conservatives are apparently the party of ‘good business’, but once again they prove themselves to be the party of fiscal incompetence,” he said.
His claims have been rubbished by Coun Peter Whittaker, the council’s portfolio holder for Environmental Services and Leisure, who said although the Spadesbourne Suite made that £25,000, it cost £80,000-a-year to run so it was not a good return.
He said the situation was different with the current council chamber as it was used for meetings and other get-togethers whereas the Spadesbourne Suite was a stand-alone building only used for functions.
And he said heating problems at Parkside had meant the venue had not been promoted as much as it should for functions but now they were resolved he expected it to be used more often, predicting between £16,000 and £20,000 in revenue for the hall for the year.
Anyone who wants to find out more about the hall at Parkside should visit www.bromsgrove.gov.uk/venues email [email protected] or call 01527 881478.
