Knowle relocation project: fantasy 'cost savings over twenty years' are of no interest to people in East Devon

The District Council has been getting rid of the old stuff at Knowle:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: selling off council furniture and chattels to councillors

As it's off to a new place in Honiton:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: moving to Honiton...

The problem is that it's all costing rather a lot of money - however you frame it:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: ready to move, but at what cost...
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: "The true cost of relocation is almost certainly at least £20 million."

And people have noticed - as pointed out earlier today by the East Devon Watch blog: 

EDDC NEW HQ: TAKE PICS, POST AND BOAST ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND ….

On 10 January 2019 EDDC posted pictures of its glam new shiny HQ building in Honiton



Unfortunately, they didn’t think it through and here are a few comments on that post...

EDDC new HQ: take pics, post and boast on social media and …. | East Devon Watch

Here is that posting on the District Council's Facebook pages - together with all the comments which came flooding:

East Devon District Council added 4 new photos.

10 January at 08:37 · 

Here's a few photos of the inside of our new headquarters in Honiton which is quickly taking shape in readiness for staff to move in shortly. The building will be open to the public by mid-February.

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James Beverley, Karen Hayes, Paula Parker and 34 others like this.

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East Devon District Council Looking at your posts, we need to emphasise that our relocation to Honiton will save East Devon District Council tax payers £1.4 million over 20 years compared with the current costs. To remain at the council’s old headquarters in Sidmouth and carry out essential repairs would cost an additional £4.5 million over 20 years compared with the current costs.

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Laura Corser East Devon District Council but families that are having to use food banks and can’t afford to heat their homes or pay their council tax bills and are getting court summons etc, did not need to see these pictures! Very poor acknowledgement on what people of east Devon are really interested in. I can assure you, it is not the look of your new building!!

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Peter Bending And how much would the repairs to Knowle have cost?

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Brian Cann Laura Corser spot on!!!!!

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Nicholas Thornton East Devon District Council that doesn't answer to the reason behind the extravagant interior, which I'm sure could have been fitted at a fraction of what this was. It seems to me that your main concern is not for the needs of the people, who you extract money from, but for your over indulgent selves.

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Kay Bee East Devon District Council Could you please show us how these amounts were calculated?

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Andy Rook Peter Bending £4.5m over 20 years if you bother to read EDDC response.

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Brian Cann East Devon District Council the self indulgence which obviously was the reason for posting these pictures, is really quite disgusting, and all the gobbledygook about costs over 20 years, who gives a damm about that, what about addressing the lack of council housing, the amount of people forced to use food banks, and the amount of people receiving court summonses because they can’t pay your thieving council tax, but I suppose we can all hope that now your saving all this money with your move to Honiton, ‘and saving tax payers £1.4m’, we will see a reduction in our council tax bills, but I doubt it very much!!!!!!! Pathetic, overpaid, self indulgent group of out of touch individuals!!!!!

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Brian Cann Nicholas Thornton he won’t answer that Nick Thornton!!!!!!

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Brian Cann Utter bullshit!!!!!!!!!!

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Margaret Jury A pity that some of your housing tenants are living in damp-ridden conditions affecting their health and at of their young families as demonstrated on BBC Spotlight this evening - action needed now,not in a couple of weeks or longer!!

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Brian Cann Margaret Jury will have to wait twenty years no doubt!!!!!!!!!!!

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Ian Woolger Spending £3,000,000 pounds to move a road in Exmouth, £200,000 to replace a family fun park,crazy golf and putting greens that earned income? £100's of thousands in subsidies propping up Ocean in Exmouth. £40k plus for Hemingway to produce PR to enable you to justify your largess with Exmouths Queens Drive and the Rape of the Maer Valley, so you could pick up some cheap covenants to ruin the seafront. What a sorry excuse for a Council you are. As for the disposal of the "Table" for £50. I would at least expect a contrite Councillor to have the balls to admit he got rather more than a bargain and donate a reasonable sum to one of the local food banks you have driven the public to use. Oh, also the undervaluation of the Knowle site, the pathetic excuses for its deterioration due to your neglect and the spurious claims as to how much your new HQ will save the ratepayer. What utter rubbish, if you dont paint, repair and maintain your new HQ, in 20 years you will have an HQ in the same state as you left the Knowle and will have saved the ratepayer nothing. You are beyond unfit for purpose.

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Julia Roebuck Shame you sold all the stuff from the old building off dirt cheap to the staff and councillors. £50 for a 24 seat mahogany table. Shame shame shame on you!!!

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Les Lane Julia Roebuck they have no shame.

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Judith Taylor That's unbelievable 😨

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Julia Roebuck You read all about it here: https://eastdevonwatch.org/.../that-table-and-another-one/

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EASTDEVONWATCH.ORG

THAT table … and another one …

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Julia Roebuck And here: https://eastdevonwatch.org/.../a-couple-of-pictures-of.../

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EASTDEVONWATCH.ORG

A couple of pictures of things staff and councillors get first…

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Diane Harris Why couldn't they just take the furniture with them and save money. Oh no let's just buy some new 😠😠

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Julia Roebuck Yes that was my thought exactly! They should have taken it all, or opened it to public bidding in order to get maximum money to put towards the new furniture....but no.....

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Ian Woolger I always thought Councils were tasked with achieving "Best Value" for the ratepayer, not thieving best value for themselves...I wonder how much their new table will cost?

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