'Come clean about clean-up'

COUNCIL bosses are facing accusations of secrecy after refusing to say how they are paying for a £1.7million cleanup across Newcastle.

- By DANIEL HOLLAND

Newcastle City Council announced a programme last month to “restore city pride” by sending out squads to tackle weeds, overgrown grass and graffiti.

But the project has come under question by opposition councillors, after Civic Centre bosses repeatedly refused to say where they had found the cash for the scheme.

Asked to explain how the beautification scheme was being paid for, Labour councillor Paul Frew told a full council meeting last week only that it was the result of a “windfall” and had been drawn from a “one-off income reserve”.

When questioned by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council later declined to give any further information on what had produced the windfall.

The row comes amid a bitter dispute between city politicians over how the local authority's finances are scrutinised.