This letter from Tony Green of the East Devon Alliance, was published in today’s Sidmouth Herald, with the title, ‘Frightening stuff’ : As the nights draw in 18.10.14
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East Devon Watch 
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AS the nights draw in, EDDC’s office relocation plan is turning out to be scarier that the Blair Witch Project!
Moving from the Knowle could cost up to £20 million according to some independent estimates. The budget for just planning the move has already spiralled to more than £700,000 – well over £1 million counting officer time.
All this when vital services are being slashed, and the Government is hinting that District Councils are likely to disappear within a decade.
Leader Paul Diviani’s Cabinet- a small coterie of councillors without a single Sidmouth representative – refuses to reveal the financial details, hiding behind a cloak of “commercial confidentiality”. They are even squandering thousands on legal costs to fight an order by the Information Commissioner to publish consultants’ reports.
In situations like this, the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee under Cllr Tim Wood has a legal duty to act as a vigilant watchdog to hold leaders to account on behalf of the public.
They had a golden opportunity on October 16th when Deputy Chief Executive Richard Cohen, who heads the Relocation Team, updated them on its progress.
His report was long on generalities and jargon but desperately short on financial facts and figures.
Enough was disclosed, however, to confirm fears about the viability of what critics have dubbed a ‘vanity project’. Millions of pounds might have to be borrowed to fund it; the relocation might not be to Skypark, after all, due to problems selling council assets in Honiton; marketing the Knowle could take longer than thought; necessary planning permissions could be problematic.
But, despite the uncertainties, Mr Cohen declared that the Cabinet had decreed that the Full Council would be asked for its final approval of the project when it meets on December 17th.
Independent councillors Claire Wright and Roger Giles, supported by Tory Cllr Graham Troman, urged the committee to recommend a pause to the move until the full financial facts were known.
Sadly, a Tory majority of the Committee, including Sidmouth councillor Frances Newth didn’t see the urgency, and voted limply to do nothing but “note” the Report.
So, as Halloween approaches, the looming spectre of the shambolic Relocation Project stumbles on in the dark towards a possible financial abyss.
And the public’s watchdog is exposed as an EDDC lapdog!
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