Holbeach Parish Council is set to move to a new home and is also looking to purchase phones for each councillor, one of whom believes it’s a waste of money.
In a behind-closed-doors section of its meeting on July 8, the authority voted ‘to agree a way forward to move the offices to another council-owned property and look at the disposal of the current offices over a period of time’.
It’s been based at the Coubro Chambers for around 20 years but The Voice understands it’s looking to move to the bungalow leased previously to parish council employees responsible for Carter’s Park.
Coun Sophie Hutchinson, who the minutes state voted against the proposal, told The Voice she does not believe it offers value for money claiming £50,000 has been allocated for the move.
“The council’s reasoning is that Coubro is a ‘money pit’, though we haven’t seen any finances,” Coun Hutchinson said. “They also say they will be closer to the parks team so won’t have to walk the five minutes through town.
“We don’t know the figures involved or if any alternate options have been looked at.”
It’s not clear what this means for several businesses who rent rooms at the chamber.
The parish council responded to The Voice’s enquiry by pointing out the meeting minutes.
Coun Hutchinson said she was also concerned that at an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday, July 24, the majority of the council voted to purchase 11 Samsung Galaxy A15s at £129 each, associated contracts to a maximum of £125 per month and three ‘basic mobile phones’ plus sims for councillors.
A spokesman for Holbeach Parish Council said it was due to a council member requesting access to information regarding an individual which led councillors and staff to refuse to use their own devices, therefore phones have had to be purchased.
Coun Hutchinson, says the request to access information was from her as she ‘hadn’t got answers following a parish council investigation into her own conduct.’
Another extraordinary meeting of Holbeach Parish Council has been called for next week where a request is to be discussed, though Coun Hutchinson, who abstained on the phones vote, said she wasn’t sure if that was for her request as she was aware of another having been submitted.
“All of this money is for the benefit of councillors and staff, and is in no way going to benefit the public,” she claimed. “All they are focused on is projects like this to benefit themselves.
“They are really not working in the public interest.”
