Mansion House Mishandled (Leeds Liberal Democrats)

Leeds Liberal Democrats <info@leedslibdems.org.uk>

Mansion House Mishandled

March 10, 2004 12:00 AM

Access to public will be increased, but public confusion understandable ….

Councillor Mark Harris, Leader of the Opposition Liberal Democrat Group on Leeds City Council, has described the misunderstanding over the future of the Roundhay Park's Mansion House as the result of Leeds Labour's failure both to properly consult and take account of public views, and also because of their obsessive secrecy.

Cllr Harris said "When the issue came forward last year I urged the Officers to make a full statement on their plans, and ensure the public were fully aware. Finally the matter has come before the Executive Board in public session and I am free to talk about the matter. The proposals for the future of the Mansion House are reasonable and actually achievable. As a Grade II listed building which the Council owns, and has responsibility for maintaining, it could have represent a millstone round the neck of Council budgets for years to come. The restaurant and bars currently in the building are run by an outside organisation who rent the building. They have decided to pull out as a result of a commercial decision, not because the Council wanted to end the restaurants life.

"At the same time the building has been showing its age and requires major refurbishment, and the money has to be raised from somewhere, Leisure Services alone has been allowed by the ruling group over the last twenty years to build up a backlog of over £8 million pounds worth of urgent maintenance. By using a grant from the Heritage Fund for the establishment of a Information Centre, and making use of the first floor for Council Offices access to the building will be increased, not decreased. At the moment only the 'paying public' are allowed in, in future all members of the public will be able to visit the whole of the ground floor - without having to pay. I'm also particularly pleased that there will be reference to John Barran in the Information Centre, his career in the clothing industry laid the foundations for the development of modern Leeds and of course he donated Roundhay Park to the City.

"All in all this is one occasion when the outcome is the best that can be achieved, but the secrecy and rumours that have spread about the future use of the building have not helped. Ideas that the building was being sold off were well wide of the mark, and that public access would end have been the result of poor communication - the Council should have come clean with its full plans last year."