LOSS of the Mid Devon District Council office at Crediton would not only affect townspeople but also many who live in the villages around.

Members of Crediton Town Council were shocked when they were told that the Head of Customer Services at Tiverton did not have a full overview of what staff did at the Crediton office.

Tuesday evening’s town council meeting heard a report from its town clerk, Mrs Clare Dalley, on meetings she has had with district council officers about the proposed closure.

Mrs Dalley said the district council’s Cabinet would make a decision at the end of this month. Discussions she has had so far have been mainly about customer services.

An officer could come over one day a week to see what was done at the Crediton office

While the Post Office could take over some of the payments, it would not have all the facilities available at the Crediton district council office.

When Mrs Dalley said the officer at Tiverton did not have a complete overview of the work, Cllr Nick Way, also a district and county councillor, said it was beyond him that the full service given by the Crediton office staff was not understood.

Closing the district office would impact on the town council which is two years into a five-year lease of its offices from the district council.

While the three years would give the town council time, it would need to know a whole host of things such as whether it would need to keep copies of planning applications that members of the public could call to read. Who would issue a Radar key for people wishing to use the toilet for people with disabilities, questions about issuing waste bags and where to store them all needed answering.

“Do we want to deal with parking permits, helping people fill in housing benefit forms, bookings for the town square?

“In the last few months the ladies here dealt with 39 housing benefit claims, sitting down with people to help them,” Mrs Dalley said.

“The district council is saying this should be done over the telephone. We have people who would struggle with this whether because of hearing difficulties or language,” she explained.

Mrs Dalley said the closure would have “a huge impact” on services to the community as well as on the town council because at present it shares facilities such as the photocopier.

There were more questions such as where Food Bank vouchers were kept, what happens when someone needs furniture or their electricity has run out and they have children. What do you do?

Mrs Dalley had asked for the terms and conditions for those who rented space in the building, costs such as cleaning, who would be responsible for security.

She said there were so many services now provided by the staff at this office that the district council was pulling out of.

Cllr Way said this was a “moral dilemma”, Cllr Bill Dixon was “appalled at the irresponsibility of the district council in absolving itself of any duty of care towards the people of Crediton”.

Cllr John Downes, also a district councillor, said those who would suffer from the closure would be “the dispossessed”, those who have would not suffer.

He said the office had become “a service centre” for Crediton.

Council chairman, Cllr Frank Letch, suggested perhaps the district council should take the word “service” from its vocabulary.

FORDTON SITE

The council objected to the planning application to build industrial units with parking and a new access on land beside the railway line at Fordton.

Councillors heard from Fordton resident Mr Nigel Gardner that he had been “appalled” to see the planning application.

He had a petition objecting to the plan signed by 65 of the people who live in Fordton, almost everyone, sent to the Head of Planning at the district council.

Mr Gardner said it was worded “in the strongest possible terms” against the application.

The town council’s grounds for objection included that since the previous approval lapsed the area had changed with refurbishment of the historic railway station, the impact the development would have on the area, it would adversely affect the Victorian railway station and signal box, detrimental impact on the local area, its road and would increase congestion.

POSSIBLE PRECEPT

Looking at the potential budget for the 2016-2017 financial year, a precept of £193,234 could be agreed. The final figure would be decided at the December meeting.

If this was to be the figure, it would mean a Band D charge of £74.23 a year for the town council share of the council tax, a £13 a year increase over the current year, £1.09p per month, having taken into account the new homes built over the year.

By Sue Read