Objections pour in to Urchfont sell-off - decision called in
Wiltshire Conservatives' decision to sell off cheaply one of the county's finest assets has been condemned by a wide selection of people, many of whom submitted their comments to the cabinet meeting on Tuesday (Jan 17th).
The Bradley Road offices in Trowbridge and the Kennet DC buildings at Browfort in Devizes are also to be sold. "Stripping the old District Council assets was always going to be part of the move to one council and is not unreasonable in the circumstances," said Cllr Trevor Carbin. "However selling Urchfont was not envisaged as part of that process and shows how desperate the Conservative administration has now become to grab any cash they can. This is not a good time to sell as property prices are low and the government's Localism Act promises new powers for councils to run facilities such as Urchfont on a more commercial basis. Instead of selling it for peanuts to friendly developers the Conservatives should be building on Urchfont's capacity and reputation to make it an even better asset to Wiltshire than it is already."
Objectors to the sell-off have pointed out that Urchfont offers specialist courses not available elsewhere in the county. The WC idea that the same courses could be run in libraries or leisure centres is dismissed by many users and tutors who point out that people wouldn't come from all over the country for such an event in the way they do for the Urchfont experience. Objectors also complain about the sudden announcement without any opportunity for users and staff to be consulted. The lack of financial justification for the decision is also questioned.
For the full text of submissions see the supplementary document at Supplement details on public web site
The decision has been 'called in' by the scrutiny committee due to the inadequacy of the consultation, and will be considered at a special meeting on Monday 30th at Bradley Road, beginning at 10.30am. This will give an opportunity for opposition councillors and members of the public to let off steam, but won't make any difference as the scrutiny committee has a well-behaved Conservative majority. In fact the process is likely to lead simply to a resolution to "congratulate the Cabinet on the wisdom of their decision."
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Your Say:
"I write to object to the closure of Urchfont Manor. Urchfont is a good advertisement for Wiltshire - we do want to show-case our county and Urchfont does that in style.
Urchfont is a unique college in a typical picturesque Wiltshire village, showing off the countyside and drawing people to Wiltshire from across England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Those people then fall in love with Wiltshire and return. This is the type of asset we need.
It will not be possible to offer anything like the experience you get at Urchfont at other local colleges as has been implied. Why would people travel for hours to attend Trowbridge College and the like? They will not. You know that. Once people have seen Wiltshire through Urchfont they then return to visit again. Will they get that if they visit Trowbridge College - No.
I have attended courses at Urchfont and been told how lucky I am to have it on my doorstep. Other students who have travelled for 3 to 5 hours to attend think it is a fantastic place and then want to see more of Wiltshire next time they come. They have all said they will return to Urchfont and to see more of Wiltshire.
Urchfont is a hub and draws people and so business to Wiltshire. It is a centre of art and craft excellence, well known in artistic circles across the country and beyond as a result of the high calibre of crafts people tutoring at Urchfont.
If Urchfont closes it will be a great asset lost. Once the 'silver' is sold you can never get it back.
I hope it is not already a done deal. Please do not sell off Urchfont. Listen to those who say we want to draw business to Wiltshire, showcase the county, increase awareness of the unique qualities of Wiltshire and remember Urchfont does all that. Urchfont is in line with Council aims, and so should be kept, expanded on and used to increase awareness of Wiltshire.
Ever hopeful Wiltshire resident." - L.A., Semington