TORIES WASTE MONEY ON TWICKENHAM RIVERSIDE

12.00.00am GMT Wed 11th Dec 2002

As a result of the discussion at Cabinet on Tuesday, Cllr Serge Lourie, Leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on the Council, has written to Gillian Norton, Council Chief Executive, asking two questions:

"1 How much has been spent on developing the present scheme for Twickenham Riverside on external costs and internal time etc."

"2 How will this be treated in the accounts as clearly it is all abortive? Will any items capitalised be written off?"

Speaking after the meeting he said: "I am concerned that the Tories are not going to consult local people properly."

"They will be truncating discussion by using only the planning process. They clearly have no vision for Twickenham having set up the hare of the "Twickenham Challenge"."

"We will participate in this and work with local people to ensure that something decent can be put on the site. At the moment there is no thought out proposal on the table and our vision for public swimming and a cinema/arts centre is no longer on the table."

"Any proposal must help to regenerate Twickenham, which has fallen behind Richmond as the premier centre on the Middlesex side of the river."

"The Tories are also going to spend over half a million pounds on grassing over the site as well as writing off an equivalent amount of abortive costs. This will have to be paid for and means that there will be less to spend on day centres and schools."

For further information, contact Cllr Serge Lourie on Home 020 8876 7367;