More than 1,000 protest to PM over council's £15m Clevedon move

12.00.00am GMT Wed 3rd Mar 2010

A petition signed by more than 1,000 concerned local residents has been submitted to the Prime Minister protesting about plans by North Somerset Council to buy the Castlewood building in Clevedon and move hundreds of staff there.

The petition was organised on the Downing Street website and offline by Weston-super-Mare's Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate Mike Bell, who has been a vocal critic of the council's £15 million scheme.

Mr Bell said: "We have asked Gordon Brown to look at North Somerset Council's plan on three simple grounds. It's bad news for Weston - because jobs will be lost and the economy harmed. It's bad news for taxpayers - because it'll saddle us with more debts for years to come. It's bad news for democracy - because the council rushed through the decision in 20 days over Christmas, with no consultation and virtually no debate.

"I don't have much hope that the Prime Minister will intervene - like many of our councillors, he's not exactly known for his good judgement. But it is vital that councillors get the message that local people are not happy about their decision and won't let them get away with it unchallenged."