by Alan Quick

THE Mayor of Crediton, Crediton Town Council Chairman Mr Frank Letch, who is also a Mid Devon District Councillor for Crediton, has submitted a motion to Mid Devon District Council about the future of the Council Office building in Crediton.

Motion 543, which Mr Letch will ask at MDDC’s full council meeting on Wednesday, February 21, states: “I ask Council to urge Cabinet to agree to the sale of the Crediton Council Office Building to Crediton Town Council on the same basis as the sale of Tiverton Town Hall to Tiverton Town Council, where precedent has already been set, which is 50 per cent of the buildings restricted value.”

MDDC says that in accordance with Procedure Rule 14.4, the Chairman of Mid Devon District Council has decided to allow this motion (if moved and seconded) to be dealt with at this meeting.

MDDC recently advertised the sale on the open market, possibly for conversion to three flats, of the Crediton Council Offices it owns and rents to Crediton Town Council, Citizens Advice and Tiverton and District Community Transport.

Crediton Town Council is currently in detailed discussions with Mid Devon District Council about the prospective purchase of the building.

The Town Council has had offices in the building since the early 1970’s, when MDDC acquired the building, and the town council currently leases the downstairs office.

Surgeries are also held at the offices for CHAT, the Churches Housing Advice Team and Insight, the charity which provides help and advice to people with sight loss.

The upstairs Council Chamber within the building is used for meetings and sub-committee meetings for both Crediton Town Council and Crediton Hamlets Parish Council.

The room is also used for planning consultation exhibitions and for other town and district meetings.

A market value guide price of £250,000 has been stated for the Grade II Listed office building, which was formerly Crediton’s Police Station.

It is understood that Mid Devon District Council recently sold Tiverton Town Council its offices for half the restricted value, at the discretion of Mid Devon District Council Cabinet, and Crediton Town Council hopes that Mid Devon’s Cabinet, in fairness, will undertake the same half restricted value offer.

Crediton Town Council has confirmed that it has put in an offer and it is unclear whether it is Cabinet or officers who have made the decision not to consider any offers until after April 10, the end of the Right to Bid moratorium period.

MDDC withdrew its service from the building on April 1, 2016.

Crediton woman Linda Jones launched a petition, which is to be presented to MDDC, to ask it to sell the Council Offices to Crediton Town Council to save the building for public use in the town.

Andrew Jarrett, Director of Finance, Assets and Resources at Mid Devon District Council, told the “Courier” in November that: “The Cabinet will ultimately resolve what offer for the building is accepted.”