Middlesbrough mayor 'overstepped remit' with Boho X changes

Andy Preston said people expected him to be hands-on

An elected mayor overstepped his remit and did not follow official processes in scaling back plans for a £30m skyscraper, a review has found.

Andy Preston held meetings with Boho X's developer without Middlesbrough Council staff and without documenting them, an internal council report said.

Mr Preston said every meeting he attended "was explicitly sanctioned by senior council staff".

There have been calls for an inquiry into the cost of designing the tower.

More than £600,000 was spent on planning the original 260ft-tall building before it was shelved in favour of a low-rise, £21m alternative currently being built in Middlehaven.

Mr Preston has previously said the Covid pandemic led to the alternative design although the audit found "decision-making on the change was not transparent".

More than £600,000 was spent on planning the original tower, which has since been dramatically scaled back

The report said developer BCEGI had logged seven design changes as being authorised by Mr Preston during a period when there had been no internal project board meetings.

It also raised concerns that the mayor's meetings with developers were not documented so there was no clear record of discussions, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It notes the council's former executive director of growth and place, Kevin Parkes, had agreed to Mr Preston having meetings about the project without council officers present and without documenting them, but concluded Mr Parkes did not have the authority to do so.

Changes were also not referred to the relevant people in the council, the report found.

However, the report said there was no evidence the mayor had been advised he could be perceived as exceeding his constitutional role or that he was given training on running projects.

The report also concluded funding decisions and the awarding of key contractors had been undertaken correctly.

Mr Preston said people expected him to be "hands-on with projects that are important for the town's future".

"This landmark project will change the town's skyline, help create jobs and make a huge profit for Middlesbrough Council," he said.