We would like to correct the misleading impression from Cllr Everett’s social media posting (quoted accurately in your report last week) that we voted against Minehead Town Council taking on the town’s toilets from West Somerset Council, which was discussed at the 21 February 2017 meeting.

Quite the opposite! We were much in favour but concerned that yet again the town council was about to breach its financial regulations, in this case the stipulation that in the purchase or acquisition of property assets “in each case a report in writing shall be provided to council in respect of valuation and surveyed condition . . . together with a proper business case (including an adequate level of consultation with the electorate)”.

The excuse was that council had to make an instant decision, but as the then mayor, Cllr Jean Parbrook, told us, negotiations had already been going on for many months.

We therefore proposed an amendment which required the report to be made before 30 March 2017 (the proposed date of transfer) and that if this was accepted by the council it should go ahead.

As it was clear that such a report had not been written, this allowed five weeks to prepare it from all the information then in the council clerk’s hands.

The amendment was voted down by the Conservative majority and the Labour member, Cllr Maureen Smith. They did this in the full knowledge that were voting to breach the council’s financial regulations, something we were not prepared to do.

Finally, it is interesting to note that the original decision by West Somerset Council to close Minehead’s public toilets was, amongst others, supported by district councillor Jean Parbrook!

Cllrs Terry Venner and John Malin, Minehead Town Council.