Under Freedom of Information legislation, For Argyll asked Argyll and Bute Council the following questions on the costs to date of contracted consultancies and of primary works on the CHORD project.
This is the regeneration project funding for each of Argyll’s five major town whose names form the acronym for the overall scheme: Campbeltown, Helensburgh, Oban, Rothesay and Dunoon – a project that has proceeded at a snail’s pace, undergoing various changes of direction, attended by controversy and poor management.
We have just been sent answers to our questions from the Council FoI team and are publishing them immediately as received.
We note that the total spent to date on consultancy fees, at £1,869,623, is a whacking 39%% of the total spent on primary project works; and an equally whacking 28% of the total spent on the project to date – £6, 666,599, on consultancy and primary works.
CHORD project costs to date
Q) What was the total paid to consultants for work on the initial ‘competition’ phases ?
A) The total paid to consultants for work on the initial competition phase was £335,024
Q) What is the total paid to date – including what remains due in this financial year - to consultants for work on any aspect of the CHORD project?
A) Total paid to date to consultants is £1,869,623
Q) How much has been taken from council reserves to fund the competition phase and the CHORD project?
A) Neither the initial phase or the CHORD Programme were funded from council reserves – any unspent budget from the revenue funding was carried forward at the end of each year
Q) How much – beyond consultation – has been spent to date on elements of the 5 CHORD projects?
A)Total CHORD Project spend on the 5 CHORD towns excluding consultancy costs provided in Q2,is £4,796,976
Q) How does this total break down between the 5 towns?
A) Campbeltown £3,795,704
Helensburgh £ 807,554
Oban £ 32,198
Rothesay £ 84,533
Dunoon £ 76,987
Total £ 4,796,976
Q) How much debt has been actioned to cover the cost of CHORD commitments?
A) Debt Taken to Date £4.704m
Q)What is the cost of servicing the current debt burden on CHORD projects?
A) Debt servicing cost £384k per annum.