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?

Radio Devon’s Simon Bates had this impression, in his interview this morning with Cllrs Cathy Gardner and Paul Diviani, following last night’s Extraordinary Council Meeting to debate relocation (link given below), at which SOS was present.

The motion was lost by 16 votes to 38. The inadequacies of the relocation project process remain.

The motion proposed by Sidmouth Independent Councillors, Cathy Garner and Matt Booth was as follows:

EDDC Extra-ordinary meeting June 3 2015: called by 15 independent Councillors
Motion to be debated:
“This Council resolves to suspend all processes relating to the sale of the Knowle site for six months so that the following matters can be fully addressed:
1. Development of comprehensive plans to show the distribution of services between the two proposed offices and the impact of this on staff, service users and residents;
2. Comprehensive EDDC staff consultation on the specific details and impact of the proposed office relocation to Honiton and Exmouth;
3. Full public consultation (three month process) on the proposed option;
4. Open invitation for and examination of further options for office refurbishment and location, including those which could be cost neutral, by a sub-committee comprising of at least 12 elected members with cross-group proportional representation;
5. Fully costed proposals for the entire relocation process including the new build; refurbished premises; removal; parking; equipment and facilities: To be prepared, reviewed and approved by Full Council ;
6. Detailed consideration by Full Council of the implications and ramifications of the recent FOI cases.”

Cllrs Gardner and Booth made the introductory speeches:
( N.B. Cllr Gardner has since issued a correction, but the thrust and strength of her argument remain the same.).See  Cllr Cathy Gardner.
and Matt Booth speech EDDC Ex Meeting 3rd June 2015

Link to this morning’s Radio Devon interview here: http://bbc.in/1G90QAz – the relevant debate is between 01:06:03 to 01:14:59

More comment on last night’s meeting, will be posted soon.