Council refuses to release report on cancelled £1.65m Dudley leisure centre deal
Dudley Council is refusing to release a report on a controversial land deal which collapsed and sparked an investigation.
A planned sale of the former Dudley Leisure Centre site in Wellington Road fell through after the council pulled out of the deal in April 2024.
Members of the council’s audit committee demanded an investigation into the affair, and external auditors Grant Thornton were called in.
The then audit committee chairperson, Councillor Karl Denning, is frustrated that the report containing the auditor’s conclusions has not been made available to him.
He said: “We were promised it in November, then at the end of January, we had been promised it at the end of July.
“We are not there to embarrass people, we are there to make sure the council is run in a transparent, fair and cost-effective way.”
Calls to release the report look unlikely to succeed without a fight. The authority says it is not going to make the document public because it contains commercially sensitive content.
The council cancelled the £1.65 million deal, saying it had only agreed to the sale in principle and that the required documents had not been provided in time.
The prospective buyer, Stourbridge businessman Amarjit Dhanda, dismissed the council’s claim as ‘false’ and said he submitted evidence to Grant Thornton.
Former chairperson of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Shaun Keasey, is also concerned that the report remains under wraps.
Councillor Keasey said: “They need to demonstrate there is no wrongdoing and the way to do that is by releasing this report – we want to see it.”
Councillor Denning added: “When they put up barriers and don’t let you see things, the first thing you do is get suspicious.”
Councillor Steve Clark, Dudley cabinet member for finance, said: “We remain committed to achieving the best outcomes for the Wellington Road site with work ongoing for its sale and repurposing.”
