LEGAL QUERY OVER NEW PAIGNTON LIBRARY AFTER CONSERVATIVES DENY DEBATE

12.09.38pm GMT Fri 27th Mar 2009

Paignton Councillor Christine Carter will be contacting local MP Adrian Sanders about the legal position of the proposed new Paignton library after the Conservative majority voted at the Full Council meeting last night to stop any discussion over the tenders that had been received for the café.

The report on the new Library had recommended that provision of the café in the library should go to the highest bidder. Councillor Carter wanted to highlight that one of the other bidders would be employing disabled and vulnerable people and enabling them to make a positive contribution.

Councillor Carter said, "I am absolutely disgusted that the Conservatives decided to deny any debate on this issue. A higher monetary value tender isn't necessarily better than a bid, which would provide employment to disabled and vulnerable people in our community. I shall be contacting local MP Adrian Sanders to raise this matter with the Local Government Minister John Healey MP, as I am not sure of the legality of the decision made last night as no discussion was allowed on the different tenders."

Fellow Paignton Councillor Ruth Pentney said, "It was absolutely outrageous that the Conservatives used their majority to deny a debate on this issue. What are they trying to hide? I am pleased that Councillor Carter will be asking our local MP to raise this issue in Parliament as the legality of the decision must be in question.

"The library project has also gone significantly over budget, and Council Tax Payers will be paying over £26,000 a year for 25 years to pay for the overspend. Our positive suggestion to put the new library and community hub in the vacant Woolworths site, which has a café space already, was not considered by the majority Conservative Group either."