REDCAR and Cleveland Council leader Mary Lanigan has said a “confidential report” will be shared with councillors after a near £7m scheme to revamp Eston precinct was ditched.

The recent controversial decision was raised with Cllr Lanigan after members of the growth, enterprise and environment scrutiny committee approved a motion asking her cabinet to put some money back into the council’s budget to show a commitment to the project and enable work to continue.

While no such commitment was made at a meeting of the cabinet, Cllr Lanigan attempted to appease the committee’s chairman, Councillor Vince Smith by stating a report which detailed issues with the scheme would be released to him.

But she warned there must be “no leaks whatsoever” or else no further information would be shared.

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The council previously stated it was to “amend the delivery” of the project in Eston Square because of future costs and the failure to secure a supermarket chain as an anchor tenant.

Cllr Smith asked Cllr Lanigan about where £2m worth of funding from the Tees Valley Combined Authority, which was due to go towards the project, had gone, and was told it was still available.

The council also intended to borrow up to £5m over the next 30 years, a sum that was expected to be covered by future rental income.

Cllr Smith said residents in Eston had been “let down many times” with proposed developments which had failed to take place.

Cllr Lanigan said: “There is a confidential report that came to cabinet and as an elected member perhaps you need to see that and I will make it available.

“There have been some difficulties and the decision was not taken lightly, whether those can be ironed out I’m not sure, but it is looking more hopeful.

“There are things happening in the background at the moment, but we can release the confidential report to you and I think it’s appropriate that you have it to see why it was taken as it was.

“I can absolutely assure you that this administration had Eston Square as a priority and it still remains a priority going forward and we will do everything we can to try and turn it around.

“It wasn’t our intention whatsoever not to do Eston Square and you are quite right it has waited 20 odd years to get something done there.

“We will work with you and let’s see the outcome of the meetings we have planned.”

Councillor Glyn Nightingale, the council’s cabinet member for resources, said the fact the proposed development had been taken out of the local authority’s capital budget was “purely technical”.

He said: “It’s fluid and there are changes that have taken place anyway.”

Councillor Christopher Massey, chairman of the council’s resources scrutiny committee and an Eston ward councillor, asked that the same report be shared with him.

He said: “It’s a bad look if you are a member of the public and there’s nothing [in the budget] for a thriving Eston town centre.”

In a scathing e-mail sent to councillors at the local authority, Ann Higgins, who was a councillor in Eston for 12 years and a chairman of Eston Residents Association for 24 years, said: “It is shameful that the council has not directed any of its funding into this area, as it has for Loftus and Redcar.

“The only levelling up that is being done is in east Cleveland and Redcar.

“This does not fit in with the council’s mantra of care for the health and mental well being and being a pleasant place to live and work for the people of this area, especially the elderly and young families.

“The people of Eston have been treated with disrespect through all these years…and now it goes on again.

“As councillors you take an oath, not just to look after your own wards, but the whole of the borough.”

Mrs Higgins added: “It’s all about Redcar and Loftus.

“And are we surprised given that nearly all of the ruling independent group are from east Cleveland and the Liberal Democrats [who are in coalition with the independents] are from the Redcar area?

“Was proper council procedure/protocol carried out when withdrawing this regeneration project by the ruling group?”

In a reply, Cllr Lanigan said: “We are aware that Eston Precinct has been left for decades with promises from previous administrations.

“Meetings are still continuing with all parties to address these issues.

“It is hoped that this can be resolved.

“I’m afraid I cannot at this time release the papers relating to the confidential issues to you.

“I appreciate that the people of Eston have waited a very long time [and] we will do our very best to address this.”

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