THE sale of the General Wolfe building in St Austell is not the end of the story.

Whilst the council may see the recent sale as closing this chapter, I want to assure St Austell residents that I will continue to push for full transparency and answers on how this happened.

This historic building was acquired by Corserv (a Cornwall Council-owned company) in March 2020 for approximately £1-million, with the aim of creating emergency/temporary housing. Reports indicate the purchase went ahead despite warnings about the building's condition and recommendations for fuller due diligence - including the absence of a comprehensive structural survey prior to buying.

Subsequent surveys revealed far more serious issues than anticipated (not that this should have come as a surprise). Projected refurbishment costs escalated dramatically (to over £2.5-million), rendering the project unviable. The building then sat empty for years, attracting antisocial behaviour, incurring ongoing security and holding costs, and deteriorating further - becoming a visible symbol of frustration in our town centre.

Cornish taxpayers are now facing a loss of around £725,000 on the purchase price alone (it sold at auction for £275,000). That doesn't include the additional costs incurred whilst it stood empty.

This wasn't just bad luck with inflation. Questions remain about the original decision-making process, who was ultimately responsible, and why concerns raised at the time appear to have been overlooked.

Residents deserve to know what lessons have been learned so this doesn't happen again with other public assets.

I will keep digging for answers and pressing for proper accountability. Our communities expect better stewardship of public money and our local heritage.

Obviously I continue to help residents with casework, and do my best to represent the people of St Austell at council committees and elsewhere.

Please get in touch at: [email protected]