Cllr Paula Basnett said people had a right to know what happened to the Birkenhead town centre scheme as she promised full honesty
Cllr Paula Basnett said: “If I say I am going to do something, I am absolutely going to do that.”(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Wirral’s council leader has promised “nothing will be hidden” as she hopes the result of ongoing investigations into the council’s regeneration programme will help the local authority get back on track.
Rock Ferry councillor Paula Basnett was elected as leader in May after two years as a backbench councillor, 14 years at the Wirral Chamber of Commerce, and 24 years working as an employee for the local authority. In her first full interview since taking the lead at Wirral Council, she said an investigation would hide nothing weeks after it was revealed a council scheme over budget by £12m was being investigated.
When elected, Cllr Basnett said improving the neighbourhoods where people live, sorting out the council’s finances, and getting regeneration back on track were her three main priorities. However the active investigation into a regeneration scheme covering much of Birkenhead town centre has dominated the council in recent weeks ahead of a key meeting on July 23.
The regeneration works in Birkenhead are massively behind schedule and over budget with costs doubling to a likely £24m. It is now expected the council might have to borrow £8m to cover the increase.
It has since emerged the works taking up the entire town centre were £2.8m over budget the day a contract was signed. Councillors were so concerned on July 21 they decided not to approve any further funding until investigations have finished.
Early into the role, Cllr Basnett announced an internal investigation of the town centre project. After the cost of the scheme was revealed, she said the council needed to get a grip on the situation calling it unacceptable and a firm has been brought in to give a wider review of the council’s regeneration programme.
The findings are expected later this year and the leader hopes the outcome of the wider review will set out realistic timelines and costs allowing councillors to make an informed decision about what projects need to be prioritised.
On the town centre project, she said: “I do think that we have to understand why it’s been delayed, why there was an overspend and our residents are entitled and should be made aware. It’s public funding,” adding: “Our residents do have comments and they should have comments.
“I walk up Grange Road and I see the work taking place, I see the impact it’s having on our businesses, I see the impact it’s having on our residents.
“Our residents don’t want to be walking up Grange Road where they have got lots of works being carried out and all of the barriers. They want to be able to enjoy shopping and browsing around the shops, they don’t want to have that barrier.”
She added: “The questions that are being asked, we will have answers to but at the same time, we want the work to be complete. While the review is taking place, we want that work to be complete. I have asked for that work to be completed by the end of November for the Christmas period so our residents can shop freely.”
She said accountability was one of the reasons why she had gone public, adding: “I won’t be brushing anything under the carpet. It will be open and transparent. We will be holding officers to account.
“Our residents are entitled to hear what has been going on and I fully appreciate that once we do have those findings, it will be out in the public domain. Nothing will be hidden.”
The latest controversies come after years of promises to regenerate areas of the borough like Birkenhead and a number of stalled or pulled schemes. Cllr Basnett said the council several years ago was putting bids in, identifying projects, and moving ahead with developments like the Mallory and Irvine buildings.
She said the council needed to go back to basics, telling the ECHO: “We had a vision, we knew where we wanted to get to, we knew what projects were in the pipeline. I would like to get back to there. How do we get back?
“We don’t want to be looking back anymore. We want to look forward, we need to have that vision. Our residents need to understand what we want to achieve.”
She added: “We need to have a reputation for delivering. Four years ago we had that reputation. We need to get back there. Trust is very important to me. If I say I am going to do something, I am absolutely going to do that.”
In a call to Wirral’s other four political groups, she said: “Let’s start working together, let’s start working for our residents. All of our people out there who have put our trust in us, let’s start delivering for them. I fully intend to start delivering.”
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