MS: 'Disgraceful' to ban media from meeting on costly depot blunder

'ON SOMETHING SO SCANDALOUS IT'S AN OUTRAGE TAXPAYERS ARE KEPT IN DARK'

- By RICHARD EVANS Local Democracy Reporter

BANNING media from a council meeting on an HGV depot that can't house trucks is a 'scandalous cover-up' a Tory MS claims.

Aberconwy MS Janet Finch-Saunders says it's 'disgraceful' that Conwy County Borough Council plans to hold a behind closed doors meeting on the Mochdre HGV depot that costs taxpayers £240,000 a year.

As previously reported in The Daily Post, the council entered a contract for the purpose-built Mochdre 'shed' back in May 2016 before the depot's floor was deemed to be unsuitable to accommodate the council's HGV fleet.

But after spending well over £2m on rent over nine years, the council is locked in a legal battle with the company it's leasing the building from.

The agreement can't be broken until 2031, and should the council continue to honour the rent payments until then, the total expenditure on the depot would reach around £3.6m.

Councillors were told in 2019, following an independent, external review, that there were process failings in the way the council took on the lease at Mochdre Commerce Park.

Conwy's finance and resources overview scrutiny committee are due to discuss the matter on Monday, September 1, at the council's Coed Pella HQ, but the committee is scheduled to exclude the public and press.