Council spent £80k housing fire-risk flats families

One The Brayford, where a fire prohibition notice has been issued

An £80,000 bill to temporarily rehouse residents of flats deemed at risk of fire was among £500,000 of "unexpected costs" paid by City of Lincoln Council over a three-month period this year.

The 51 people living at One The Brayford were given emergency accommodation as safety work got under way, and some of them are still considered homeless, the authority said.

"While the council is seeking to recoup the costs of the emergency intervention required, the ongoing demand for temporary accommodation remains a service pressure," a report for councillors says.

Also between April and June, the council covered a shortfall in income from the Cornhill Market and the refurbishment of two leisure centres.

There has been a shortfall of income from Cornhill Market

Cornhill Market brought in £124,000 less than expected over the quarter due to "a reduction in rental and service charge income due to vacant stalls".

The biggest unexpected cost during the quarter was the refurbishment of the Yarborough and Birchwood leisure centres.

The council-owned facilities temporarily closed in April after operator Active Nation stopped trading. About £350,000 was spent on repairs, maintenance and upgrades during the closure.

The facilities have begun to reopen under new operator Greenwich Leisure.

Savings, grants and lower-than-expected costs elsewhere offset some of the extra spending, and the council's overall spending was £26,000 over budget during the three months.

The council's finances will be discussed at the Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting on 14 August, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service,

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