Misleading info' claim

10:05am Tuesday 1st July 2008

AS readers will be aware there are to be two by-elections in Redditch on July 17 - one is in Batchley, for a borough councillor and the other for the Arrow Valley East division of Worcestershire County Council. Both of these are due to the recent death of Councillor Betty Passingham who was on Redditch Council and also stood on the county council.

A Batchley constituent has brought to my attention some information which features in the Labour leaflet currently being delivered around the town, namely that Worcestershire County Council is spending £3.5 million pounds on buying Hartlebury Castle and that a further £750,000 has been spent refurbishing County Hall. This information is misleading and the actual facts are these.

The owners of Hartlebury Castle wish to sell up. Approximately one-third of the castle currently houses the Worcestershire Museum and, therefore, a decision needs to be made as to what the county council should do in order to preserve this valuable museum.

To this end a cross-party overview and scrutiny panel has been set up to look at all the options open to the county council. No decision has yet been made.

Moving on to the £750,000 being spent on County Hall, this was partly necessary because the Council Chamber was not up to the required legal standard for access by those with disabilities, but also to make the chamber more flexible so that it can be used for other meetings and events, to the considerable financial benefit of the county council.

Councillor Jinny Pearce

Redditch Borough Council

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