9:33am Wednesday 10th March 2010
By James Williams
The mayor of Warminster has slammed campaigners opposed to the town council’s proposed move from Dewey House to the Assembly Rooms.
Cllr Tony Nicklin was responding to claims made by Vision for Warminster campaigners, who have called for a town poll on the issue, as they say the move will cost a total of £1.7 million.
Former county councillor Steve Dancey and former deputy mayor of Warminster Paul Macdonald, who run the campaign website visionforwarminster.co.uk, are gathering signatures for a public meeting on the debate.
Cllr Nicklin believes the former councillors’ campaign is merely political and their facts are wrong.
He said: “This organisation is misrepresenting and are doing this for political reasons - they disagree with what the town council is doing.
“Everybody has the right to disagree and everybody has the right to come to the council and say that they don’t agree with what they are doing, but they are disagreeing with something we haven’t even agreed on.
“We go out to tender this month and at the end of April we will know whether we are on budget - we are looking at a figure of £800, 000 for the works, but that’s the only figure put before the town council, who have agreed for further investigations.
“The loan to the Public Works Loan Board has not yet been submitted.”
The town council wants to borrow £800,000 from the Public Works Loan Board, which will be paid back over a 25 year term fixed at a rate of 4.51 per cent, to fund the move.
The mayor also said the town council has been transparent with regards to the proposed plans.
“The plans were created in the summer last year and have been on exhibition since September in Dewey House and Assembly Rooms,” he said.
“There’s nothing secret about what we’re proposing.
“You can’t drag people to council meetings but the agendas are available to the public.”
The proposed refurbishment would create a hall for hire, a town council chamber, council offices, coffee shop and licensed bar.
The Assembly Rooms, which is currently losing about £60,000 a year, is likely to be closed for six months while work takes place.
The town council already has planning permission for the building’s change of use.
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