Question time

It promises to be a rough ride for the ruling Lib Dems, who will be quizzed by opposition councillors when business resumes at the Guildhall on January 24.

In what has been dubbed "Question Time", Coun Galloway and his colleagues will be asked to give their views on First's fare hikes, the continuing delays at the Barbican, the growing cost of York Central and the role the leader played in planning York's controversial Gunpowder Plot fireworks display.

With motions and questions, Labour chiefs will be aiming to put Lib Dem councillors on the spot on the issues which have had many city residents in uproar.

The Evening Press here takes a closer look at the main debates, and what the two sides will have to say in the coming days.

COUNCIL leader Steve Galloway is to be quizzed on his role in planning York's controversial Gunpowder Plot fireworks display.

Coun Dave Evans, shadow leisure and heritage spokesman, wants to know the extent of Coun Galloway's involvement in the preparation and decision-making for the 400th anniversary display, which left thousands of city residents disappointed.

The Evening Press has reported how there were scores of complaints from residents unable to see the massive display from York Minster or Clifford's Tower.

A Freedom of Information investigation revealed that police raised serious concerns before the event and that the council considered alternatives sites in the days before the event before sticking with the original launch site at St Peter's School field.

We also revealed that public footpaths across the field could not legally be closed and people could not be prevented from potentially walking into the firing zone - which could have meant the event being abandoned.

Coun Evans said he had put forward a question to Coun Galloway, to be answered at a full council meeting on January 24, in a bid to uncover "who ultimately made the decisions which led to it being a fiasco".

"Officers are being lined up to take the blame and the Liberal Democrat group sees the event as a success," he said.

"At some level, someone took a decision to have a major public event without actually calling it that, publicising it or paying for it.

"These kinds of decisions do not strike us as being from officers. The executive is there to take a lot of those highest level decisions. This question aims to establish how involved Coun Galloway was."

Coun Galloway said: "I was consulted early in the process. I indicated what the maximum would be that we would be able to spend on the display. That clearly affected what happened after that.

"I certainly did indicate there was a limit on the amount of council tax money that should be spent, with the ceiling at £12,000. To that degree, this affected what happened."

'How much has Barbican delay cost our council tax payers?'

THE saga over York's Barbican Centre continues to "blow a massive hole in the council's finances", a top councillor is to claim.

Coun David Evans is to quiz City of York Council leaders on the exact cost to the taxpayer of the delay in redeveloping the Fishergate building.

In a question to full council on January 24, Coun Evans, Labour shadow leisure and heritage spokesman, will hit out at the "ongoing waste caused by the Liberal Democrats' handling of the Barbican development".

"Not only is the long-running delay over the project having a massive knock-on effect for the redevelopment of the other pool sites, it continues to blow a massive hole in the council's finances," he said.

"Not only are there the continuing costs of the building being shut, but the council have also lost huge amounts of money in interest which they would have gained from the sale of the site.

"The council now also faces a potential reduction in the sale price because the value of land has also now fallen since the original project was proposed.

"It is now clear that any money received from the sale of the Barbican will be insufficient to fund the planned new pool, leave aside contributing to the refurbishment or replacement of the other two pools at Edmund Wilson and Yearsley."

Coun Evans claimed the council is planning to remove more than £4 million from the funding of improvements to the city's swimming pools over the next two years.

He said: "We will be demanding the council gets things out in the open and reveals the exact cost of these delays, which have been caused by a typical high-handed style of Lib Dem government who continue to act without proper consultation with the people of York."

Labour group leader Coun Dave Merrett said: "This whole Barbican fiasco has left the council finances in complete disarray. As a result of these delays, the council is losing tens of thousands of pounds a month, contributing to the scale of the current budget and job cuts."

Council leader Steve Galloway said: "We will explain that by closing the Barbican we have actually saved council taxpayers a considerable amount of money - not that this was the intention. We expected the scheme would go through straight away.

"That has been delayed by the legal challenges and then by the challenges to the centre's licence. We will be making an announcement on the future of the Barbican at the end of the month."

Call for annual meeting with bus firm over price increases

BUS bosses could be asked to explain their fare rises in York at a cross-party meeting with top councillors.

Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, Labour's transport spokeswoman, is proposing the full City of York Council passes a motion calling for a meeting to discuss the fare increases imposed at the beginning of the year.

The Evening Press revealed how city bus company First increased some of its fares by more than 50 per cent - blaming increased labour, fuel and maintenance costs for the hikes.

Children were particularly hit when the new prices were brought in on January 1, but commercial director Peter Edwards said the company was at the point where it had to pass on some of its costs to its customers. Coun Simpson-Laing believes those increases were "unreasonable and will have a particularly significant impact on families with children".

"I am also concerned that such increases are being imposed at a time when we are trying to get people out of their cars and onto buses in York," she said.

"This is hardly likely to help with that drive. I hope that council will agree with me and support this motion. I would also like to welcome the work being put in by our MP Hugh Bayley, who is taking up this issue with the Government."

Coun Simpson-Laing also criticised First's desire to move to a "pre-ticket system", encouraging commuters to pre-book their tickets before they get on services.

Coun Ann Reid, the council's planning chief, said she would be meeting her Liberal Democrat colleagues before coming to a final decision on whether or not to support the motion at a full council meeting on January 24.

She said: "The council has ongoing talks and negotiations with First, and those will continue. I would need to consider whether a cross-party meeting with First would have any more effect than we are having now."

Mr Edwards said: "We have already approached the council and pointed out that, unlike other places, we don't receive any subsidy for children's fares.

"We are quite happy to meet and explore the possibility, but at the moment we are trying to work in partnership with the council."

'Cost of huge transport study should be known'

COUNCILLORS will demand to know how much a massive transport study setting the way forward for York's Teardrop site has cost.

At next week's full council meeting, Labour members will also ask how much is set to be spent on further studies looking at how the 70-acre York Central development will be accessed and serviced by traffic.

Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, shadow transport spokeswoman, said members of her party had concerns about gaps in the report and wanted to ensure "value for money" was delivered.

The findings of a transport report, produced by consultants Faber Maunsell, recommended that Queen Street and Holgate Park be two access routes for the Teardrop site, and also advocated building a new pedestrian bridge over the River Ouse, delivering new public transport routes and even demolishing the bridge over Queen Street.

The Evening Press has reported how Labour members have already asked for discussions on that report to be deferred pending a briefing from council officers and the consultants on the finer detail of the findings. Council leader Steve Galloway has branded the group as "irresponsible" and stressed that no decisions will be made about York Central in the near future.

Coun Simpson-Laing said: "We believe a lot of money has been spent on this report. We are talking about a six-figure sum and we want to make sure what the report is saying is right."

Coun Galloway said: "We will give that figure. We will put it in the context of reminding that the traffic solution could cost £100 million. There will be several hundred million invested in the site. We would expect to have done a thorough job in getting the data for the site."

Updated: 10:30 Wednesday, January 18, 2006