A consultation designed to tease out the public's wishes for improving their communities came up with a list of political gripes, it was claimed.

The exercise was carried out by Teignbridge Council as part of the Sustainable Communities Act.Town and parish councils, community and voluntary organisations were approached and posters – headed 'Dear Gordon, What if' – were put in libraries, doctors' surgeries and schools to encourage the public to come up with ideas.Steve Matson, service lead for community and culture, told overview and scrutiny members on Tuesday that with 186 proposals, this was well ahead of other councils. Manchester City Council had only one, he said.But the way proposals had been transformed into requests to government to review or change its policies on everything from second homes to council tax did not find favour with members. Members were also irritated that ideas had been screened by the Teignbridge Strategic Partnership, which had picked out 17 for further consideration.Chairman Cllr Stuart Barker said: 'What we have generated is a lot of gripes about government. We haven't generated community project proposals. 'I thought it was meant to be about identifying what government and councils spent in local areas and seeing if communities can use that money for their own projects in a better way.'Gradually the constraints under which council officers had been acting emerged. Tight timescales, government proposal forms not issued in time and more importantly local spending plans, essential for assessing whether locals could make government money go further, did not come through until it was too late.Portfolio holder for communities Cllr Marie Jenkins stepped in to stem the anger.She said: 'I do understand concerns that I have heard from members. At the same time I feel I need to defend Steve and his team, who have been working with a very limited brief and always playing catch-up.'We thought we might cash in for these exciting projects but it didn't turn out to be true. I could hold forth for a long time about the failings of government.'The government proposal form, which has to be in by July 31, requires applicants to write up to 11,900 words and was described as a nightmare. Cllr Beryl Austen said she was disappointed that the plea for more allotments had not been shortlisted. The remark was seized on by Cllr Barker.'This is exactly what the Sustainable Communities Act is about, projects which are common across a very wide area. Allotments is a very big issue, exactly what the act was designed for,' he said.Vice-chairman Cllr David Cox said: 'What councillor hasn't been lobbied about this issue? I think all of us can unite round this. This would be a quick one and give community groups the confidence to use the act. 'I know it is a bit contrived but I think it is the right way to make the act work for us.'Despite concerns about the way they had got there, members agreed to endorse allotments as the potential bid, which will now be considered by the executive committee.