Okehampton bigwigs accused of 'land grab'

Two councils lock horns

Okehampton residents are being urged to have their say on proposals to extend the town boundary to include hundreds of new houses.

A second consultation on the plan is underway into an issue that has caused friction between Okehampton Town Council and neighbouring Okehampton Hamlets Parish Council, which the latter describes as a “land grab”.

The public will be asked if they want the current arrangement to day, or for the parish boundaries to be amended with new areas of housing and future developments brought under Okehampton Town Council’s control.

So far, more people support the plan, with 78 in favour and 33 against following the first consultation by West Devon Borough Council, which will make the final decision.

Town councillors says it is unfair that around 700 people living on the edge of the town currently within the hamlets’ boundaries don’t pay for the town’s facilities, likes parks and public toilets, or infrastructure, even though they use them.

They say more residents will give the town more clout and greater opportunities for funding, as well as a fairer level of council tax.

But the mainly rural hamlets’ council wants to keep its urban part as it says changes will result in an increase in council tax for current hamlets’ residents, fewer councillors, and less money for community grants.

West Devon Borough councillor Paul Vachon (Ind, Okehampton South) said 124 people had commented so far but he hoped many more would take part second time around.

He said a merger of the councils had been mooted but was now out of the equation as it was “too complicated.”

“Unfortunately we are not able to have a referendum due to the cost, so we now have a second public consultation with two options. It is a case of leaving it as it is or extending the boundary, and I hope people take the time to read and understand what is being proposed as I really don’t think enough people know about it.

“The proposed area for change includes slightly more land than the built up areas but what the hamlets would be left with would be totally rural.”

Hamlets’ residents currently pay around a third of what Okehampton residents do for their local contribution to council tax.

Cllr Vachon said the town council is worried as the large increase in population creates problems for infrastructure and more expense.

Deputy mayor of Okehampton Cllr Christine Marsh said it isn’t right that people on one side of the street pay much more than one on the other because they lived in another parish.

She denied that the move was a land grab. “It’s an extension of our built up area to include the residents that use our cemeteries, public toilets and recreational areas,” she said. “The hamlets have Meldon Woods to look after but woods don’t incur the costs that a park like Simmons Park does.

“We are so lucky to have such a beautiful park but it needs to be looked after. A fair distribution of the costs is all we are asking for.”

She said Okehampton’s size means it gets overlooked for funding: “We are a significant town or we would not be getting a second train station but with more people we can have access to more funding and more facilities for all the people that live here and they can have a greater say in what happens.”

Okehampton Hamlets Parish Council is currently in control of Brightly, Chichacott, Meldon, Southcott and Stockley, and has industrial estates to the east of Okehampton town within its boundaries, as well as new and planned housing estates.

On its Facebook page, the council says it has always supported its residents.“We have deliberately kept council tax rises at or below inflation for the past four years,” it said.

It urged residents to support the status quo as they were “better off with the current democratic arrangements and a strong and efficient and cost effective council” to represent them.

Comments made in the first consultation include: “The transfer of areas of the hamlets into the town means a substantial increase in council tax in excess of £100 p.a. on average for no additional value or reciprocal benefit for being part of the town. The town council by comparison will achieve a windfall that is likely to be spent on expenses from which hamlets residents derive no benefit.”

“The hamlets council is outdated , and in its present form does not match the reality of the present day developments.”

“The area immediately adjacent to the town area which is hamlet area has seen an enormous increase in housing in recent years and still it is expanding. There is no defined boundary between the town and the hamlet area where most people think they live in Okehampton. I wonder how many hamlet dwellers use and enjoy the amenities and facilities that is afforded them through the provision of the town council.”

The second consultation is on West Devon Borough Council’s website.