Council has spent almost £175,000 on the upkeep of Lochside Leisure Centre in Forfar in the two years since it closed.
Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request revealed the cash-strapped local authority spent £174,547, including £96,527 in rates; £34,718 on utilities and £22,575 for security.
The shutters went up on the building in February 2017 with the opening of the multi-million pound Forfar Community Campus.
Since then the public purse has also paid £13,028 for service disconnections, £5,223 on miscellaneous costs and £2,473 on maintenance (servicing) costs.
The local authority was also hit with insurance costs but, as these are covered in a blanket policy with the council’s insurers, the actual expenditure isn’t available.
The council has already been blasted for agreeing to spend £455,000 to demolish the building in the wake of growing public unrest about the loss of the facility to the public, and the rising costs involved.
The handling of the decision to send in the bulldozers resulted in a judicial review petition, in the name of housing developer Mark Guild and town hotelier Donald Stewart, being lodged at Edinburgh’s supreme civil court after Mr Guild branded the demolition decision “unlawful”.
Their action forced Angus Council to pledge the wrecking ball will not swing without full written notice being given to those determined to save the centre.
Commenting on costs incurred Mr Guild asked: “Why would Angus Council spend £174,547 maintaining a building they are blindly committed to demolish?
“The insurance cost is not available, yet formed part of the £4,000 monthly costs (rates and insurance) reported to the elected members at their meeting on February 7. Surely they either know their insurance costs or they don’t?
“It would be interesting to get the detail of their maintenance, security and utility costs. What can these costs be on an empty building?
“Is the rateable figure the gross figure or the net amount paid? Regardless, it is still Angus Council paying Angus Council, a nil net effect on the public purse.”
He also questioned why they would they spend £13,028.47 on service disconnections when, at the meeting on February 7, members were “supposedly considering and voting on the options for centre.”
He said: “It all looks like their commitment to demolish remained in place before the meeting regardless of the impression they gave us they were considering the other options.
“These figures are completely lacking in detail and as a result fairly meaningless. We need to know the true detail of the costs behind these figures.”
An Angus Council spokesman said: “As stated in the response to the Freedom of Information enquiry, the figures detailed relate to necessary expenditure at Lochside Leisure Centre since February 2017.
“Given that matters pertaining to the building’s future are currently subject to legal proceedings, we will not be making further comment.”
