The public spending watchdog is “considering” looking at “failings” at Aberdeen City Council which led to much-protested closures of six libraries and a swimming pool.
Audit Scotland has been urged to get to the bottom of decision-making around the shutdown of Cornhill, Cults, Ferryhill, Kaimhill, Northfield and Woodside libraries.
Despite a swell of public objection, budget cuts forced their closure.
Council leisure charity Sport Aberdeen also locked up Bucksburn pool as its funding was slashed.
Leaked email: Aberdeen library and pool closure consultation concession ‘pragmatic’
Earlier this week, it was revealed council chiefs had agreed to hold a formal consultation on the closures – five months after they were enforced.
It was a concession, it is understood, made to keep the local authority out of the courtroom.
Leaked internal guidance from council solicitors, seen by The P&J, said interim chief governance officer Jenni Lawson had accepted the loss after “careful consideration” of the case against them.
This “pragmatic way forward” was agreed to avoid further legal proceedings and their associated costs.
Dates were already set at the Court of Session for the first of the community challenges of the budget cuts.
Campaigners argued a lack of consultation, and insufficient assessment of the impact the closedowns would have on some of the poorest areas of Aberdeen, left the local authority vulnerable to challenge.
The leaked email claims the consultations will enable “fresh” integrated impact assessments of the closures – something protestors have long claimed were inadequate.
In the meantime, city council has even been urged to reopen the mothballed facilities this month to show “good faith” as the yielded consultation is carried out.
Union chiefs have demanded that senior officials, who advised the council on the closures, “apologise or resign”.
Sources: Accountability for senior council figures could still be months away
Now, Aberdeen Labour is urging Audit Scotland to consider what action the watchdog could take to “get to the bottom of why a council allowed parts of its budget to break the Equalities Act.”
In a letter, group leader M Tauqeer Malik told auditors the facilities “should never have been closed in the first place”.
Covener of the council’s powerful audit, scrutiny and risk committee, he felt duty-bound to alert Audit Scotland to “council failings” which led to the “hasty” shutdowns.
He added: “I am concerned that an illegal budget was proposed and agreed given that the libraries are now closed and the savings have now been taken.”
Mr Malik told The P&J: “I am deeply worried that Aberdeen City Council is going back to the dark days whereby the Accounts Commission may call a public hearing into what is an unacceptable situation regarding library and pool closures.
“The SNP-led council requires to take swift action and they can no longer allow officers to control what is a political matter.”
He promised to use all avenues available to “hold those responsible to account” as he demanded top brass report back on the unravelling mess as soon as possible.
A Save Aberdeen Libraries campaign spokesman backed the calls for external audit, telling us: “Questions should be asked.”
The Conservatives – who have called for “immediate reopening” – also want senior council officers to report to elected members on September 11.
But one source within the SNP and Lib Dem administration has told The P&J that won’t happen.
The September 11 full council is already an overflow, after councillors failed to get through a packed agenda at a meeting last month.
Leaked solicitor’s email points finger about Aberdeen library and pool campaigners
Meanwhile, officials have tried to explain their way out of the fury from opposition councillors, who found out about the consultative U-turn on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.
A senior council solicitor blamed campaigners for stealing thunder, in an email leaked to The Press and Journal by a number of Town House insiders.
Sent to councillors on Wednesday evening – and leaked almost immediately by a handful of sources – he wrote: “The intention was for there to be an agreed date for when respective parties would undertake their communication regarding the [negotiation and further work].
“Unfortunately, before officers were able to update elected members, the campaign groups associated with the petitioners released a press statement without sharing it with Aberdeen City Council.”
He further warned that the legal case against the closure is “still ongoing”, though is currently suspended to allow the consultation.
That advice is being heeded by the SNP and Liberal Democrats, who refused to comment on Labour’s call to action for Audit Scotland.
A report on the belated public consultation is expected to be presented to councillors in December.
A spokeswoman confirmed Audit Scotland had received Mr Malik’s invite to examine the decision-making of Aberdeen City Council.
She added: “We are currently considering it and will reply to the correspondent within our published timescales.”
According to the Audit Scotland website, that should be by mid-October.
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