Guildhall finances get all-clear in audit (From Chard & Ilminster News)

Guildhall finances get all-clear in audit

8:41am Monday 11th December 2006 in Chard By News reporter

CHARD Town Council's handling of the Guildhall re-development finances were given a clean bill of health by auditors, it emerged this week.

Following a letter in last week's Postbag that suggested that councillors be made financially liable for the Guildhall "fiasco", Chard Town Council has reassured residents that the finances have all been thoroughly checked.

A full independent audit of the accounts carried out at the request of electors in 2005 found that no further action was needed.

This week, Chard town and county councillor Jill Shortland, who has initiated a move to investigate ways of recouping the town council's £25,000 bill from the Prior-Bing tribunal, said: "There's no Guildhall fiasco.

"It took the builders longer than the contracted time and, yes, it cost more.

"There were issues with the building that couldn't have been foreseen at the time the contract was put in place.

"If there is a fiasco it's in the sense that when the problems were discovered by the builders the English Heritage lottery people wouldn't pay their proportion of the work.

"Unfortunately, any extra had to come from the taxpayers of Chard.

"On top of that, auditors have looked into it and have not found anything that we, as councillors, are at fault for in any way."