IT IS time for a dose of reality for Penny Mares and the Otley Labour Party over Otley Civic Centre.

Inconvenient though the facts are for them, the demise of the Civic Centre began due to the years of neglect by the Labour-run Leeds City Council, who own the Otley Civic Centre. Their woeful lack of investment, at a time when they were spending money elsewhere, meant that the cost of refurbishment and repair grew higher and higher.

As the only way to try to force Leeds City Council’s hand and to make them finally invest in Otley’s civic building, the then Liberal Democrat-led Otley Town Council served notice that it would move out of the civic centre, which put helpful pressure on Leeds who were otherwise ignoring Otley. I called for all sides to back refurbishment of the Civic Centre. Then in 2004, Labour lost control of Leeds City Council and then in 2007 the Liberal Democrats took control of Otley Town Council and with my support a deal was struck between the two Councils to fully refurbish the Civic Centre. What was so disappointing is that rather than get behind this, Penny and her Labour colleagues attacked this because they were more interested in attacking the Liberal Democrats, which showed their real priorities.

The refurbishment work was agreed and planned and so the Town Council moved into temporary premises in 2009, but then Labour retook control of both councils and Labour run Leeds City Council pulled the plug on the refurbishment plans, to the disgust of Otley residents. Over five years later, the building stands empty and deteriorating. Despite their promises to ‘save’ the Civic Centre, Labour run Otley Town Council decided to commit thousands of pounds to renting and refurbishing a privately owned shop and then refused to commit to returning to the Civic Centre even if it was refurbished, which remains their position. Through Freedom of Information legislation, I last year exposed that Labour run Leeds City Council had been in secret talks with West Yorkshire Police about the possibility of closing Otley Police Station, to try to make their plans add up – something that was supported by the leader of Otley Town Council in this very newspaper.

Worse still, it has now emerged that Labour-run Otley Town Council failed to include a break clause in the ten-year lease for the shop meaning that they have prevented a future town council from returning to the civic centre. This is hugely irresponsible and democratically unacceptable and ties the hands of future town councils or risks a loss of well over £100,000 to Otley taxpayers. This is a devastating blow to the hope that Otley Civic Centre will be saved and again be Otley’s town hall – leaving the town with no civic building.

Now still refusing to move back to a refurbished Civic Centre they are hiding behind exciting plans of local businessman Jamie Hudson, whose Venue 21 project is an exciting part of potential refurbishment plan for the Civic Centre and one I fully support, as Jamie knows. However this does not excuse the Town Council’s failure on this issue.

The reality of the current Town Council’s record is plain for all to see – they will leave office in May with the Civic Centre still empty and deteriorating whilst Otley taxpayers cough up thousands in rent, rates and services charges. They deserve to be held to account for this.

Greg Mulholland MP

Leeds North West