expressandstar.com

Yet again we read this ugly, and if the time had been taken to ask people in West Bromwich,unwanted monstrosity needs to be fed even more money. Where is this £11.5 million going to come from and how long is it before it is stated that even more money is needed? Sandwell Council has already wasted too much of taxpayers (i.e. OUR) money on it without even having the decency to consult us. The whole project should really have been called “The Private” seeing as all of the major decisions, especially those involing money, have taken place behind closed doors. West Bromwich did not need it’s equivalent of the Millenium Dome (at least that did open on time.) Bob Badham, Sandwell Council and everybody else involved in this joke should hang their heads in shame. And when (if) it should open, are us local council taxpayers likely to get any of our money back? Somehow I think that’s very,very unlikely.

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This is an outrage, the people of Sandwell have lost their swimming bathes, cinema and have one reasonable choice of a supermarket in West Bromwich (a small Tesco).
I went to one of the first open days when the place was still a building site 2 years ago and the engineer told me the plan was to provide a public complex consisting of fitness areas, cinema, art areas, childrens play area and coffee lounges. I remember telling him I wouldn’t hold my breath and its a good job I didn’t!

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Recent headlines
Another £3 million is needed so that The Public arts complex in West Bromwich can finally open next summer – two years late.

The council has landed a £1.6 million hand-out from the government’s Local Authority Business Growth Incentive scheme.

A halt was called on the Public last year after costs soared from an initial estimate of £40 million to more than £55 million.

Earlier this year the Express & Star revealed The Public had cost £2.2 million in the past year, even though the building was been empty. A major slice of the money had gone to administrators Pricewaterhouse Coopers who have paid themselves £727,000 since being appointed more than 12 months ago.

A further £462,000 was spent on salaries despite the fact no-one works at the four-storey building, which should have been up and running two years ago.
And
Deputy council leader Councillor Steve Eling said: “The Public has huge regeneration potential.
However, bosses are now optimistic it will open next summer and predict it will attract 250,000 visitors a year, generate jobs and help transform West Bromwich town centre.
“The completion of the events and catering spaces will let us hit the ground running and attract high profile events and conferences.”

So this project that no one wants, has doubled in price and its costs are still rising, how many times have our elected councillors lied to us and told us it only needs a few million pounds more? This monstrosity will never pay for itself for the simple reason that average Council Tax paying residents of Sandwell, could not afford the entrance fee needed to allow this monstrosity to pay for itself, in fact I challenge Councillor Steve Eling to give a projected entrance fee for this? This isn’t going to be a £2 entrance fee, this is going to have to be nearer a £100 a time to come anywhere near breaking even, and I would hazard a guess that it would take about 50 years before it broke even let alone make a profit.

What Council Tax payers want is for roads to be properly repaired not just bodged up with a lumps of tarmac, they want road drains cleaned out to stop their houses flooding whenever it rains, they want rubbish removed and streets cleaned, to stop vermin over running the streets.

I would remind Sandwell Council of another white elephant, “The Dome”, there is more chance of raising the Titanic in working order than this West Bromwich monstrosity opening and making money, this is a blatant waste of council taxpayers money, would it not better the council to employ some one with guts to admit that once again Sandwell Council got it wrong, and the only reason for building this monstrosity was to make Sandwell Labour Council look good!!!!!!

Jim of Bearwood

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What a joke and what a waste of money and resources – it is about time Sandwell Council were willing to explain to the electorate openly why this monstrosity is costing more and more.

Why the people of Sandwell keep voting these clowns in is a real mystery to me !! Perhaps they get all they deserve !!!

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I live in Norfolk, but the few times I have gone back to the midlands I have had the misfortune to witness what is going on in West Bromwich.
Unfortunately (and this happens all over England, including Norfolk) we are governed by people in the public sector who tend manage through a labyrinth of quango’s and bureaucratic chaos. I have sat with these people, and basically they talk a completely different language, they tend to be very articulate , intelligent people, who get lost in utopia, true society does need a cultural facelift, but this is not going to improve regeneration, and infrastructure, you have to look at what the west Midlands does best, and its not Art. This project is not going to rescue what the area is losing, and that’s its identity. What about the ever decreasing skill base, specifically in manufacturing.
From what I have read and heard the majority of people are & were against this project, so why did it go ahead? Democracy – me thinks not.

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SACK THE LOT AND LET THE PEAPLE OF WEST BROM DECIDE WHAT TO DO WHITH IT AFTER ALL THAY HAVE GOT TO LIVE NEAR IT

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sureleley the need for a theatre or
something of that kind of entertainment was needed not some cowshed for just a few eyebrow upper class twits to faun over are the councilors of sandwell so out
touch with the people of course they are

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