Some Dawlish town councillors will resign unless the authority takes a dramatic U-turn on its grant for a new youth centre in the town. The shock news – Cllr Tom Bush revealed it – came at a packed public meeting at the Manor House, at which several councillors admitted they may have made a mistake in granting just £30,000 to the project. The proposed figure was £150,000 – part of £600,000 that came from the sale of the Leonard Lamb Centre. The grant amount has caused a furore among townsfolk. It came to a head when nearly 150 members of the public packed into the Manor House to confront the town council. The informal meeting had been organised by Cllr Clive Samuel, who was accompanied by Cllr Mary Mugford, Cllr Hazel Percy and Cllr Tom Bush. Mayor Cllr Graham Price, who wasin the audience, gained five signatures from fellow councillors which will enable him to call an extraordinary meeting later this month to try to improve the proposed grant amount. Cllr Mugford, who had voted for only £30,000,told the meeting that she had 'made a mistake with the grant amount' and 'had not checked the figures properly'. Cllr Bush, who had voted with Cllr Percy and Cllr Samuel for the full £150,000, said he had spoken to some councillors who had voted for £30,000, and said many of them realised they may have made a mistake. Richard Boudle, of Dawlish Regeneration Group, said it had been 'alarmed' at the funding offered by the council. 'We believe that the youth centre deserves to be allocated the major contribution,' he said. A member of the public, Chris Cullen, said townsfolk would have a long memory about this decision if it was not reversed. Cllr Bush said that if it was not, he and a handful of other councillors would resign. He said: 'I was personally shocked at the £30,000 granted by the council. I know that the first thing funding bodies look at is the degree of local commitment in the community. To me, £30,000 meant no commitment at all. I think there would have been all sorts of problems created off the back of it.' Businessman Bob Bowen said he thought the two councillors who had proposed and seconded the £30,000 grant – John Clatworthy and Ted Hockin – should have 'had the nerve' to attend the meeting. Devon County Council's divisional youth officer Kevin Hennman said: 'When the youth café was set up we recognised it wasn't sufficient for the needs of teenagers in Dawlish. 'However, Devon County Council is committed to this project and has allocated £175,000 in capital. Beyond that the county is committed to the revenue cost, in the main part, in terms of staffing.' Another member of the public, Paul McAtee, said: 'This youth centre is a must and its proposed location is perfect. We need to treat the youth like they count.' Cllr Wally Protheroe, sitting in the audience, said he had also spoken to a number of councillors who 'have seen the error of their ways.' 'If they have seen the light then we should support them,' he said. He had not been able to attend the grant vote, but said he would have supported £150,000. Teignbridge youth co-ordinator Mike Stevens said the youth centre was the number one priority for the town, and praised local press for highlighting the grant fiasco. 'There would be no democracy in the town had it not been published,' he said. The extraordinary meeting will take place on March 9, at 7pm, at the Manor House, Dawlish. Cllr Bush said: 'There will be one thing on that agenda: the £150,000 grant for the youth centre. Hopefully, this time we will get the result you want.'
