SAFEGUARDING KINGTON’S FUTURE

SAFEGUARDING KINGTON’S FUTURE KINGTON TOWN COUNCIL

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

SAFEGUARDING KINGTON’S FUTURE