Futures Forum: District Council: annual meeting >>> Wednesday 27th May
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: "There are some important questions to be answered."
Council minutes for 27 May 2015 Annual Council - East Devon
... and at the extraordinary meeting this week:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: extraordinary District Council meeting >>> Wednesday 3rd June >>> "crunch time"
eastdevon.gov.uk/media/1141151/030615-extra-ordinary-council-agenda-relocation.pdf
... the District Council will be pressing ahead with its decision to relocate:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: extraordinary District Council meeting >>> Wednesday 3rd June >>> reports
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: and the 'delivery of information'
There are more reports in the media meanwhile:
Last-ditch move to derail council office move fails | Western Morning News
Angry exchanges in Sidmouth as council debates motion to block office move for six months | Exeter Express and Echo
Sidmouth Herald: Bid to delay relocation by six months is defeated | East Devon Alliance
There are several pieces from Save Our Sidmouth, including:
Provisional relocation/Knowle sale timetable | Save Our Sidmouth
And:
“Strong economic case” for excluding Knowle car parks from developer deal
June 5, 2015 by sidmouthsid
The old guard of EDDC Councillors (with a few new faces) have this week refused the new Independent Councillors’ call to delay relocation for six months to enable proper consideration of what MP Hugo Swire has called “more intelligent ways” of using the Knowle site.
But could EDDC, literally, profit from ‘intelligent’ options from Opposition Councillors and from the public , such as two cited here, summarily dismissed at the June 3rd meeting?
1. Cllr John Dyson’s suggestion that twin sites at Exmouth and Sidmouth (newer offices only) could be a more cost-effective way forward. The increasing real estate asset of the Knowle site, and mature parkland, would not be damaged.
2. SOS member Richard Eley’s suggestion that there is a strong economic case for excluding the main car parks from the sale to Pegasus, arguing that the car parks would provide a lucrative income stream for EDDC, and offer a huge boost to Sidmouth’s economy.
He compared the car parks, a low maintenance high income asset, with the Thelma Hulbert Gallery in Honiton which he described as ‘haemorrhaging cash to the tune of £150,000 per annum’ and being an expensive old building to maintain. He recommended that the Gallery be sold and the Knowle car parks retained, estimating that EDDC would be better off by at least £200,000 per annum.
He then used EDDC’s own statistics to demonstrate that retaining the car parks would bring 30 jobs to Sidmouth’s economy and boost town centre income by £1.6 million per annum.
Are our majority Party representatives wise to put their trust wholly in unelected officers, to the exclusion of public expertise?
“Strong economic case” for excluding Knowle car parks from developer deal | Save Our Sidmouth
And:
June 4, 2015 by sidmouthsid
There were good speeches by all Councillors for the motion, but the ensuing “debate” largely consisted of a re-statement of entrenched positions.It was noticed that the new District Council Chair, Stuart Hughes, who had just before the election declared himself against the move from Knowle, voted against putting the move on hold.
Several questions were put by the public, including this one by Mike Temple of Knowle Residents’ Association: MT’s Speech for June 3
Others are referred to in this Express & Echo report, which includes photos of the debate: Angry exchanges in Sidmouth as council debates motion to block office move for six months | Exeter Express and Echo
More on June 3rd Relocation debate | Save Our Sidmouth
Which brings to mind this dramatic report from a couple of years ago:
Angry Hughes brands own Tory leaders ‘spineless and arrogant’
17:35 22 May 2013
Cllr Stuart Hughes, cabinet member for Highways and Transportation, inspects the aftermath of recent floods. Picture by Alex Walton. Ref shs 7607-48-12AW
STUART Hughes has sensationally slammed his own Conservative leaders as ‘spineless and arrogant’ after he was removed from a top district council post.
The Sidmouth representative claimed yesterday that he had been punished for sticking up for the constituents who elected him - something top Tories categorically deny.
Councillor Hughes is set to be deposed as the chairman of East Devon District Council’s (EDDC) overview and scrutiny committee next week.
Agenda papers for the authority’s annual meeting on Wednesday show he will be replaced by Exmouth’s Tim Wood.
Mr Hughes will also become a back-bencher at full council meetings - and is one of only two district councillors without a seat on a single committee.
He feels he has paid the price of being critical of the East Devon Business Forum (EDBF), hugely contentious proposals for a business park at Sidford and defeated plans to redevelop Knowle.
District council bosses say they made the move due to his hefty workload at County Hall being in conflict with the scrutiny job.
Mr Hughes, who was named Devon County Council’s cabinet member for highways and flooding this week, rubbished the claim – citing the fact he has just ended his tenure as chairman of the town council.
“I am extremely disappointed, certainly with the excuses that have been made,” he said. “I am not doing half of the work I did two years ago. It is a poor excuse and the type of thing I would expect from the leadership. They are spineless and arrogant.
“I think the reason they have done it is because I had stood up for the people of Sidmouth – and that is what I will continue to do at EDDC.”
Cllr Hughes’ last act as scrutiny chairman was to support a proposal from a Liberal Democrat councillor to allow a task and finish forum looking into the EDBF to discuss planning issues.
Councillor Phil Twiss, chief whip for the district council’s Conservatives, said he had spoken with Mr Hughes about the decision on behalf of leader Paul Diviani.
He said Mr Hughes’ prominent role at County Hall was a major factor – as chairing the overview and scrutiny committee is an important job that takes up ‘an awful lot of time’.
“It is absolutely nothing to do with any Sidmouth issues and is purely how we can do the best job for the people of East Devon,” said Cllr Twiss. “Stuart is entitled to his view. He obviously feels he has been booted out – but that is not the case.”
Another Sidmouth representative, Councillor Graham Troman, who has led the EDBF task and finish forum, is set to be named vice-chairman of the overview and scrutiny committee.
Angry Hughes brands own Tory leaders ‘spineless and arrogant’ - News - Sidmouth HeraldSee also:
Futures Forum: Transparency and process in East Devon... a summary
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: "Committee members agreed by eight votes to none, with four abstentions, that a motion would go to cabinet recommending a professional survey of the building be carried out – not undertaken by EDDC."
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: Councillors "in the dark, as no-one within the EDDC hierarchy was telling them anything."
.
.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment