Disgraced ex-councillor ‘will not get a penny’ of council cash, says leader
FORMER POLITICIAN GIVEN £208K GRANT FOR CITY CHURCH REPAIRS
CITY council leader Daren Hale says “not a penny” of the authority’s cash will go towards the restoration of a former church owned by disgraced former councillor Steven Bayes.
His comments came after the Mail revealed Mr Bayes has been awarded a grant of nearly £210,000 to carry out repairs to the derelict Trafalgar Street Church in Beverley Road.
Mr Bayes was jailed for a year in 2018 after a jury found him guilty of two charges of downloading indecent images and one charge of possessing “extreme” pornography on a computer after a trial at Hull Crown Court.
The sentence ended the longstanding political career of the former Labour cabinet member on Hull City Council.
The new grant has been awarded by the Beverley Road Townscape Heritage Scheme, which is jointly funded and managed by the National Heritage Lottery Fund and the city council.
Under the scheme, owners of historic properties in the area can apply for funding towards the cost of repairing and restoring their buildings, provided they also agree to make a contribution towards the overall cost.
A council decision record report detailing the grant for the works at the former church says 59 per cent of the project’s funding comes from the National Heritage Lottery Fund with 11 per cent provided by the council.
Eligible owners are required to fund 30 per cent of the cost of a restoration scheme.
But Cllr Hale said the council would not be funding any of the works at the church, which has planning approval to eventually be used as a community hub, an events space and a gym.
He said: “Not a penny of council money is going towards this and I want to stress this is not a council grant.
“As part of the Beverley Road Townscape scheme, the council’s funding goes into public realm works while the Heritage Lottery funds repair work to buildings.”
A joint board featuring representatives from both organisations oversees application for grants. It is currently chaired by Councillor Aneesa Akbar.
Cllr Hale said a strict eligibility criteria was applied to each grant application.
In a statement, the council said: “The Beverley Road Townscape Heritage Scheme’s aim is to preserve and enhance the south end of this historic gateway into the city.
“All grants are awarded based on the initial survey carried out for the scheme which prioritised properties with heritage value which were in need of repairs.
“Trafalgar Street Church is a grade two listed building on the council’s atrisk register and, given its prominence on Beverley Road, has been identified as a high priority for intervention to ensure its longevity as a heritage and community asset.
“All applications are heavily scrutinised to ensure they comply with the terms and conditions set out by the council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund and conditions are set where necessary.”
Meanwhile, opposition Liberal Democrats on the council have called for an investigation into how the grant was awarded and also criticised Cllr Hale.
In a statement, the Lib Dem group said: “We are writing to the council’s chief executive demanding an urgent, independent review of this entire case.
“Cllr Hale should consider his position as council leader. By signing this off himself, with no thought to how it will look to the public, he has shown an appalling lack of judgment and throws into question whether he really has the attributes required to lead the council and the city.”