Dr Sue Farrant chairs the Bridport Public Meeting on WDDC proposed new offices
The second public meeting to discuss West Dorset District Council’s plans for a brand new headquarters at the Charles Street site in Dorchester attracted an audience of 80 people at Bridport Town Hall last night.
Dr Sue Farrant, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for the West Dorset constituency, chaired the meeting and opened proceedings with introductory remarks and the agenda for the evening.
Councillor Paul Sample JP, former Leader of Salisbury District Council, spoke to the public about the parallels between his experience in Salisbury and the present situation in West Dorset.
Cllr Sample said assurances were made to him by the Council that the Salisbury project would ultimately save money, increase efficiency and enable the Council to retain staff.
From the outset of the project to today, the cost has soared from £5 million to somewhere near £20 million.
Cllr Sample urged the community of West Dorset to rally together and do what it takes to force the Council to scrap the plan. The people of Wiltshire were incensed by what happened, but it was too late for them to stop the project from going ahead.
Cllr Sample said: “The Salisbury Council Leaders and Officers brought local government into disrepute and paid for it with their jobs. I hope the people of West Dorset will stand up and be counted. Learn from the Salisbury experience and turf them out and turf their plans out.”
The floor was then opened up to the public to raise any issues and ask questions, which were answered by Cllr Stella Jones, leader of the Liberal Democrat Councillors.
Issues covered included the environmental benefits of the plan and had there been a proper audit on the new or existing site. The costs just don’t stack up and is the legality of the procurement process sound under European Law? There is plenty of office space in the Dorchester area to rent, especially in Poundbury, so why not use that instead? One person stated that this was a ‘frivolous waste of money’ at this time of economic hardship.
There was anger for a second time that the Council Leader Cllr Robert Gould and the Chief Executive David Clarke refused to attend the meeting or allowed other Conservative Council Officers to come. People were ‘deeply offended’ by their absence and the arrogance they have displayed by not giving the public a proper consultation period.
In a strongly worded letter to Cllr Gould this morning, Sue Farrant said: “As at the Dorchester meeting, there was considerable anger in Bridport about your refusal to attend, made worse by your refusal to allow WDDC officers to come either. The feeling of the meeting was that you should be willing to face Council Tax payers and justify the case for the new offices and to do otherwise is both undemocratic and arrogant.”
One member at the meeting called for a motion asking for the resignation of Robert Gould. It was seconded and carried unanimously.
The meeting was concluded with the question to the audience, ‘Are you in favour of the proposed plan as it currently stands?’ In a show of hands, the response was unanimously ‘against’ the motion.
