WARWICK District Council chiefs are hosting another meeting about their controversial HQ plans despite insisting there was no need for a second discussion.
The council is inviting residents and businesses to discuss its planned relocation to new headquarters at Covent Garden car park in Leamington.
The event will be chaired by BBC Coventry and Warwickshire Radio host Phil Upton. Mr Upton will take questions from the floor for the panel of councillors and officers.
A meeting held earlier in the year gave residents the chance to quiz council representatives about the plans but many felt not enough time was given to answer all questions.
A motion was put forward for a second meeting by Labour councillor Coun Kristie Naimo but it was voted against.
It prompted residents and businesses to arrange a meeting taking place today (Thursday) to which council chiefs were invited.
But they declined the invitation saying organisers had not been checked before the meeting was arranged if they were available.
Council leader Andrew Mobbs said: “There is nothing to be gained by setting the date and publicising the the meeting without first
checking if councillors are available to sit on the panel, especially if these are the decision makers that the public wants to hear from. Key members of my team have long-standing commitments to their wards and they are not willing to let them down at this late stage.
“We do however recognise the importance of continued engagement with our local business community and residents to share the details of our ambitious plans for the town centre and to answer their questions.
“We welcome the opportunity to engage with residents and businesses about our plans for the council’s new HQ and car parking displacement plan. We want to keep the conversation going, so that we are clear about the issues they have and can answer their concerns. I urge you to come along and find out more.”
The meeting for businesses and residents will take place on Monday November 12 at the Royal Spa Centre, at 7pm, with refreshments from 6.30pm.
Tommorrow’s meeting (Thursday) takes place at Leamington Town Hall, starting at 7pm.
