Council rebuked for £5m Dorchester library scheme

DORSET County Council has been rebuked by an external auditor over its decision to spend £5million on a new library in Dorchester.

Following formal objections by electors, KPMG held an investigation into the county council's part in a development by West Dorset District Council at Charles Street in Dorchester.

It is also investigating the district council's handling of the proposal. The scheme includes new district council offices as well as mixed use development in phase two.

The auditor criticised the county council for failing to look at alternative sites which might have been better and for not carrying out an assessment of the needs of the library service before committing to spending £5million on a new library and adult education centre in Dorchester.

The county council has accepted the findings and pledged to improve its asset management systems and procedures.

Trevor Jones, who represents Dorchester as a county, district and town councillor, was one of the objectors.

He said: "It is not much comfort to those who have been so angry about what has been done but at least it lessens the chance of it ever happening again in the county council.

"KPMG's report on the district council has not yet been received but when it is, I can only hope that any criticisms or recommendations are accepted by them and responded to positively as they have been by the county."

In its response to KPMG's criticisms, the county council stated: "The project for the Dorchester Library and Adult Education Centre was unusual in that it came forward in response to a proposal put to the county council rather than to address imperative service needs."

It added that moving Dorchester library to the proposed Charles Street development had been considered in 2004.

Following KPGM's findings, county accepted it should have looked again at the town's former brewery site, which is undergoing redevelopment.

It stated: "It is acknowledged that a fuller discussion of potential alternative options and the reasons why they had not been pursued should have been included in the reports to the cabinet and the county council."

KPMG's report on its investigation of the district council is expected in the new year.

Dorset County Council was yesterday, Thursday, reconsidering whether to continue with plans to stop funding nine of the county's 34 libraries as a cost-cutting measure.

Dee Adcock