Council caught up in casino bid row - Monday 12th of September 2005
BIRMINGHAM City Council is caught up in a "conflict of interest" row after it was claimed senior officials have been helping the National Exhibition Centres bid for a super casino.
The council, which has to remain independent since it will have to recommend to the Gaming Commission a site and operator for a regional casino, has not given the same assistance to a rival bid by Birmingham City FC, a senior councillor said.
Coun Ken Hardeman, council cabinet member for regeneration, claimed financial and property advice given to the NEC, in which the council has a major shareholding, was "irresponsible".
And there was an angry response from Blues managing director Karren Brady, who criticised the city councils "foolish" actions.
Coun Hardeman (Con Brandwood) said he had discovered in the past few days that officers have been helping develop the NEC casino bid for ten months.
Their involvement amounted to giving "gilt-edged advice" to the NEC, he claimed.
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The NEC has already run up a £100,000 bill for legal advice, money that would effectively have to be found from the public purse, Coun Hardeman added.
Although he is a member of the NEC board, Coun Hardeman said he took no part in discussions about the casino. He said it was wrong that public money should be spent on giving an advantage to the NEC while Birmingham City and its partner, Las Vegas Sands, had no opportunity of advice from local government experts.
"Whatever Birmingham City and Las Vegas Sands have done has been at their own expense. They havent had council officers pointing them in the right direction," he said.
Coun Hardeman, who is openly supportive of the Birmingham City bid for a £217 million stadium and casino at Saltley, said: "I find it totally irresponsible."
Ms Brady said: "This is meant to be a competitive and serious process.
"I think it is foolish for anybody from the city council to make any judgment about which projects to support without knowing the full facts of all the projects".
The councils close involvement with the NEC appears to contradict Government advice which warns local authorities against doing anything that might prejudice a competitive process over allocating casino licences.
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