WE WERE told by many candidates in the run-up to this week’s local elections that the cost to WDDC for the construction of their new office project at South Walks Dorchester, was a ‘mere’ £10million.
They were clearly not interested in the real cost to the tax payers of West Dorset.
We the tax payers have to pay for the whole office/library project, together with all of the extra costs generated as a consequence of the district council’s proposed move.
It is true, that considering the WDDC new office in splendid and blinkered isolation and omitting to account for any additional on costs, then the cost to the district council is about £10million.
However the real ‘honest cost’ of the whole project is considerably more.
The total is made up of £10million for the WDDC office plus £4.5million for DCC new library plus £2.5million for WDDC new staff park and ride facility plus about £2.5million endowment on the Shire Hall/crown court minus £3.5million from sale of the remaining High Street site if they are lucky.
The honest total cost accruing to West Dorset taxpayers arising from the WDDC move to new offices will therefore be about £16million.
All this so that the district council can save a doubtful £200,000 per year while the county council will spend an extra £200,000 per year to rent the new but unnecessary library – no saving there then for us taxpayers.
The offer by the Duchy of Cornwall (DoC), for new council offices at Poundbury could have provided WDDC with their desired new up to date office accommodation.
In addition the DoC offer would have saved us taxpayers over £5million, but it was summarily rejected by West Dorset’s conservative leadership, without any consultation whatsoever with the public or the town council – no change there then for us tax payers.
David Oliver, Poundbury
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