I took the opportunity yesterday during First Minister’s questions to ask Carwyn about the Assembly Government’s plans to refurbish its offices in Cathays Park at a cost of £42 million. A massive spend at the best of times but clearly crazy in these difficult economic times.
Plans for the refit were revealed in March 2009 with a project team being set up at a cost of £100,000.
Imagine my surprise when Carwyn confirmed the plans had been ditched and there would be no refurbishment of Cathays Park.
I find it extraordinary that the Assembly Government has ditched these plans, having set up a project team to implement them, without making a statement to the Assembly.
We were told a refit was necessary because the existing accommodation was inflexible, unable to respond to changing business needs and there were health and safety issues.
Either those problems have been resolved or they are no longer considered important enough to justify the spending of £42 million of taxpayers money.
Although I welcome the decision, it is a disgrace that the Labour/Plaid coalition has attempted to quietly drop these plans without any public announcement.
It reminds us all of the arrogance of promoting such a crazy scheme in the first place but at least it is dropped now—not before time.
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