Commissioners have told an MEP that too much time has elapsed since the funding was awarded for it to be clawed back when the West Bromwich building is closed and turned into a sixth form college.
It had been feared that Sandwell Council taxpayers would have to foot the bill.
But confirmation that they would not emerged after independent Eurosceptic MEP Nikki Sinclaire asked a question in the Brussels Parliament about what would happen to the funding, awarded between 2003 and 2008 to the £72m West Bromwich venue.
Commissioner Johannes Hahn replied that the rules allowed money to be demanded back if the use of the building was changed within five years.
But he said: “In this case, the managing authority would not have a legal basis to request a repayment of European regional development funding as too much time has passed since the decision to award funding was taken.
“The managing authority has been and remains in contact with the local authority representatives and, given the available information, agrees with the current proposals for the project fit with the scope and criteria of the original.”
Miss Sinclaire said: “I am relieved that local taxpayers will not have to foot the bill.
“This was our money in the first place that was coming back to the UK from the European Commission for this project. I would not have wanted to see it taken away again. However it does raise questions about how this money is awarded if the purpose of a building in receipt of it can be changed after just five years.”
Sandwell Council leader Councillor Darren Cooper said: “We have been in regular contact with all the original funders of The Public project, to keep them up to date with our plans.
“We have been clear that in addition to becoming a sixth form college, the building would still support enterprise, business and arts.
“We are obviously pleased to note the European Commission agrees we do not have to pay back any European money, and have secured the agreement of the Department for Communities and Local Government as the managing authority on this.”
Tom Watson, MP for West Bromwich East, said: “This is welcome news for everyone who has a stake in the future of this project.
“I’m sure that Sandwell Council has provided sufficient reassurance that art will still form a component of the building in future.”
Sandwell Council is set to sign a deal to let Sandwell College use the building.
It will also include arts space and a business support facility.
The deal, which will see the college and council enter into a 25-year partnership, is set to be put to Sandwell Council’s cabinet of senior councillors on October 16.
The plan is expected to save taxpayers £37 million over 25 years.
relative to the £Billions which vanish into the EU and its abject failure to manage to provide valid accounts and a clear realisation by the public and complacent acceptance by the EU’s self serving and unelected bureacrats the £8Million in question is but a drop in the ocean.
However extending this level of profligacy and indifference to public funds across the board, as The EU clearly does, is what makes up the £Billions that have gone missing and preclude the EU from producing balanced books.
It is as a result acceptable to point out that the £53Million, or so, squandered by the British Government on our membership each and every day, is clearly funding this corrupt institution – a scam by any standards!
That Britain borrows £Millions every day and only saves itself from bankruptcy by artyificially, and thus dishonestly, controlling interest rates at 2% should concern every citizens and cause them to ask why is Britain a major contributor to this corrupt organisation?
The £53Million a day is NOT Government money it is borrowed money for which the British tax payer is liable and at a time when Britain is around 900% of our GDP in debt how can anyone responsibly advocate t6his level of unbridled lunacy.
Would you be happy to owe 9 times your annual income before tax (and rising), with nothing to show for it as it dribbled away funding scams and daily bills?
Just who do our MPs, MEPs, Civil Servants and petty political apparachiks represent? Clearly it is not Britain, our interests or our peoples!
May I remind you that The Weirmar Republic collapsed in ruins, leading to WWII and that Britain’s debt exceeds that of the Argentine when it collapsed, America when it collapsed in the great depression between WWI & II, Italy, Greece, Spain and Eire – IF we remain in the EU it is not a matter of IF we collapse but when!
Yet our politicians lie, cheat and defraud us to remain in this monstrous POLITICAL scam despite its failure in economic terms and in the manner in which the British peoples are defrauded!
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