CAMPAIGNERS have branded a telephone survey being used by West Somerset District Council as part of its 'key sites' consultation process as "outrageously biased". The questionnaire does not give Williton as an option as a site for new council offices, the sell-off of car parks seems to come under the heading of "developing vacant land", while the future existence of both a Minehead-based development and a retail development are quoted as statements of fact. Campaign group DIRECT has accused the authority of using "leading and loaded" questions in the survey, the results of which will be used by the council to either support or oppose its plans to build new offices and sell off car parks. Further doubt was cast on its validity by a council source who claimed people living in Taunton Deane had been asked to take part. Question five of the survey boldly states: "When the council is designing the new development in Minehead . . .", even though no decision has yet been taken on if, when and where any development would take place. The same question also links prospective new offices and workshops - a favoured council scheme - with the creation of jobs, while "employment opportunities" are not even mentioned when people are asked if space should be allocated for tourism- related businesses. Asked how important a new library would be, respondents would also be endorsing the need for another key council objective - a new conference centre - if they answer "very important" as the two are listed together as a single option. But DIRECT's biggest gripe is the section of questions relating to the proposed new civic offices, which again describes a Minehead development as a statement of fact. Question seven states: "There are plans to build new council offices somewhere in the new development . . ." after question five has given the impression that the "new development" will be in Minehead. Question eight then goes on to ask people about their views on where new council offices should be built, but those conducting the survey are instructed in bold, black capital letters only to read out three of six written options - "In the centre of Minehead; on the outskirts of Minehead; outside Minehead in one of the other towns or villages in the district". One of the three unread options is for the offices to "stay as they are", while there is no mention of Williton as a prospective site even though it is now a formal option recommended by both cabinet and full council. Further on in the questionnaire people are asked what shops should be provided "on the development site", whether it should include a supermarket, and, if so, which one. Question 21 then refers to "the retail development" as a fact and links it with a host of community benefits asking people to list which ones they think are the most important, ranging from a new swimming pool to affordable housing and better youth facilities. People are also asked which would be better - a private landowner benefiting from selling land to a developer or the council selling "its own vacant land" for the benefit of the community - with no mention of the words 'car park'. The same question also claims the council's retail study has shown that Minehead could "easily support new shopping facilities", even though the questionnaire is believed to have been used before the original flawed retail study was formally replaced with a corrected, revised version. DIRECT chairman Graham Sizer said Williton was rarely mentioned anywhere in the questionnaire while at no stage were people given the option of saying whether they agreed with the council's policy of selling off car parks to fund schemes. He said the council seemed determined to make life as difficult as possible for anyone who opposed any aspect of its proposals and urged people to attend Tuesday's 'key sites' public meeting to have "a fair say". "With this sort of bias only a barrister can help us after August 3 [the public meeting]. "Public sentiment is all we have left," Mr Sizer said. But deputy council leader Cllr Bryan Leaker sought to reassure members of the public that all their views would be taken into account by the authority. He said he did not know who had written the questionnaire but said it had been drafted before councillors settled on three potential sites for centralised offices and shelved the sale of Vulcan Road car park until full consultation had taken place. But he stressed that anyone who wanted Williton to be listed as an option for new council offices should demand it was hand-written on to the survey sheet when they were interviewed by the telephone researchers. "We have to ensure there is openness and transparency and I want to make sure everyone's views are recorded," he said. "However, I am sure senior officers would argue that Williton is included under the option to build new offices outside of Minehead." He said people concerned about the tone of the questionnaire should put their concerns in writing and send them to him at the council's Williton offices. He also called for anyone forced to be recorded as "retired" due to the omission of an option for "self- employed" people to contact him. But he warned that whatever the concerns about the questionnaire, people should not lose sight of what the council was trying to achieve. "If we don't maximise the return on our assets the likelihood is that we will not be able to afford things like affordable housing for young people, youth facilities and a range of other projects. "People must be aware that if we don't sell our assets New Horizons [the lifelong learning and leisure centre] isn't going to happen," Cllr Leaker said.
