Outrage As Ally Pally Lease Bill Tops One Million

4.05.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 15th Nov 2007

Liberal Democrat councillors have expressed alarm at the escalating financial disaster engulfing Haringey Council and its hard pressed taxpayers as a result of the Alexandra Palace lease fiasco. This comes as a new report to the Council's Cabinet admits that the cost to the Council resulting from the mess could top £1million in this financial year.

Lib Dems say that documents to be tabled at the Council's Cabinet meeting for 20th November show that following the recent High Court decision to quash the Charity Commission's granting of a lease, costs are estimated at £1million in 2007/08 above the planned budget.

Cllr Neil Williams says that ultimately, the Labour Council may need to set aside a far bigger sum for the fiasco. And he has questioned claims by the Leader of the Council, at the last Full Council meeting, that the situation regarding the lease could be resolved by January.

Cllr Neil Williams, Leader of the Opposition, comments:

"These shocking numbers show that the Council is finally starting to admit the awful scale of the bill that the Haringey taxpayer will now have to face for the catastrophic incompetence and arrogance of Ally Pally bosses.

"The Palace must now start to answer some questions about how this financial disaster is arising and how it is being allowed to continue. Where exactly is all the money going? And how have we reached a situation where an operator in the building can trade, pocketing a good deal of the incoming revenue without a lease having been granted. It is a dreadful situation. How has this been allowed to happen?"