Folkestone Library and Adult Education: Cheap at Half the Price
Kent County Council’s announcement that Folkestone Library and Adult Education Centre are to move temporarily into the old Woolworth’s building at 14 Sandgate Road is ill-considered and a brand of financial lunacy, says the area’s Liberal Democrat Kent County Councillor Tim Prater.
“It’s ill-considered because the new site is in the middle of the pedestrian precinct so a nightmare in the daytime for people who can’t walk that far, which is the case for many who use these services, and there is no nearby parking.” he said.
“And it is financial lunacy because the old Woolworths building was being advertised at £120,000 a year and The Cube, which could have accommodated the Library, was costing little more than half that, at £66,000 a year. That doesn’t seem like ‘Local Government Efficiency’ from the controlling Reform group, does it?” he added.
Kent County Council have leased The Cube in Tontine Street, East Folkestone for many years as the base for its Adult Education Centre. However following the decision by KCC to reduce its Adult Education offering, including completely closing Cube Ceramics on Tontine Street, they have left The Cube.
Tim says:
"I can see the logic in bringing together Adult Education and a library for Folkestone on the same site. And I'm delighted to get a library back in the centre of Folkestone, but I will not, and local residents will not, and should not, give up on Grace Hill.
"I also have nothing against 14 Sandgate Road as a venue for a library and Adult Education centre, although those with walking issues are going to find it quite hard to get close during the daytime, given its in the heart of the pedestrian precinct.
"However if you were looking for a temporary library space, and had vacant space in The Cube, why not put that temporary library in that space in The Cube?
“The Cube is literally within sight of (the back of) Grace Hill Library.
"It's firmly located in Harbour ward.
"It's in the heart of the Creative Quarter, which works well for both education and library, and helps build the sense of ”place" for the Creative Quarter.
"It has spare space, parking, and, crucially for KCC, they already leased it.
"It seems like a perfect location: keep Adult Education in The Cube, and share the space with a new, temporary, library until you can reopen Grace Hill.
"Now, I don't know what the rent KCC have agreed on 14 Sandgate Road is. Perhaps they'll tell Councillors, maybe even the public, that soon.
"But I do know what 14 Sandgate Road was being advertised at: £120,000 a year. I also know the Rateable Value on that building is £130,000 (so Business Rates of £74,250 per year). I found the estate agents details from when they were marketing the building. That's a total cost of £194,250 per year.
"I also know The Cube is now available on the market to rent at £66,000 per year - I'll bet KCC were paying no more than that. The Rateable Value on that building is £56,500 (so Business Rates of £31,075 per year) as it says on the listing. That's a total annual cost of £97,075 per year.
"Unless KCC have a HUGE discount on the rent of 14 Sandgate Road, they are paying AT LEAST £50k A YEAR MORE to be there than they would if they'd kept The Cube. They may have a little more space at 14 Sandgate Road. But they also have to entirely reconfigure the building, an issue they would not have on Tontine Street, as it was already set up for Adult Education, and you just need to remodel the bottom two floors.
“We've been told that the new administration at Kent County Council were looking for Local Government Efficiency.
"Moving to a building with rent and rates almost DOUBLE that which you had before is NOT efficiency. It's NOT best value. It's NOT placemaking. It's not good for disabled access. Who IS it good for?”