KINGTON TOWN COUNCIL SAFEGUARDING KINGTON’S FUTURE

THE BACKGROUND HEREFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL BUDGET CUTS LOOKING TO DISPOSE OF ASSETS

THE IMPCT ON KINGTON HCC LOOKING TO TRANSFER OWNERSHIP OF A NUMBER OF ASSETS TO KINGTON, THROUGH THE TOWN COUNCIL NEGOTIATIONS ARE ON-GOING TO DATE, THE TOWN COUNCIL HAS INDICATED ITS INTEREST

WHAT ARE THE ASSETS UNDER CONSIDERATION? MARKET HALL, PLACE DE MARINES AND COACH HOUSE MUSEUM BUILDING OLD POLICE STATION (offices of Marches Access Point and also small business units) PUBLIC CONVENIENCES IN THE PLACE DE MARINES RECREATION SPACES: CROOKED WELL MEADOW AND OLD EARDISLEY ROAD CAR PARKS, INCLUDING MARKET HALL STREET, TOWN CENTRE BEHIND NISA AND MILL STREET

INCLUDED IN THE NEGOTIATIONS…. THE CURRENT COUNCIL OFFICES, WHICH HOUSE THE TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE AS WELL WILL BE SOLD BY HEREFORDSHIRE COUNCIL. THEY WILL NOT BE TRANSFERRED TO THE TOWN RENOVATION WORKS HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN TO THE MARKET HALL (COST AROUND £100,000) RENOVATION WORKS TO THE OLD POLICE STATION UNDER WAY (COST AROUND £75,000)

WHERE WILL THE COUNCIL OFFICE AND TIC GO? THE TOWN COUNCIL OFFICE WILL RELOCATE TO THE OLD POLICE STATION THE RENOVATIONS THERE WILL PROVIDE AN ENLARGED ROOM THAT WILL BE USED BOTH AS A COUNCIL CHAMBER AND FOR MARCHES ACCESS POINT. A SECOND MEETING ROOM WILL ALSO BE PROVIDED THE TIC WILL RELOCATE TO WHAT WAS THE CAFÉ AREA OF THE MUSEUM

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE TOWN COUNCIL SAYS NO? HCC WILL PLACE THESE ASSETS IN A PUBLIC AUCTION IN FEBRUARY 2014 ONE AUCTION HAS ALREADY BEEN HELD OF HCC ASSETS IN KINGTON, INCLUDING THE BUILDING AT LOWER CROSS THERE IS A RISK THAT THESE ASSETS WOULD BE SOLD TO INDIVIDUALS OR BUSINESSES WITH NO INTEREST IN KINGTON’S FUTURE FOR THE CAR PARKS, THOSE WHICH ARE CURRENTLY FREE WILL BE CHARGED FOR

WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPACT ON THE TOWN? THE RISK OF THE LOSS OF THESE BUILDINGS WOULD BE CONSIDERABLE CLOSURE OF THE PUBLIC CONVENIENCES, WHICH HAS ALREADY HAPPENED IN OTHER MARKET TOWNS, WOULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON BOTH RESIDENTS AND TOURISTS CHARGES ON THE CURRENTLY FREE CAR PARKS AND RAISING OF CHARGES ON MILL STREET WOULD HAVE A SERIOUS IMPACT ON TRADE IN THE TOWN CENTRE

WHAT ARE THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS? SOME OF THE ASSETS PRODUCE REVENUE (MARKET HALL, OLD POLICE STATION, MILL STEET CAR PARK) CURRENT COSTS OF MAINTENANCE OF THE RECREATION AREAS COULD BE REDUCED THROUGH LOCAL CONTRACTING A FULL BUSINESS PLAN WILL BE DRAWN UP SURVEYS OF THE BUILDINGS WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO IDENTIFY LONGER TERM MAINTENANCE COSTS

WILL THERE BE AN IMPACT ON THE COUNCIL CHARGE? POSSIBLY, BUT THE TOWN COUNCIL WILL TRY AND KEEP THIS AS LOW AS POSSIBLE THE ASSETS THEMSELVES WILL BE TRANSFERRED FOR NOTHING – THE TOWN COUNCIL WILL NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM

HOW WILL BE ASSETS BE MANAGED? KINGTON TOWN COUNCIL WILL TAKE LEGAL ADVICE AS TO THE BEST WAY TO MANAGE AND SAFEGUARD THESE ASSETS FOR THE FUTURE ONE POSSIBILITY IS THE SETTING UP OF A KINGTON TRUST, AS AN INDEPENDENT AND CHARITABLE BODY TO MANAGE THE ASSETS. THIS HAS BEEN DONE IN OTHER PLACES WHERE SIMILAR ASSET TRANSFERS HAVE TAKEN PLACE.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? KTC WILL CONTINUE NEGOTIATONS WITH HCC FULL SURVEYS OF THE BUILDINGS WILL BE CARRIED OUT A BUSINESS PLAN WILL BE DRAWN UP, LOOKING AT INCOME AND COSTS LEGAL ADVICE WILL BE OBTAINED ON THE APPROPRIATE MEANS OF OWNING AND MANAGING THE ASSETS KINGTON RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES WILL BE KEPT FULLY INFORMED OF PROGRESS