A FORMER council leader and a former deputy have labelled the Hatters Row deal as ‘embarrassing’ and ‘appalling’.

As revealed in the Warrington Guardian last Thursday, the town centre shopping site will cost the council almost £10.5 million over the next 96 years as it is locked into an extraordinary £109,000-a-year lease deal dating back to 1989.

Payments for Hatters Row are now being made to Manchester and Provincial Car Parks Limited, a subsidiary of Satnam Investments Limited.

And the authority has made a staggering £548,655 loss from the site, on Horsemarket Street, since 2011-12.

Cllr Mike Hannon (LAB – Orford), the town's longest-serving councillor, was on the council when the deal was made.

He said: "I got more informed about it than involved, I had only been on the council for six years then.

"In terms of the deal, I did not have a lot of knowledge then – only when I became deputy leader I did and then I asked a number of questions.

"When I was still deputy leader I tried, at the final hour, to see how we can get out of this.

"It was not a good deal, it was an embarrassing deal.

"We did a sort of relaunch of Hatters Row but we were never going to make it work."

During his second term as deputy, from 2011 to 2016, under current leader Cllr Terry O'Neill, Cllr Hannon had responsibility for the town centre and confirmed he thoroughly assessed the Hatters Row situation.

He said: "I was trying to get a footbridge from Hatters Row to Golden Square, so they had a natural flow of footfall.

"We could have had natural foot traffic going through – but because of other developments now I am told that would be difficult.

"We looked at all aspects and none came to any achievement.

"But I do have hopes for it.

"I still want us to get around the table with them to renegotiate."

Cllr Ian Marks (LD – Lymm North and Thelwall), who was the leader of the council between 2006 and 2011, believes taxpayers 'deserve a belated solution'.

He added: "The original deal was absolutely appalling and it is beyond me how the politicians and officers around at the time could have agreed to it.

"I cannot understand it.

"When I first became aware of the deal, my first reaction was to see how the council could get out of it.

"I was told it was tightly worded and this would not be possible except at an extremely high cost.

"The concept of small units in a development like Hatters Row is fine but it has been beset with problems over the years

"Trying to negotiate a new deal now must be worthwhile but whether anything sensible can be agreed remains to be seen."

As reported last week, council chief executive Steven Broomhead said the individuals 'involved' in the deal have died.