A FURTHER refusal to allow Tavistock Town Hall as a polling station has been slammed by town councillors ? they are furious at the loss of income to the town and traders during the recent Euro elections.

The use of Tavistock Pannier Market by the borough council for the elections cost the council more than £1,000 in rentals, and traders lost out financially.

The disruption prompted the town council to ask the borough again to use the town hall in future. Councillors believe that installation of a lift for disabled access, improved lighting and carpeted stairs to improve safety made the hall ideal for a polling station ? but the request has met with a flat refusal.

Cllr Mandy Govier at last week?s town council properties committee meeting said: ?I think we should press them further. We spent a lot of money on the town hall to comply with what they asked for and they still deem it not good enough.?

Cllr Govier, who is also a member of the borough council, said if the borough had never intended using the town hall, it should have been honest in the first place, instead of pressing the town to spend money on improvements which were then rejected.

Town and borough member Ted Sherrell said: ?We?ve spent a lot of money we could ill-afford ? there is no good excuse for this refusal.

?This is an appalling situation ? if the pannier market was closed down, they would use the town hall and have no problem with it.?

Cllr Brian Trew was told that even if the town was to charge the borough £1,000 for using the pannier market, the borough would then charge the town £1,000 for holding the election.

?This isn?t democracy, this is Big Brother ? it?s outrageous,? he said.

Cllr David Best suggested borough chief executive David Incoll should attend a town council meeting to ensure he knew exactly how closure of a commercial venture like the pannier market affected the council ? and the traders.

Mr Incoll, returning officer for the constituency, told the council he had given ?serious consideration? to the request to use the town hall for elections.

But he said the hall did not provide ?the most convenient and accessible location for voting, having regard to the numbers and needs of the voters? ? particularly taking into account the requirement to meet the needs of disabled people.

Mr Incoll said it was good to see high numbers turn out for the last election, creating a need for a large space, which the pannier market provided.

?With the town continuing to grow, this reinforces the need for adequate space to ensure the confidentiality of voting is maintained,? said Mr Incoll.

The council agreed to write again to Mr Incoll, pointing out the town hall had been used for elections in previous years.