THE Urban Council misspent almost $80 million of taxpayers' money on furnishing restaurants at the new Hong Kong Stadium, a councillor said yesterday.
Wong Siu-yee told the stadium's board of governors yesterday that the money - almost half the total $175 million cost of fitting it out - was contrary to usual Urban Council practice.
He said the funds paid for items such as standardised stoves, pipes and drainage, equipment which should have been supplied by the restaurant operators.
Mr Wong said the board's decision was tantamount to subsidising the restaurants, infringing the commercial principles the council had agreed.
But the Urban Council chairman and head of the board of governors, Dr Ronald Leung Ding-bong, said the actual sum spent on restaurants was only $15 million. The rest had gone on infrastructure.
Dr Leung said the council needed to furnish the restaurants to attract tenders.
He admitted the location of the stadium was a disadvantage to agents who wanted to run a business there.
