Councillor scolded for 'lie' that Ayr's Citadel leisure centre is 'going to fall down'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A senior Labour councillor claimedthat the Citadel Leisure Centre was 'going to fall down' unless it is replaced.At last week’s South Ayrshire Council budget meeting, Labour councillor Philip Saxton admitted it was the incorrect phrase, and explained that he felt the leisure facility would need to be replaced in spite of investment being put in by the administration.The Labour budget statement had stated that they would not include “spending millions on redundant buildings, proposing unrealistic projects, for example the care village proposals, or paying for expensive design consultants who charge a fortune to tell us what we already know.”Conservative councillor Bob Pollock said that there was a contradiction, pointing out that the care village remained in Labour’s proposed capital budget.He continued: “I would like to know what their plans are for regeneration.

I would also like examples of the design consultants we are paying for, where the figure of millions of pounds for redundant buildings.“In relation to consultants charging a fortune for what we already know are coming from; what are these charges in relation and what do we already known?”He also stated that there was a Labour criticism of a lack of detail in Conservative proposal while £2.5m was set aside for a hydro scheme without any details.Councillor Saxton said that there was no detail on the Hourstons site or Ayr Town Centre regeneration.

And he argued: “The Citadel is in a desperate…I think it is going to fall down. It is that bad. The building that old, you need to reconsider.”Council leader Martin Dowey said that Cllr Saxton should retract the comment if he had no evidence, describing the statement that the building ‘is about to fall down’ as a lie.Cllr