Council bosses have spent nearly £40,000 trying to attract donors for the £30million art gallery revamp – but have no idea if has been a success.
Documents obtained by the Press and Journal have revealed the local authority has paid out £39,000 to a consultancy agency to help bring in more donations for the Aberdeen Art Gallery refurbishment.
But last night, the council admitted officers are unable to determine if the move has brought in any cash for the flagging project.
Work is currently ongoing to transform the city’s art gallery into a modern attraction, with more gallery space, a community gallery and outdoor terraces. The hall of remembrance, within Cowdray Hall, is also being upgraded.
While £20million of the project is being covered by the local authority and Heritage Lottery Fund, the remaining £10million is being gathered through a high-profile crowdfunding campaign.
Despite launching in 2015, just £3.7million has been raised so far.
And the fundraising appears to have slowed further as just £500,000 has been paid into the kitty over the last 18 months.
As part of its efforts to cover costs, the local authority signed a contract with Stirling-based Bruce Tait Associates to help it “generate fundraising opportunities with potential high value individual donors”.
But due to the “joint working approach” with the consultants, council officers are unable to determine how much of this has been brought in as a result of its £39,000 investment as each lead is followed up or “developed” by the campaign manager instead.
Last night, opposition leaders rounded on the administration for spending without any way of measuring its success.
SNP councillor Alex Nicoll said: “It is concerning that the council has once again spent so much money on consultants yet appears to have no way of actually measuring what they have achieved.
“The reality is that the lack of fundraising income has left a multi-million pound black hole which is being covered by each and every taxpayer in Aberdeen.
“If we are to engage consultants to solve this administration’s problems then we need transparency as to what they are actually delivering.”
Liberal Democrat councillor Martin Greig said: “The hiring of consultants is a further admission of failure.
“This is another indication of the inadequate financing of the art gallery vanity project.
“It is typical of this coalition to try and make grand gestures based on unsound financial judgements.
“The lack of resources to pay for this refurbishment adds considerable pressures on the public purse.”
A council spokeswoman said: “The consultancy was appointed to assist the council in fundraising opportunities to support this major redevelopment of Aberdeen Art Gallery.
“Nearly 40% of the fundraising target has been met and we continue to work towards our goal in the delivery of this important project.“
Answers needed on art gallery spending
Plans for the £30million art gallery refurbishment were first revealed to the public in 2012 and work on its transformation began in 2015.
Among the improvements are an increase in exhibition space, a glass-fronted rooftop area, better visitor facilities and a passenger lift.
The A-listed building is also receiving upgrades to the Cowdray Hall and Memorial Hall, with a Museums Collection Centre now under construction.
Councillors announced that the funding of the project would be split into thirds – £10m from the Heritage Lottery Fund, £10m from the local authority itself and a final £10m from a public and private sector crowdfunding campaign.
While it was plain sailing for the council to acquire the first 66% of the money needed, its bid to ask the public to stump up for the rest has led to something of a stumbling block.
Three years on less than £4m has been added to the kitty, with its total including a £1.6m award from the UK Government and several lots of £250,000 from a number of trusts and charities.
With donations slow, a raft of initiatives have been launched by council bosses to raise the rest of the cash.
In January a scheme was opened to let members of the public dedicate a chair in the revamped facility to a loved one at a cost of £150 per seat.
And last year council staff desperate to make a difference took it upon themselves to sell raffle tickets at £2 a go.
