Extra Dome Cash Must be Scrutinised

11.16.17am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 18th Jul 2003

Dome complex - lessons must be learned.

Lib Dem councillor Paul Elgood has won a demand for a scrutiny review into the council's involvement in the Brighton Dome Project. Brighton & Hove councillors agreed this week to pump almost £600,000 more into the restored Brighton Dome complex after sums for running costs failed to add up. Following demands by opposition councillors, a scrutiny enquiry was ordered into what went wrong with the over-optimistic financial forecasting.

Liberal Democrat group leader Paul Elgood told Brighton and Hove City Council's policy committee:

"The council played a key role in the Dome restoration project."

"Scrutiny needs to be given into why the costs have overrun so much and how the council monitored its involvement."

The enquiry decision was taken against the wishes of the Labour administration, which does not have a majority on the committee.

A request will now go to the Overview and scrutiny Co-ordinating Group for a review.