HOW Mid Devon District Council was able to allow the sale of the council office building it owned at Crediton through a decision by three members is being challenged.

At this week’s Crediton Town Council meeting, held in the Library now the council chamber is no longer available, members were told there was a move towards the district council being asked to change its system.

Cllr Nick Way, also a county and district councillor, said he and Cllr Bob Wright (they both represent Crediton and are town councillors) had met the district council chief executive and solicitor.

Cllr Way explained that the main reason he had asked for the meeting was because he knew people were "very unhappy" with the decision to sell the council offices.

"I had wanted to talk to them about the principle that three elected people in the Cabinet could make a decision that clearly the majority of the district council was not happy with," he said.

He wanted to know if the Scrutiny Committee could have any powers to send something to the full district council for a decision.

"I still feel it was appalling and I do not think it should ever be done again like that," he added.

Cllr Way reported that the chief executive and solicitor had said they would write to him with their comments.

He felt it was unlikely anything could be done because of the Government stance over the Cabinet system as against a Committee system.

However Cllr Way understood there was a group of people in the county who were looking at whether Mid Devon could return to the previous Committee system where all the members made a decision. "Watch this space," he said.

FLAG FOR THE CIVILIANS