COUNCILLORS 'CALL-IN' MAYOR'S DECISION ON CLENNON VALLEY HEALTH CENTRE FOR FURTHER SCRUTINY

4.47.44pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 27th Apr 2009

Five Liberal Democrat Councillors have 'Called-in' the Mayor's decision on the Clennon Valley Healthy Living Centre, which was made at the Cabinet on 14th April.

The reasons given for the 'Call-in' are:

It is unclear why there was such urgency over the decision. The Clennon Valley Healthy Living Centre was not on the main agenda, and the "urgent item" report was circulated late on the Thursday before the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. This was less than 10 working hours prior to the decision being made. Ward Councillors were not informed that this was happening and had little time to find out what was going on.

Residents of Pebble Court have asked the Mayor for a site visit to see for himself the concerns of local residents. This request needs to be considered more fully by the Mayor.

The rifle club has advised that they are being encouraged to leave their lease early by the developer. The club are concerned that they will have no venue after they move out. The Mayor has made assurances that the Council will help - what concrete efforts are the council making to help them find another venue?

Appendix one to the report shows the living centre taking up a large section of the car park. The Mayoral Vision envisages building on many of the car parks in Paignton - What are the administration's plans for long term car parking in Paignton?

What plans does the council have for the financial benefits accruing to the council? (A4.1 in report)

Will the healthy living centre take up all the space outlined on the map (Appendix 1)

Cllr Carroll should have declared an interest as, according to residents, his wife works in Pebble Court.

Commenting on the 'Call-in', Councillor Christine Carter, whose Goodrington with Roselands Ward includes Clennon Valley said, "This decision was made in a hurry - and hurried decisions do not always lead to good decisions. Further clarity is needed, particularly for the Rifle Club who need assurances that they will get help securing a new venue. The residents of Pebble Court need to have their concerns heard and taken seriously, and there also needs to be some clarification over exactly how much of the car park the healthy living centre will take up."

The Mayor's decision will now go for further scrutiny at a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Board, which is likely to be on the 8th of May.