I WOULD like to respond to the letters in your column of October 4 on the subject of Tavistock Town Council's plans for its buildings.
A cost estimate of £227, 939 for upgrading of the Drake Road council offices was provided by the council's own architects who drew up the plans. Their document (May 2001) compared Drake Road and Court Gate upgrading costs based on a May 2002 tender date. It is not clear to me how the work required can be done for much less.
The idea of using Court Gate as a permanent home for the council was not mine but, like the majority of councillors, I enthusiastically supported the study. I share the concerns about survey/design costs but the information gained will be of value in deciding the future of Court Gate. What is very clear is that Tavistock Town Council must improve its procedures for consulting English Heritage. English Heritage have offered their assistance.
At the root of this debate is the view of almost half the members of the council that we had insufficient data to make an informed decision. Full council accordingly agreed to an informal information-gathering meeting. Cllr Mathew and his associates overthrew this decision at an emergency meeting at which we were given ten minutes to assimilate incomplete information then decide upon how to spend ca. £200,000!
All councils have a duty to ensure that their overhead costs are fair and proportionate to the scale of services they provide. Tavistock Town Council has high building overheads and should make every effort to reduce them.
Cllr Peter Donkin
9 Chestnut Close
Bishopsmead