Update on Birkenhead town centre works
At Policy and Resources Committee (July 23) the current position regarding the work underway in Birkenhead town centre will be outlined clearly in financial reporting.
Delivery of the Birkenhead town centre includes works at Conway St, Europa Boulevard and Europa Square car park, Grange Road and Charing Cross junction, and Grange Road West.
The report says this work has faced delays due to:
- design information being late,
- issues around depth of construction and
- unknowns regarding utility services equipment.
There remains more than 50% of the project left to complete.
Total contract costs are now estimated to be £24 million (made up of £21 million plus £3 million anticipated in management fees) – up from an initial project budget of £11.9 million.
Leader of Wirral Council, Cllr Paula Basnett, said:
When I became Leader of the Council, the town centre scheme was at the top of the list of projects to be looked into. This is because it was clear from what businesses and residents were saying, that the works needed to be urgently reviewed.
The early results are shocking, with indications that the project is going to take even longer than we were told, and costs spiralling.
This is completely unacceptable, and further work will be undertaken to consider the information revealed by the initial audit findings.
As a Council we will take stock and get a proper grip of what is going on and establish where we can go from here. Strong leadership demands that difficult decisions are faced up to; being Leader of the Council means working with all parties and partners to navigate this authority through what will be a tough period.
There will be no excuses – we will be straight with the people of Wirral and will turn this situation around to begin ensuring this Council works for residents, businesses and everyone with a stake in this borough’s future.
