PEOPLE in Williton are being urged to help "save the village" by backing efforts to keep West Somerset District Council's offices in their existing Killick Way location. Unnamed campaigners have carried out a house- to-house leaflet drop to encourage as many people as possible to attend a public meeting in Minehead on Wednesday on the centralisation of the authority's offices. The council, forced to abandon its previous plans for a new civic centre on land near the railway station in Minehead, has come up with two possible alternative sites in the town - the Aquasplash leisure centre and Somerset County Council-owned land alongside the Vulcan Road car park currently used as a depot. But in addition, Williton is back in the running as a possible option for the centralised offices. The leaflet, which claims that the council has so far wasted £750,000 on aborted attempts to centralise in Minehead, points out that Williton is the most deprived parish in West Somerset and third most deprived in the county, meaning it can ill afford to lose the 60-plus professional and administrative jobs that the council - the village's largest employer - brings. It also highlights Williton's central location, its good road and transport links and its services, including pubs, banks, supermarkets and a park. "If the council stays, they stand less chance of losing existing staff," said the leaflet. "Regeneration plans have focused on redevelopment rather than regeneration and look unlikely to create many jobs. "The council could start replacing/refurbishing buildings in Williton now, centralising and getting on with serving us, the Council Taxpayer." In addition to attending Wednesday's meeting, people are being urged to also attend a meeting of the full council on August 10 when a decision on the location of the new offices is due to be made. Campaigners also want people to write to the council and to county council leader Cllr Cathy Bakewell to ask the authority to support efforts to keep the offices in Williton. The call for support was echoed at the monthly meeting of Williton Parish Council on Monday evening. Cllr Diane Hooper said it was vital that all parish councillors attended the forthcoming Minehead meetings - which will be held in the West Somerset Community College - and made their views on the issue known. "We need to keep the offices in Williton - it is so important for shops and the trade having the offices here brings to the village," said Cllr Hooper. "These are very important jobs, high paid jobs which we need. "This is one thing that we are all agreed on, so let's fight it together."
