Councillors have aired surprise and anger that one of Cornwall Council’s major offices is being sold off without public consultation and before an announcement has been made about where its services will now be housed.

As revealed last Saturday by the Packet, council’s office building at Dolcoath in Camborne, complete with parking for 262 cars, is for sale through Vickery Holman and is being marketed on Rightmove for an undisclosed figure, either for freehold or rental.

The decision to sell was taken during a discussion earlier this year on the council’s ongoing ‘estate transformation programme’ to significantly reduce the size of its estate, costs and carbon footprint. There was a suggestion that the Camborne site would be sold for affordable, extra care or supported housing.

Cllr David Harris, Cabinet member for resources of Cornwall Council, said at the time of the decision: “In simple terms, we would need to spend something like £6.4m to get Dolcoath into reasonable shape; a building that is on average 10 per cent occupied and yet costs half a million pounds per annum to maintain. This just does not make sense.”

READ MORE: Former council building up for sale - after proposal for it to be demolished

At a meeting of the full council this week, Cllr Loveday Jenkin aired her concern that there hadn’t been any public consultation about the loss of the building. The Mebyon Kernow councillor for Crowan, Sithney and Wendron mentioned that Camborne Town Council had passed a motion saying it wished to see the council hub kept open.

Cllr Jenkin said: “In relation to the proposed disposal by the cabinet of the offices at Dolcoath, I was assured when this was first raised that we were going to get some meaningful consultation on this. It seems to be going ahead without any consultation to the wider local membership or the communities who are impacted by the removal of the only consolidated hub across the whole of Kerrier district.

“Can the leader assure me that there will be some meaningful consultation before any disposal or shutting down of services takes place, because the briefing we last had said that would be continuing at pace.” She said there hadn’t been any consideration of the community’s views on its loss.

Cllr Jenkin added: “I’ve had concerns from all the parish councils I sit on about the loss of local services. This is a hub that covers all of Kerrier district and parts of West Cornwall as well.”

 

Cornwall Council\s Dolcoath offices in Camborne are up for sale (Pic: Vickery Holman)

Cornwall Council\'s Dolcoath offices in Camborne are up for sale (Pic: Vickery Holman)

 

Cornwall Council’s Conservative deputy leader David Harris told her: “There has been consultation, Cllr Jenkin. You were actually at a presentation.”

Cllr Jenkin responded it was a briefing rather than a consultation, to which Cllr Harris replied: “I’d argue that a briefing is a chance for you to comment and bring comments forward. You have been kept aware of what is going on and if you want to come back with comments saying ‘I think that is wrong and that is wrong and that is wrong’ then please do so and we will listen."

Cllr Jenkin then returned: “I’ve been in briefings but there’s been no community consultation and I have raised the points about the loss of services and they’ve been totally ignored.” She said she hadn’t received any information about what will happen to other facilities which use Dolcoath, such as health services.

Following the meeting, Cllr Jayne Kirkham, Labour group leader at the council, tweeted about the offices being marketed for sale online.

“On Rightmove?! Without clearly specified alternatives for all services. Despite councillors’ stated wish that if the administration are dead set on this, the site at least be used for social housing or extra care housing. But no, it’s being sold off on Rightmove! So little care.”