Dundee’s SNP administration leader has refused to apologise for spiralling costs at the V&A.
In defiance of opposition calls, Ken Guild last night launched a staunch defence of his role in bringing the flagship museum to the City of Discovery.
At the culmination of a marathon meeting, Labour members had demanded that Mr Guild apologise to Dundonians on behalf of the council for their failure to properly scrutinise the project.
They called on the council chief executive to ask for a Scottish Parliament investigation into how the costs of the museum rose to more than £80 million.
But both calls were rejected in a ballot of members.
Labour leader Kevin Keenan said: “It is a duty of us in this chamber and this council to apologise to the people of Dundee. I know you (Ken Guild) share that responsibility (for the overspend) as we all do.
“But as leader of the administration, you should make the apology.”
Mr Keenan had brought forward the motion, alongside fellow Labourmember Richard McCready, calling for an apology as well an investigation by the Scottish Parliament.
But Mr Guild dismissed their demands, focusing instead on thecouncil’s role in getting additionalfunding when it emerged the project was dramatically over budget.
He pointed to the fact that Mr Keenan chairs the scrutiny committee, which is designed to monitor council business, as he hit back at the calls for an apology.
Mr Guild said: “The scrutiny committee was set up in 2009 at my insistence and it was at my insistence that it should be led by the leader of the opposition.
“This motion asks me to apologise. But as we have seen tonight there are many reasons why it was made clear only at a very late stage how far the costs had risen and why.
“We were the ones who got the funding for the V&A sorted out and I want to commend the work of council officers.”
Demands by opposition members for an apology followed a grilling of procurement expert John McClelland and council chief executive David Martin.
Mr McClelland had earlier outlined his bombshell report on the V&A budget overspend to a packed chamber during the policy and resources committee meeting.
He said that it was clear the museum could never have been completed on budget as far back as 2010.
He told members there had not been proper scrutiny or management of the project for many years.
But he stopped short of attributing blame to any individuals although he did make a series of recommendations that Mr Martin asked members to agree to be enforced.
Labour member Mr McCready said: “We all want the V&A at Dundee tosucceed. But it is wrong to imagine we can just move on (from the overspend).
“It needs its governance to besuccessful if it is going to work.
“Of course, we all want the flash thing but the most important thing we can do as members is to sit and read the reports and take an interest in governance.
“Somewhere along the line, management mistakes have been made. We got this wrong and someone needs to take responsibility.”
Councillors voted to approve Mr McClelland’s recommendations without the additional amendments by 15 votes to 12.