Smalltown and Dullbridge (SaD) Town Councillors have agreed to think some more about the proposal to move from one old and unfit-for-purpose building into a different old and unfit-for-purpose building.
The proposal would see the current Council Offices at the Hayloft Road Palace Retirement Home for Bemused and Bewildered BeFuddled Party ex-Teachers (and Others) sold off and would allow SaDTC to establish a new office in the old White Elephant Enclosure Street School.
Addressing the meeting Head of Mathematics Cllr Banish Barracuda whispered “Um. The Hayloft Road building doesn’t work in the way that we would like it to as many of our Councillors have stated that they’d feel more at home in a school setting. Errr. There is a derelict building in White Elephant Street which would tick all the boxes this Council needs.
Um.The former White Elephant Street School needs even more money spent on it than Hayloft Road Palace and is guaranteed to be as big a financial draining resources as another Council-owned property in the same street.
Er. BeFuddled Party Councillors have come up with a brilliant idea – um – dispose of Hayloft Road Palace, acquire the old school and then bring the classrooms back into use.”
Squire Teflon queried if the idea was a BeFuddled Party one or not, saying “We have been talking about this for years. Well before any of you BeFuddleds even knew there was a Town Council in Smalltown and Dullbridge.
We almost reached an agreement previously with the building owner, Somerset Cuonty Council, but it was put on hold when you BeFuddleds took control of the All-New-Yet-Unimproved Somerset Cuonty Council and your leaders decided that they needed time to think about it.”
Cllr Barracuda admitted that the BeFuddleds had found a copy of the original proposal in a box file in a cupboard at Hayloft Road Palace, had blown the dust and cobwebs off, and updated it.
The report states that the internal layout of Hayloft Road Palace means that it is very difficult to place a blackboard on a wall and arrange all the desks so that they have a good view of it, which means that it is difficult to hold meetings where all Councillors feel comfortable.
Hayloft Road Palace was never designed as a school and several Councillors have expressed their dismay at being expected to conduct open, collaborative meetings which serve local democracy.
This is part of a wider strategy to create a cultural and civic centre in White Elephant Street and utilise an otherwise derelict building. However, the whole project would have to consider the potential costs of making the currently derelict building usable. This will be substantial.
Councillors agreed that the Finance and Misappropriation Committee will now think about agreeing a budget to talk about the proposal some more.