Two former council gardeners have questioned the savings Kirklees Council says it is making by outsourcing plants and flowers.
And they have said they suspect there was a deliberate attempt to mothball the site in order to sell it for development.
Michael Wilby, an ex-Kirklees parks and gardens employee, said there were “more holes in the cabinet report than a colander”.
Peter Fawcett, who retired from a 47-year career with Kirklees Council in 2010, has also strongly criticised the move and questioned the figures and facts produced in the report for cabinet members.
The council’s documents say the move would save £169,000 per year and that no “substantive staff” would be lost.
But an independent audit undertaken by concerned parties has estimated there would be just £25,000 saved by outsourcing.
Mr Wilby said a more reliable cost analysis was required as councillors may have felt the £25K price was worth it as the nursery produced high quality displays, including the stunning St George’s Square installation for the 2014 Tour De France.
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And he questioned the staffing claims and revealed two people work there on a permanent basis – one of which is employed by Calderdale Council.
He said: “What needs to be determined is the difference between myth and fact.
“We’ve had an independent auditor look at it and there’s so many inaccuracies.
“This is a public asset, it’s like a town hall, and I don’t see councillors trying to flog one of those.
“It’s an extremely modern facility with state-of-the-art equipment.
“They’ve tried to mothball it and let it die on its feet.
“We’re in danger of selling off our assets. Once they’ve gone they will never come back.
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“It’s not mentioned in any of the reports what the income would be from selling the land.
“And it’s not mentioned what the impact would be on Calderdale.”
Maps published for the council’s controversial 15-year planning blue print, the Local Plan, show the site is earmarked as a “priority employment area”.
The nursery, just off Leeds Road near Tesco Express, sits within an industrial park of warehouses and factories.
Peter Fawcett, an award winning gardener, said it would be a “sad day” for the borough and for horticulture if the plan was carried out.
The council has said it will shut down the facility by August.
“It’s a damning indictment of the way gardening and gardeners are regarded,” he said.
“Leeds is investing in its parks and it has had the same austerity cuts as us.
“There’s flowers everywhere, even on roundabouts. Every avenue looks great.
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“They recognise that good parks and gardens are an asset to the borough, not a liability like Kirklees thinks.”
Mr Fawcett, 67, said council officials’ claim that expanding the plants service to sell commerically was not viable did not make sense.
“What is their evidence for their conclusion?” he said. “Who did they consult?”
“They are to get the plants from Darlington council, so if it’s not viable why are Darlington supplying the plants – to make a loss?”
A spokesperson for Kirklees disagreed, saying: “The financial figures are clear within the cabinet report provided for this year, and by our finance people and the procurement exercise, so this is the actual saving today.
“The comments regarding employees are not accurate.
“We had one person employed by us who will now work elsewhere within the service and the Calderdale employee is included in the contract management figure of £21k as shown in the table in the Cabinet report.
“They are not our employee but we pay for a proportion of their time to Calderdale in this role and we’ll continue to do this.”
