Just when everyone was thinking that the idea had passed, we’ve found that it looks like the disposal of County Hall could be back on the cards.
In their most recent let’s flog off what might be worth something report, otherwise known as the Capital Receipts Programme, near the bottom of the document is an entry for “County Hall and Newport Harbour” (sic).
The reason for sale is listed as “Maximise capital receipt, regeneration of Newport Harbour and County Hall sites and enable relocation of Council.”
To that end, we’re told that “Option appraisals currently being investigated which may lead to disposal or retention.”
Obviously, once they sell off County Hall, they’ll need to relocate of the council … perhaps one of the school sites that is being ‘freed up?’ … or is Earl Grey right with “a purpose built complex (PFI funded) on the edge of Newport in the vicinity of St Cross Business Park.”
Disclaimer They’ve refused to meet with VB and have the meeting recorded. What do Claire Robertson and her ‘communications’ team have to hide?
We can’t work it out, but the democratic process is all the weaker for it.
We would try and get the IW council’s side to this, but as we’ve said many times before, the ‘communication’ department have cut off VentnorBlog from the whole council.
