LIB DEMS CALL-IN MAYOR'S DECISION ON ST KILDA'S

5.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 15th Sep 2006

The Liberal Democrat Group on Torbay Council are "calling-in" the decision by Conservative Mayor Nick Bye to outsource St Kilda's residential home to a private provider.

The Liberal Democrat Group are calling in the decision on two grounds. Firstly, that the Mayor misinterpreted the recommendations of the Council's Overview and Scrutiny Board; and secondly that whilst the Overview and Scrutiny Board were asked to look at the proposals as a whole, the Mayor is making separate decisions on each proposal.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group Cllr Gordon Jennings said:

"It was quite clear from the meeting of the Cabinet that the Conservative Mayor Nick Bye had already made his mind up on the issue. The pleas from the members of the public and Councillors, and a petition containing over 4,000 words fell on deaf ears.

"The anger felt by the people of Brixham in particular about the Mayor's decision is immense. The people who spoke at the meeting made a cogent case for keeping St Kilda's under public control. That did not matter because the Mayor had already made his decision before the meeting started. I also feel that the Mayor misinterpreted the proposals from the Overview and Scrutiny Board."

The Mayor's decision on St Kilda's will now go back to the Overview and Scrutiny Board