"The debt isn't still there - it's been paid by the Education Dept."Paying off the council debt using money from the Education Department is simply shifting public money around within the government coffers. Getting money from a private source, such as a developer, would mean that debt is actually cleared by a third party and removed out of the public sector and not just moved from one government department (the council) to another (the Education Dept). So now the Education Department has the debt, who will pay that off? It will be stuck on the national debt and the UK taxpayer (as opposed to the H&F taxpayer) will have to foot the bill - again. Had they sold commercially that debt would be gone completely as there would have been a fresh injection of money.I agree with trying to keep buildings in the public sector but in these times of financial hardship sacrifices have to be made by everyone. Maybe no developer would buy it because it's listed and they're expensive to rennovate. If that's the case no problem, but just let us know.The bottom line for me is that they should tell us how much it cost. If it went to a developer it's none of my business, but as it is my taxes have paid for it so I think I have a right to know.
Sarah Harris ● 5678d