Conservatives Christchurch Tower Shame

Conservatives on Shepway Council's Corporate Scrutiny Committee have backed a proposal to remove money to repair Folkestone's Christchurch Tower from the Council's capital budget. The decision was taken to support the move at the Scrutiny meeting on Monday 14th July, and is then referred for a final decision to the Council's Cabinet which meets on Wednesday 16th July.

The proposal to remove £145,000 previously earmarked for external repair works to Christchurch Tower was backed by all Conservatives, and opposed only by the two Liberal Democrat members of the committee, Val Loseby and Tim Prater. The money had been earmarked for repairs following a 2005 survey of the tower which found a significant quantity of loose material and stone on the tower, and after a stone fell from the tower in 2006.

Conservative Finance Chief David Monk had put forward the report to Council, seeking to remove the repair money from the Council's capital budget and instead erect a fence around the foot of the tower to keep people away from the tower and conduct a further survey of the condition of the tower. The justification used was that despite a survey recommending the report being conducted over 2 years ago 'the circumstances have changed regarding the proposed external works as the stone fabric of the structure has been rigorously tested by the earthquake in 2007'.

The Scrutiny Committee saw legal advice that if a member of the public was hit by debris falling from the tower then they faced an unlimited fine. It also said that the proposed fence may not be sufficient or far enough away from the foot of the tower to cover the Council against such claims.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Tim Prater, who Chairs the Scrutiny Committee, has slated the decision. He said:

"I'm deeply shocked that Councillors could vote to remove money to repair Christchurch Tower from the capital budget. The tower is a well known landmark, and a grade 2 listed building in an important location in the Garden of Remembrance.

"A fence around the tower is an appalling cop-out. The advice seen by the scrutiny committee suggests that would have to be much further away than 2 metres from the foot of the tower to be in any way useful, and that even with a fence, the Council (and officers and senior Councillors) may well remain legally liable to an unlimited fine if anyone gets hurt by material that falls from the tower. The Council know it needs fixing, have had the reports, have put the money aside to do it, and to delay is simply negligence.

"Going inside the fence - even by Council employees - will require full hard hat and safety protection. What will happen if people want to pay their respects at the Burma Star plaque on the outside of the tower? Will they have to wear hard hats too, or will they simply be kept away by this penny-pinching decision?

"The justification on the report that 'the circumstances have changed regarding the proposed external works as the stone fabric of the structure has been rigorously tested by the earthquake in 2007' is rubbish. There are many householders across Folkestone who,despite their homes not falling over during the earthquake, have since had to had repairs for cracking and other damage that was actually caused. The reports say that £145,000 was needed before the earthquake - are we really supposed to accept an earthquake made the tower better?

"What I find most surprising is that even the Folkestone based Conservative Councillors present - Dick Pascoe, Emily Sanger and Sue Wallace - voted to take this money from the capital programme. This move will see any proper repairs to the outside of the tower delayed for many months, as officers confirmed at the meeting last night.

"Even if the Council agrees in future to pay to repair the tower, it will be in the next or subsequent years budget - not this one. If anyone is hurt by stone or bricks falling from the tower, or the delay in making repairs causes more significant damage to the tower, then those Councillors must share their part of the blame."