Tourism report’s £26k cost slammed
Maidstone council has come under fire for spending £26,000 on private consultants to tell it how to transform the town into a must-see tourist destination.
The news also emerged as the authority’s heritage, culture and leisure committee discussed ways to save £430,000 from its budget by 2020/21.
In September the council unveiled its Destination Management Plan, a three-year strategy to improve Maidstone. At its heart is a £25,000 report produced by Cheshire-based tourism consultancy firm Blue Sail.
The council paid £20,000 and was £5,000 came from Visit Kent.
Last month the culture committee adopted a £6,000, sevenpage report by another creative consultancy firm, Nick Ewbank Associates. This raised eyebrows when it quoted anonymous coun- cillors who branded the town a “cultural desert”.
But Cllr David Naghi (Lib Dem) criticised the use of council coffers on reports with conclusions readily apparent to any person in the street, including problems of traffic and the lack of investment in the River Medway.
He said: “This is the third of these kinds of reports I have seen. They all came back with the same thing. It is all stuff we have heard before.
“We can’t go on like this. Why do we keep spending money in consultancy firms? It is a waste.”
But Cllr Gordon Newton (Con), chairman of the heritage committee, said it was money well spent and the reports set out a clear plan of action. The heritage committee suggested five areas where savings could be made on the town’s cultural offering – but the proposals were reported in secret. This move was criticised by Cllr Clive English (Lib Dem).
On current predictions, the committee is likely to exceed its budgeted expenditure plans of £540,000 by more than £100,000 by the end of the financial year.
A failure to meet income targets at Vinters Park Crematorium accounted for £84,000, with Maidstone Museum contributing another £10,000 to the shortfall.
But during a meeting councillors were told the museum shop was set to lose £23,430 over this year, when in fact it is expected to generate £23,430 income.
The council as a whole is looking to save £3.76 million.