Highland Council leader doesn’t apologise for money wasted on failed Inverness Academy Street project
The leader of Highland Council has refused to apologise for the loss of £713,000 of taxpayers’ money over what one opposition leader described as “the unwanted, unneeded and unwelcome Academy Street fiasco”.
The SNP council leader Raymond Bremner - in what was a halting and slightly confused response to a question - told Conservative group leader Ruraidh Stewart that it was a matter for the Inverness city committee and its leader.
However, that is not entirely accurate because the issue was finally drawn to a close at the full council meeting in September - almost exactly a year after it was launched, it had also been discussed in that forum several times.
The ill-fated plan was designed to reduce traffic in Academy Street and increase footfall, but many traders feared it would negatively impact business.
Cllr Bremner’s comments followed revelations prompted by Cllr Stewart’s original question about the total costs of the project which showed that the council lost £713,884 of taxpayers’ money including at least £54,173 on legal costs defending the “unlawful” scheme.
Cllr Stewart asked: “With Highland Council squandering nearly three-quarters-of-a-million pounds of taxpayers’ money on the unwanted, unneeded and unwelcome Academy Street fiasco and the costs likely still to spiral even further - will you, as the council leader, take responsibility for your administration’s failure, and apologise to the public for this total waste of their hard-earned money?”
He continued: “Because if not you, leader, then who will? Because this administration seems willing to play fast and loose with large sums of their hard-earned money.”
‘Flipping Nora’
Cllr Bremner launched into a response stating erroneously that Cllr Stewart was an Inverness councillor, in fact he represents Skye and Raasay, and this was pointed out from the back benches and the opposition.
“You are on the Inverness committee and this was a decision of the Inverness committee,” Cllr Bremner said. Following heckling, he said: “Is he not? Flipping Nora! The city of Inverness area committee made a decision on this, the city of Inverness area leader is sitting [there] so he can answer your question.”
Cllr Bremner then made an unsuccessful attempt to pivot to the Conservative government’s record but was cut off by the convener.
He said: “But do you know while I am on my feet, will you go back and ask the government that was in place before the one that is in just now about all the taxpayers’ money they wasted… [jeering from the opposition] okay, okay, I’ll sit down.”
The scheme was ditched by administration councillors who persevered with it for almost exactly a year after approving it despite an largely negative response from city centre businesses.
The council proposed two versions of the plan but then opted for a third - outraging many who took part in the consultation - that would have cut traffic movements on the central thoroughfare by more than 70 per cent.
Ultimately, the Eastgate Shopping Centre’s legal challenge led to Lord Sandison labelling the project “unlawful” making it highly unlikely that it could secure funding to complete it and councillors voted to discontinue it.