Gondola and new Newry HQ ‘will put more than 5.5% on the rates’

The motion is to go before the council’s Strategic Finance Working Group.

Councillor Enright, who brought the motion, explained: “Firstly, delivering front-line services affordably is not just meaningless mouthing of platitudes. This principle presents Councillors with real choices in fulfilling their fiduciary duties.

"Building a new HQ in Newry for £20 million is a gross waste of money when better buildings are available in the City for a tiny fraction of that cost as Alliance have demonstrated in our rates submission that all Councillors were copied on last week.

"Alliance have shown that current plans for a new Council HQ in Newry requires us to spend £1.5 million pa more than we should be spending every year for 30 years. A £45 million overpayment that can be avoided by moving our Newry-based staff into good accommodation on the Quays in Newry in a location convenient to the public and with good parking.

"We have no need to build a giant second HQ in Newry.”

Cllr Enright continued: “Secondly, a policy of ensuring all discretionary non-front-line projects have a clear and dependable pay-back that produces value for money for the ratepayer has a real-world meaning in the real financial world where Councillors are supposed to live.”

His colleague Councillor Jill Truesdale said, "Based on figures we have received from Council’s consultants ARUP on the proposed Newcastle Gondola, from the outline business case OBC and from Council management, there is no financial business case for a Gondola.

"In fact, it looks like it will lose us millions every year.

"By contrast there are several ‘green economy’ projects that are not being fast-tracked which would give the Council a huge positive cash flow from the very first year with very short timelines and are more closely associated with Council’s core statutory duties unlike the Gondola.

"The people of Newcastle want the leisure centre Councillors have been talking about for the last 30 years and which should cost about £12 million pounds. Not the £50 million estimated by the Department for the Gondola.”

Cllr Enright, who is a qualified accountant, added, “The SDLP and SF have already taken £15 million out of our current spending budget for these vanity projects that otherwise they would have paid for front-line services with no rates increase.”

He said that the Gondola and a second HQ in Newry “will put more than 5.5% on the rates if they go ahead”.

“Our staff in Newry are deserving of an affordable modern office building with good parking for both themselves and the public and should not have to wait years for a building project that may take until 2027,” concluded Cllr Enright.