MAJOR projects set to transform Brighton and Hove are more than a decade behind schedule, analysis by The Argus can reveal.

Delays to original timelines on seven schemes totalling more than £1 billion have crept up to a combined 13 years and counting with some completion dates under review.

Opposition councillors have accused the Labour administration of letting slip major projects they inherited from their Green predecessors.

Council leader Warren Morgan said his administration was progressing with many projects, with more good news imminent, while obstacles outside of the authority’s control were contributing to delays.

He added Labour had shown far greater ambition than the previous Conservative administration that “stalled entirely” after delivering a refurbished bandstand.

The war of words comes as his administration passes the halfway mark of its first term in office which was marked with the publishing of 100 achievements delivered so far.

Among manifesto pledges the party made to supporters ahead of the May 2015 elections was a promise to deliver major projects on time and in budget.

After analysing seven schemes, we found almost all are behind deadlines set before Labour came to power, including the £200 million regeneration of the King Alfred and the Valley Gardens project.

While the council falls behind on projects where they are partners, other schemes outside of its control are also lagging, including the £60 million Soho House and the £4.5 million Sea Lanes seafront swimming pool.

Cllr Morgan has promised positive news on a new secondary school to be delivered by the University of Brighton Academy Trust, set to be located at either the Metropolitan College in Pelham Street or Brighton General Hospital. It is due to open in 14 months.

Cllr Morgan added there had been positive news regarding King’s House, with hundreds of offers flooding in for the council’s former headquarters since it went back on the market last month.

Conservative group leader Tony Janio said the major projects required strong and dynamic leadership which had been lacking from Cllr Morgan, adding that Labour’s half-term report should read “Could do an awful lot better”.

He said: “We also have a raft of wildly embellished claims such as 1,000 homes delivered when not a single spade has yet entered the ground and vague concepts such as Rail South and the ‘Southern Accelerator’ which have little or no immediate practical value for the city’s residents. Labour needs to spend a bit less time producing this sort of PR spin and get on with doing a better job of running the city.”

CRITICS QUESTION LABOUR’S ‘100 ACHIEVEMENTS’ CLAIM

LABOUR knows it is battling against history if it is to secure a second term running Brighton and Hove.

No party since Labour itself in 2003 has successfully managed to hold on to power in the city.

And so to break that cycle the authority knows it needs to impress voters that it can deliver significant improvements to their lives and to their city.

With that in mind, council leader Warren Morgan this month unveiled 100 achievements his party had reached at the halfway point of his administration.

Among the list are impressive and meaningful improvements to school Ofsted ratings, smashing apprenticeship targets, national recognition for sustainable improvements, securing increased resources to tackle homelessness, meeting manifesto pledges to improve waste and litter removal, increasing support to care leavers and changes to school holidays to help low-income families.

And that is no mean feat when you are a minority administration relying on the support of opposition parties and when you are operating at a time of huge cuts to local government funding.

But critics have questioned the validity of some of the achievements listed, with Labour seemingly piggybacking on the achievements of the previous Green administration.

Labour listed rebuilding the Shelter Hall at the bottom of West Street as its third achievement, with work starting five months after it came to power. However, the wheels were set in motion by the Greens securing £9 million of government funding months before leaving office.

The ball was also rolling on the Royal Pavilion Estate restoration long before Labour took up the seat of power while the hard yards of the laborious City Plan process also started midway through the Green administration.

Additionally, some achievements have been reached with little input from the administration. Cllr Morgan cites the removal of the £60 million patient transport contract from Coperforma – a decision by the county’s clinical commissioning groups and one that only undid a terrible mistake in awarding the contract in the first place.

Similarly, work starting on Hannington’s Lane. In reality the council’s involvement extends no further than an apolitical decision at planning committee.

If the Labour administration wants praise for carrying out its legal duties when it comes to planning then it should also expect criticism for John Lewis’s decision not to provide a major boost to our city’s retail offer.

Other achievements are still at a stage too early to judge their success.

Cllr Morgan lists the moving of the Royal Pavilion into a trust among his group’s achievements but the move is still in transition with a shadow board currently in place for a year. It is unlikely the success or otherwise of the move will become clear before the next election.

Likewise, a rescue plan for the Madeira Terraces is included when that plan is still in an embryonic stage with much uncertainty surrounding its delivery.

The council has been successful in securing a leading firm of architects to draw up some early eye-catching plans but it has also been blamed for perceived failures in attracting £4 million of funding to kick-start the project.

Listing the Big Conversation on parks as an achievement is also premature – it is really the first step on a rather long journey.

Getting more than 3,500 responses is impressive but more impressive will be maintaining city green spaces with diminishing resources over the coming years.

Cllr Morgan also lists the Southern Accelerator for the Greater Brighton region as an achievement when in reality it is just a fledgling brand name.

The region is still a long way from reaping the benefits of devolution. Northern rivals are already two years ahead and disappearing into the distance.

There is little concrete to show for devolution and there is even less to show for another achievement, Rail South, which was unveiled in the council leader’s newspaper column in January.

In reality, Cllr Morgan’s vision of creating a new body giving councils, businesses and commuters power over who runs the region’s rail services will be reliant on a benevolent ear in Westminster.

As for major projects, in fairness the council’s hands are tied when it comes to Circus Street and Preston Barracks.

But Valley Gardens is a self-imposed delay. We will have to wait to see if the scheme is significantly improved to justify the wait. And the suspicion remains that hold-ups on the King Alfred and Waterfront projects could be evidence the council is lacking in capacity and manpower at the top to deal with a big in-tray.

The previous King Alfred project, which was eventually scuppered by the global financial crisis, should be sufficient warning that delays can be fatal. 

HOPE DESPITE ALL THE SETBACKS

£106m joint venture with Hyde to deliver up to 2,000 homes

Two years late

Warren Morgan initially hoped the affordable homes scheme could begin in early 2016. The first site is now being “prepared” though work is unlikely to start until next year.

£540m Waterfront Project

Two years late

Plans for a new arena at Black Rock and the demolition of the Brighton Centre. Initial timelines had a planning application by December 2015 but the complicated land swap is still incomplete. Cllr Morgan promises significant advances this summer.

£200m King Alfred

2.5 years late

Original timeline estimated a planning application by April 2015. Two years on, public consultation prior to an application has yet to be held.

£18m Valley Gardens

4.5 years late

The first timeframe suggested work begin in 2013. Labour called for more studies. Work now beginning in 2018.

£100m Circus Street

1.5 years late

Construction work due to begin in November 2015 before developers U+I called a halt to renegotiate contracts. Demolition nearing completion

£150m Preston Barracks

One year late

If planning achieved, work is to start in early 2018. The original ambition was 2017

£30m Madeira Terraces

On course?

Despite setback of missing out on government funding, it is still hoped work could begin in 2019