Three fine opening speeches from the public were deftly rolled into one tonight, by the Chief Executive Mark Williams, yet again ignoring the specific and critical detail. They were all asking the same question, he said, which was for an independent report on figures for the claimed financial and energy savings used to justify EDDC’s office relocation plan. The answer was definitely “No”. This suggestion would be an affront to EDDC’s consultants and auditors, said the CEO, sweeping it firmly aside.
Later, however, the council heartily supported a motion read out by Sidmouth Councillor Graham Troman, that there should be “full checks and balances” carried out on the costs of moving from Knowle. This appeared a somewhat obvious procedure, with such a heavily-criticised multi-million pound project, not just to observers in the public gallery, but also to the Chief Executive, who insisted that that would happen anyway.
Significantly, perhaps, there was general agreement in the council chamber, that the results of these “full checks and balances” were not likely to be known before the May 2015 election. Councillor Claire Wright’s proposal that relocation should be put on hold until after May 7th, 2015, was rejected, leaving the way clear for a possible Knowle sale contract to be meanwhile signed.

So that’s alright, then….

More posts will be added here, on the large number of questions from opposition councillors and from the public.

EDA Vice-Chair John Withrington, asked for a date for the completion of the Local Plan. NO DATE WAS GIVEN, and the meeting moved on….

So that’s alright, then….