TWO councillors were against spending public cash on buying office furniture for a group which is looking to play a leading role in the regeneration of historic places in Wellington – with one of them describing it as ‘throwing money away’.

Cllrs Marcus Barr and John Thorne both voiced concerns about the grant application made by the Wellington Mills Community Interest Company asking for £2,500 to help with administration-related costs in setting up an office, exhibition space and meeting room.

The Wellington Mills CIC looks to encourage and promote the effective regeneration of buildings at Tonedale, Tone Works and the surrounding green spaces, including Fox’s Field.

But although Wellington Town Council is in favour of the overall plan, some councillors were concerned about dishing out £2,500 of taxpayers’ money on the specifics of the grant application.

“They want to set-up an office and take on staff,” said Cllr Barr at the council’s finance committee meeting held this month via Zoom video conferencing technology. “But I have a duty of care to the public purse. I do support the project but I don’t think it’s right spending money on office furniture.”

Cllr Barr said the council had previously awarded the group a grant of £950 but had not heard anything from it since then. “It seems to me as if they only get in touch when they want money,” he said.

Cllr John Thorne also said he supported the overall project for the mills but told council colleagues he was not in favour of backing this grant application.

“At the end of the day the CIC isn’t going to get anything done,” he said. “The Somerset West and Taunton Council will be spending a lot of money on this and will get it done. The CIC has no ownership of this site and it’s just a pressure group. I think Cllr Barr is quite right about the CIC not coming to engage with us.”

Cllr Thorne added: “The Transition Town Wellington group does an awful lot more for a lot less money and they don’t ask us to pay their accountant fees or buy office furniture.

“This would be throwing money away in my opinion – we are accountable for it as it’s public money.”

But the committee voted in favour of the grant application with several saying they needed to look at the ‘bigger picture’.

Cllr Andy Govier said the Wellington Mills CIC group was looking to sort out a ‘blot on Wellington’s landscape’. “The work of the CIC is keeping the pressure up and the investment of £2,500 will be repaid many times over.”

Finance committee councillors agreed to award the grant application and this was confirmed at the full council later that evening.