MINEHEAD town councillors have agreed to rent back their Market House headquarters for a year for £8000 while waiting for its sale to go through – despite claims that the building was “unfit for purpose”.
The town council, which met on Tuesday, is waiting for completion of the £300,000 sale of its chamber and offices to Williton businessman Steve Wells.
In the meantime, Mayor Cllr Jean Parbrook told the members, the authority’s base would remain where it was – even though some members objected on safety grounds.
“We’ve got ourselves into such a pickle,” said Cllr Terry Venner.
“Let’s get out now and go to any other public building or hall. We don’t have to be here anymore.”
He said he had been totally against selling the building: “The surveyor told us the building was unfit for purpose yet now you’re proposing we rent it back from private enterprise.
“If it was unfit for purpose when it was sold how can we rent it back if it is still unfit for purpose?”
Full report in the Free Press