Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

The purchase of Crown Square by Galway City Council so the local authority could relocate City Hall from College Road to Mervue is back in the news, after Councillor Alan Cheevers (FF) described it as one of his biggest regrets.

Ever since the Galway City Tribune broke the story on the second Friday of July 2022, this column has written extensively about the deal and the madness of how it was rushed through, without public consultation, or proper consideration by councillors. There was no public tender process, which seems bizarre for a project of this magnitude.

As reported here previously, elected members were given a report on a Friday and asked to vote to approve a €45.5m loan the following Monday.

How many of the councillors digested that report over the weekend and considered the implications of what they were being asked to do?

Some probably skimmed through it, took the headline bits, and were then swayed by oral arguments put forward by Council management, including the then Chief Executive Brendan McGrath.

Regardless of the merits of it, nobody could argue with the characterisation of it as a rushed job. And while the loan sanction was approved in a hurry, everything that has happened since has been snail’s pace.

In July 2022, when Councillors agreed to buy the building, McGrath said the deal would cost €56.6m. This included almost €11m for fit-out costs of the new building.

A suggestion at that meeting that the decision be deferred until September was ruled out. Councillors were told that if they delayed, there was a risk that the interest rate on the loan would increase.

At that time, the European Central Bank were hiking rates to control inflation – delay this decision and you’ll cost the city even more in larger repayments, was the implication.

But now, fast-forward 28 months from when councillors approved the loan, there’s still no sign of staff moving into Crown Square – and interest rates are falling again!

According to the Council, annual repayments amount to €1.6m over 40 years, to cover the cost of purchasing the new headquarters – and that’s not even including fit-out.

That means by this December, the Council will have paid €3.2m in repayments for a building they haven’t yet occupied.

Is it any wonder they wanted to increase Local Property Tax, commercial rates and introduce a bed-tax on tourists?

Pictured: Cllr Alan Cheevers: Described voting for the move to Crown Square as one of his biggest regrets.