Bedford Borough Cllr Roger Rigby has welcomed the decision of the Council at last to seek private management for the failing ‘Number 13’ café / bar.
The £378k facility was opened to much fanfare in 2013. It was hoped that it would provide a food and drink offering for the Corn Exchange and be a good investment for the Council.
It has in fact been a financial disaster; in 2014/15 a predicted profit of £30,000 turned into a £19,953 loss, while a forecast £32,540 profit in 2015/16 resulted in an actual loss of £6,871. In 2016/17 it was predicted to make a £33,410 surplus but again showed a loss of £4,531.
At this year’s Council budget setting meeting, Conservative Group Leader Cllr Stephen Moon highlighted the absurdity of Mayor Hodgson including Number Thirteen in the budget yet again to make a profit of £33,410 despite all the evidence of previous years’ losses. He said, ‘to allow this to continue is either negligence or incompetence and is certainly a failure of leadership’.
Cllr Rigby has now welcomed the u-turn. He said:
‘It has been unacceptable that for years Mayor Hodgson has deceived himself and residents that Number 13 would be profitable under his management. What it always needed was management from people who do this professionally, with the Council leasing them the facility, collecting a return on its investment whilst enhancing the Corn Exchange’s cultural offering.
‘I am pleased that the Mayor has at last seen sense but it is a sorry episode that destroys any image of sound financial management.’