The latest council report to update elected members on its new HQ project signals a major u-turn, meaning much of the 4.8m committed to the Hungate project will be wasted, according to Labour opposition chief Coun. David Scott. The officer report comes on the back of an assessment by consultants EM Harris which considered the viability of the council's earlier plans, but also other options involving new sites.

Coun. Scott said:

"The council's favoured ‘turnkey' solution, which essentially means the council would no longer act as the developer of the site, is I believe a good thing. It places the delivery of the project in the hands of those that are experienced at delivering major projects of this kind.

"However, what it also means is that much of the £4.8m committed to Hungate will be money that will have to be written off and that is a disaster of monumental proportions. In addition to that, the architects RMJM have come up with a number of new designs which will cost yet more money. I have to ask how much has this cost? Should the council not have established whether it was persisting with Hungate before committing any more residents' money? If the HQ goes to a different site then this will be yet more money wasted".

Coun. Scott believes that the time has now come to abandon the Hungate site as a home for any new council HQ as it cannot meet the basic criteria. "It is just continuing to prove a drain on taxpayers money", he said.

And he says a competition to provide solutions detailed in the officer report is a positive move, and expects to see it happen.

"Opening this up will offer the council a number of choices which should be set against its criteria. I am concerned that the suggested ‘reference panel' (a wider community forum) has not yet been set up. The executive approved that over a month ago and there is nothing in this report that confirms it has been set up or when it will form meet. I hope this is now given top priority."

"This project will, and let there be no doubt about it, have cost the city millions more than it ought to have done, whatever budget it comes in at. It has been unrealistic to expect officers to carry out the role of professional developers when this is not what they are experienced in or paid to do.

"This lesson will prove a very expensive one sadly and I expect this administration will only seek to pass the blame onto someone else - but we all know where the blame really lies".