Allerdale Timeshare (No. 5)

EDM number 274 in 1990-91, proposed by DN Campbell-Savours on 20/12/1990.

That this House notes that Minute 304 of the Keswick Station site sub Committee of 10th July 1985 is of critical importance to all those who are interested in the background of the Timeshare budget; notes that their Minute rejected the Intercity offer which had ratepayers guarantee placing millions of pounds of ratepayers money at risk; notes that the Minute shows the committee resolved that the Council select Stanley Leisure and Clifford Barnett for further negotiation who were given a ratepayers guarantee on the basis that the facilities to be provided would be at less cost to the Council; notes that this Minute was placed for information before the Policy and Finance meeting on 13th September 1985 which was attended by 23 councillors representing all political parties; notes that not one single councillor chose to query the Minute because none of them knew that the Minute meant that the Council was placing itself at risk in the event that the project failed; notes that the Minute not only deceived councillors but also the local media who ran stories relating to the development without realising until several months later that a guarantee had been offered; and is convinced that if councillors had known that the guarantee-free offer by Intercity had been rejected, there would have been a major row within Allerdale with calls from councillors, Labour, Conservative and Independent, for renegotiation of the whole deal.

This motion has been signed by a total of 1 MPs.