Eastbourne's Nasty Party are spinning out of control

At a bad tempered Full Council meeting at Eastbourne Town Hall this evening, Stephen Lloyd's Lib Dems showed how reliant they are on their Group Leader to keep them under control as David Tutt was absent recovering from an operation.

Meads Conservative Councillor, Barry Taylor raised valid concerns on behalf of his constituents about the recently demolished Wish Tower Restaurant and the ongoing asset management fiasco which has seen the Congress Theatre remain shrouded in faded wrapping and scaffolding. Cllr Taylor was branded 'Stupid', 'negative about the future of our town' and was lectured by the normally silent Cllr Miah about the Wish Tower Restaurant having been 'unsafe' prior to its demolition.

Having sat through the latest Strategic Property Board meeting this afternoon and just before that, having seen at first hand just how badly the Congress Theatre, Bandstand and Redoubt Fortress have been allowed to deteriorate, I would have expected a more humble response from the Lib-Dem administration.

The Bandstand
This wonderful open entertainment venue which has become much more popular in recent years with residents and visitors of all ages is being propped up by steel girders and wooden box sections. It is likely that when any decision is taken to restore this to its former glory, it will have to close for at least a year and which the cost could easily run out of control.

Redoubt Fortress
This wonderful fortress looks more like a venue sponsored by the increasingly common 'Heras Fencing' as thousands of pounds worth of emergency works are currently underway. Of all our assets, this site looks the most likely to attract some limited grant support because of its Listed Building and Heritage status but that will only be a contribution.

Former Wish Tower Restaurant 
Many people believe that although left in a disgusting state after the council paid the former tenants a staggering six figure sum to leave, it's condition was not as dire as the Administration has and continues to insist was the case. I know for a fact that the overarching policy was to redevelop the site and that despite it having been gifted to the people of Eastbourne after World War Two, no full structural survey was ever completed that would have confirmed the true condition.

Clearly feeling the heat of the recent debate on the site, the Administration showed their desperation to find a temporary offer by boasting about the Tonik proposal before the deal was completed and on its way to being delivered. A classic case of 'Spin over Substance' at the very least I think most would agree and now it seems likely that we will be without a Restaurant offer here for two to five years or more.

Congress Theatre
This perhaps shows the Administration's incompetence in the clearest terms. When lumps of concrete started dropping off the frontal fascia back in 2010, Councillors were presented with three clear repair options. 1) to carry out the lowest level of repair as a temporary option, 2) a medium term repair and 3) a full belt and braces option that would be fit for the longer term future. Rather than make a decision, the Lib-Dems opted to dither for what has already been two years and are now trying to justify their delays by linking the essential repairs with a multi-million pound redevelopment of the complete Devonshire Park complex.

This dithering has lead to our main Theatre offering being shrouded in ugly and now faded wraps and scaffolding which is not only becoming harder to justify to tourists and theatre visitors but the dithering has lead to further deterioration in the weakened frontage and estimated increased repair costs of £30-40,000. What's more the delays in dealing with these repairs are completely indefensible because the theatre has grade two listed building status, meaning that the look of the theatre building cannot be changed substantially regardless of whatever else may or may not be done to the rest of the Devonshire Park complex and the amount that will have been spent on scaffolding and shrouding has already exceeded the cost of repairs.

This insight is just a taster of the scale of the challenge facing the Council in dealing with its Asset Management failings as many more properties are still awaiting inspection and the full size and costs of addressing this serious weakness in the Council's performance will not be fully known for a further two years. With this in mind, tonight's nasty party performance will surely be frowned upon when voters get to deliver their mid-term verdict on Stephen Lloyd' Lib-Dem flagship council in Eastbourne.