DAWLISH Town Council granted £150,000 for the proposed new youth centre at Sandy Lane on Thursday.

This will now supersede its previous decision of £30,000 that caused furore among townsfolk – even prompting some councillors, who originally voted for the £150,000, to say they would resign unless the figure was increased.

The Dawlish Gazette received its heaviest postbag in recent years from an irate public on the matter. So did the council.

There was concern that the decision had been made politically, and that £30,000, rather than £150,000, was an insult as the money was coming from the recent sale, for £600,000, of the Leonard Lamb Centre – a building primarily used by young people.

At the meeting, which was attended by 150 members of the public, the sole item on the agenda was the youth centre grant.

Before councillors made their decision, the public was given an opportunity to air its views.

Twelve members of the Dawlish Youth Café were first. Speaking individually, they outlined why the need for the centre in Dawlish was so great, saying the youth café was too small and there was nothing in the town for them to do.

The treasurer of Dawlish Action for Youth, Stuart Carson, said that there were three issues he wanted to address.

'Firstly, the price of the building is presently immaterial,' he said. 'Whatever we raise is what it will cost. Secondly, there have been accusations that it infringes on the sports fields. It does not, and I have documents to prove it. Finally, we need the full £150,000 from this council, as it will be very difficult to raise the rest of the money from other funding bodies who want to see commitment from the town. £30,000 is no commitment.'

Mike Stevens, of Devon County Council's youth service, told councillors and members of the public that it will support the centre. 'Devon County Council has said from the outset that they will pay for the running costs indefinitely,' he said. 'And they will provide professional, highly trained staff, working alongside the voluntary sector, to give it stability. There is a large number of young people in Dawlish who are unemployed and lack skills. The youth facility will also act as a training centre for them, getting them off the street and giving them direction.

'This is a one-off opportunity and we need to invest in the youth of Dawlish. At the end of the day they're our future,' he concluded.

Former chairman of Dawlish Action for Youth, John Anthony, said: 'All you councillors here have had letters from the public and seen what's been published in the papers. It's unfortunate that there were not more councillors at the first meeting where £30,000 was decided, as I'm sure we would not be here right now.

'The council has lost an awful amount of credibility over this, which is not good. Tonight you have a real opportunity to show you are in touch with the town.'

Local businessman Bob Bowen labelled the £30,000 grant as 'derisory'.

When put to the vote, 13 councillors voted in favour of increasing the £30,000 grant to £150,000. There was one abstention.