Civic Centre springs a leak

Expert advice was to be brought in to have the problem rectified, according to a council report.

The report was made by the council’s Chief Executive, Eric McKinley, and was tabled at the monthly council meeting but was not discussed due to the Unionist adjournment policy.

According to the report, since moving into the building in November 1982 various defects had been discovered but the majority had been rectified.

This problem, however, was the most serious yet. The report said: “By far the most serious defect has been the ingress of water which has resulted in serious leaks at a considerable number of points within both the civic suite and the office block.”

Discussions had apparently taken place between the council’s chief executive, the architects and the council’s management team, but the cause of the leaks had not been determined and architects were bringing in the help of a firm of “defect experts.”

Eric McKinley’s report says: “I am concerned that the borough council’s investment in the Civic Centre is safeguarded and would recommend that the chief executive would be authorised to take whatever action is necessary, including legal action, to safeguard the borough council’s interest in this matter.”

However, that authorisation wasn’t possible as there was no discussion and therefore no approval for the recommendation.