Public Meeting in Wadebridge

I would like to start off by thanking the chairman of the scrutiny committee who decided to bring the councillors out from County Hall today and visit our town, and view both Tenant and Trevanion Road Council offices.
As many of you will know, the Cabinet of Cornwall Council are being asked to consider a rationalization process of all the offices we own. The Trenant site had been illustrated in the agenda as being surplus to requirements. Many, many people believe that the site is being underused at present, there is some argument that this was always the plan in order to re site in Bodmin and sell the site to a well known supermarket chain.
We were told today that the new proposed building in Bodmin would cost 12 million pounds and this would be funded from the finance generated by the sale in Wadebridge.
The scrutiny role is to examine the decisions made by the Cabinet and insure they are correct and in the best interests of the people of the Duchy.
It became clear early on that the local councillors from all political backgrounds disagreed that Trenant should be sold. I asked two questions of the officer in charge.
Firstly and most obviously, why is it considered appropriate and cost effective to sell of a perfectly efficient building in Wadebridge and spend council tax monies on a purpose built building 7 miles down the road?
Secondly, have the officers considered the economic impact of withdrawing the staff from Trenant and Trevanion on the centre of Wadebridge?

My own feelings are that Trevanion Road would make an excellent location for affordable housing for locals. The people who work there should then be relocated to Trenant, making use of the facility we currently have. This can then be used as one, of possibly two strategic hubs in the East of the Duchy. It makes no sense to sell a perfectly good building and build another at a cost to the tax payer.
I am not against getting rid of assets that aren't energy efficient, aren't being used to their full potential or can't be justified in the current economic climate. However the business case needs to hold weight, I believe here in Wadebridge it does not.