"Think again before you spend millions on new council offices" plea to Conservative-run AVDC.

8.22.00pm GMT Mon 14th Jan 2008

Council offices should stay in Aylesbury town centre

Local Liberal Democrats have made a "Think again before you spend millions on new council offices" plea to Conservative-run AVDC.

The urgent call comes after the council's scrutiny committee turned down the LibDem group's call-in of plans for new buildings on Aylesbury's Gatehouse site, which would include a council chamber.

"The Tory council is about to embark on a reckless multi-million pound spending spree," said Alan Sherwell, leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on AVDC.

"We believe building brand new offices to house only district council staff should be the last resort. Instead it is being seen as the first option."

A Liberal Democrat call-in required the council's cabinet to pause and take stock, instead of "blundering ahead with a massive and unnecessary financial

Commitment" by proposing to build new offices and council chamber out of the centre of Aylesbury, without reference to the current "pathfinder" project of joint working with the county council.

"Surely a responsible District Council would consider the possibility of working together with the County to sort out their joint accommodation needs before committing millions of pounds on a new council chamber," said Councillor Sherwell .

"To discuss new build before the current round of pathfinder projects, where county and district councils will be working together, is completely premature.

"And while will we accept that it is desirable to house all AVDC staff together on a single site, that site should be in the town centre, not on the edge of town.

"Moving staff out of town would have a big negative impact on the economy of Aylesbury. It would send out a very negative message about the councils' support for the town centre.

"The county and district councils should have a joint strategy to deal with the issue of where they are to be based. It is about making best use of accommodation which is already available.

"There should be a significant capital investment in new buildings only after a joint accommodation plan has been drawn up, and only if it shows that existing accommodation cannot meet the needs of the two councils."