A political row has erupted over long-standing plans to build a £25 million leisure complex in Perth.
The troubled PH2O project faces an uncertain future after efforts to secure funding were derailed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Perth and Kinross Council controversially slashed funding for the scheme in 2018, redirecting money to the £58.3 million redevelopment of Perth High School.
The Tory-led administration has agreed to push ahead with the plan and has asked officers to identify possible funding solutions in time for next year’s budget.
The local SNP group said the Conservative councillors’ plan does not go far enough. At a meeting of the full council, SNP members put forward an amendment requiring “officers urgently seek to define funding options for PH2O… in order that fully informed decisions can be taken.”
Murray Lyle, leader of the minority administration, said the SNP proposal was not “significantly different” from his, while Liberal Democrat group leader Peter Barrett argued it was like something “drawn by a magic wand from the empty gesture school of politics”.
The spat came after a seven-hour discussion on the council’s five priority capital investment schemes, including the Cross Tay Link Road and Perth City Hall.
Mr Lyle said: “Whilst I appreciate the funding challenge that this project will present, I firmly believe it should still be a priority in terms of our future investment blueprint.
“It will be a symbol of our recovery and a symbol of renewal in these challenging times.”
SNP group leader Grant Laing said: “We as an SNP group feel this is one of the most important projects. It is something that there has been a lot of dithering and delay around.
“We want officers to be required to bring back a feasible solution to bring forward options for PH20.
“I know that a lot of officers’ time has been used elsewhere, but we feel now is the time to push PH20 forward.”
Seconding the SNP amendment, councillor Andrew Parrott added: “I accept entirely that the leader of the council has gone beyond what is stated in the papers with his support for the project.
“But our amendment gives this project the urgency and, dare I say, pace that it requires.”
The SNP’s Sheila McCole added: “Although there’s warm words by the leader of the council, there is nothing in the motion he has put forward that shows a real commitment to this.
“There is an urgent need to define this project, identify the budget and establish a realistic and achievable project plan, complete with key milestones, and bring that detail forward to the budget process.”
Mr Barrett described the SNP amendment as “simply an amendment purely for amendment’s sake”.
Mr Lyle said he was “slightly disappointed” with the SNP group’s amendment.
“There is not a significant amount of difference here,” he said. “The motion does indicate there is an element of urgency, but there is also an element of realism.
“Because of the Covid pandemic, there is no doubt that officers have not been able to put the resources into this one particular project that they would have wanted to.
“But it is critical to the success of the project that any income streams are identified at early course to provide a financial footing, so that the costs do not run away as the council goes forward.”
The Conservative motion was agreed by 20 to 16 votes.
