Tories Accused of “Washing Their Hands” of Snibston

The Liberal Democrats have called for the Tories on Leicestershire County Council to stop washing their hands and to work more constructively with voluntary groups in putting together a viable plan to save Snibston.

The Tory-run Council currently plans to close Snibston's discovery centre and replace it with a far smaller mining museum. This has sparked uproar with many who feel that the attraction will be diminished. The Council's own projections suggest that the new mining museum will make £600,000 less per year from visitors - a drop of 85%!

The Friends of Snibston group have used the "right to challenge" to put forward their own business plan for running Snibston. They plan to make the savings through efficiencies rather than by closing the discovery centre. The County Council has responded by claiming that there are flaws in their plan, but the Liberal Democrats believe these flaws could be addressed if the Council worked more constructively with them.

Michael Charlesworth said, "While there are flaws in the Friends' of Snibston current business plan, with a more constructive engagement from the Council I see no reason why a viable plan couldn't be worked out that meets both party's aims, keeping Snibston open while still achieving the required savings.

The Tories need to stop washing their hands of this and lead the way in bringing together a workable plan to save Snibston."