488% overspend at QE School

10.37.00am GMT Thu 13th Nov 2008

Dorset County Council's contribution towards the rebuild of Queen Elizabeth School has skyrocketed by 488% from £3.960 million to £19.335 million.

The total cost will now be over £50 million and Dorset County Council has admitted that "committing to this sum will therefore have a significant effect on the County Council's Capital Programme."

Unfortunately Dorset County Council's financial record is already poor, having placed £28 million at risk in Icelandic banks, lost millions in pension fund investments and having spent £3 million on consultants in the last 18 months.

Annette Brooke, MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole commented:

"I am shocked by revelations of this 488% overspend by Dorset County Council. Only recently the Chief Executive of DCC reassured me that despite some delays, the project was on track.

"While an overspend has been suspected for some time, at no point did he mention an increase of such astronomical proportions.

"It is time that the County Council releases all the details of this fiasco and explains to the people of Dorset how it will find this additional £15 million."

Susan Jefferies, Liberal Democrat County Councillor stated:

"All the Liberal Democrats on the Council have been trying to uncover these details for months.

"Why has it taken so long for the public and the parents to know about this? We were promised an explanation in July, 4 months ago.

"We all need to know if these revelations will delay the promised completion date of September 2010. It is time for answers from the County Council."

Notes:

Queen Elizabeth School is just outside the constituency boundary of Mid Dorset and North Poole. However, a significant number of constituents send their children to school at QE and there are legitimate concerns about how this overspend will affect other projects within the Mid Dorset and North Poole area.