A Berwick councillor has welcomed the additional cash injection for the new Maltings scheme from the Borderlands fund, but has voiced her concern about the project management.

Georgina Hill, Northumberland county councillor for Berwick East, has been a long time critic of the council’s arms-length regeneration companies. Advance Northumberland are the project managers for the Maltings.

As recently reported, delays have meant that costs have gone up, leaving a shortfall of around £5million.

Last week, the Borderlands board agreed to increase the total investment amount to £33.4million, subject to Northumberland County Council matching the extra contribution.

Berwick East county councillor Georgina Hill.

placeholder image — Berwick East county councillor Georgina Hill.

Coun Hill said: “The initial investment and bid to get the Maltings secured as a major Borderlands project was fought for, successfully, back in 2018.

“I felt this then and I believe it now – this is potentially brilliant for Berwick. In the current climate, not many towns of our size are getting regeneration injections of £30million-plus. And, of course, this isn’t the only significant investment in recent years.

“I have been a long time critic of Advance Northumberland and its predecessor, Arch. The wider experience of ‘arms-length’ regeneration companies and commercialisation in local government is not a good one – to put it mildly.

“Advance Northumberland are the project managers for the Maltings. I would not be being honest if I said I had full confidence in them.”

She added on her Georgina Hill, Berwick Facebook page concerns that the Advance board publish their minutes a year late and are usually heavily redacted.

Coun Hill said: “Openness and transparency are critical. Advance have said that they would only publish their board minutes a year after the meetings to protect commercial sensitivity.

“However, despite this gap, the board minutes are heavily redacted.”

In response to her comments about Advance Northumberland, county council leader Glen Sanderson said: “I’m taking a report to the county council’s cabinet asking for us to fill the funding gap.

“Of course it hurts having to find this money, but we want the Maltings to be a huge success – as I’m sure it will be.

“It’s pretty insulting to condemn the project management as the extra costs are not down to them and the folks involved can’t respond, but I’m right behind the Advance Northumberland team as they share the same passion I do for the theatre to be a huge success.”