No Threat To Sports Centres, Claims Council
14 September 2006
TWO new sports centres for Folkestone and Hythe are not under threat.
Shepway District Council has £9.8m Private Finance Initiative (PFI) credits
towards the centres. After being turned down on an application for another £7.6m
the authority is now hoping to pursue a Design, Build, Operate and Maintain (DBOM)
method of funding.
PFI means councils are given the money and organise the project themselves while
DBOM is when private firms take on everything.
Sarah Smith, a spokesman for Shepway council, said plans for the centres were
pressing ahead.
She said: "The Government still wants to support us, the plans have cross-party
support and the council still plans to go all the way.
"Other local authorities are going the same way as us, with PFI and DBOM. We are
getting advice from them."
Complex
Shepway's cabinet has released a further £29,500 to enable a final business case
to be submitted to the Government.
The cabinet was told this was on top of £311,000 which had been paid to PFI
specialists PMP, £105,000 on legal specialists, £128,000 on planning specialists
and a further £66,000 paid to others.
Mrs Smith said: "PFI contracts are very complex. The sums are not unusual.
"As the project cannot be delivered through PFI alone, the council is seeking
advice to take the project through the next phase. We need technical and
financial advice of a different nature and will appoint a specialist."
Folkestone edition, Kentish Express Series, 14 September 2006
