South Wales Evening Post - 28 July 2006
The spiralling cost of delivering Swansea Leisure Centre is a worrying echo of Labour's rule, according to a city councillor. Newly defected Conservative Councillor Rene Kinzett is disappointed at the way the cost of the scheme has risen.
It was originally expected to cost £25 million but rose by another £7 million earlier this year.The council is having to borrow the extra cash after costings came in higher than expected.
Councillor Kinzett, a former Liberal Democrat, said: "I am concerned that this price tag did not include the whole cost of fitting out the new centre.
"It seems that even the new administration is not immune from the same problems which beset Labour's years in power in terms of getting incomplete costings which then have to be embarrassingly set right at a later stage.
"This is not a good way to run things and does not inspire confidence in something which should be a 100 per cent good news story."
Councillor Darren Price, leader of the Plaid group, is also concerned.
He added: "Soon after the elections in 2004 the council was presented with figures which showed that it would cost around £14 million in order to ensure the facility was fit for purpose.
"Since then, those costs have increased.
"The council needs to learn lessons from this whole affair. The new Asset Management Plan introduced by the council will hopefully mean that no such deterioration in council buildings will be allowed to happen again.
"Taxpayers should not have to pick up the bill."
