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Thursday, October 10 - Wednesday, October 16, 2013
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Thursday, October 10 - Wednesday, Octobe r 16, 2013
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OFFICE MOVE SAVES £200K Council leader denies staff relocation will be ‘detrimental’ Thrills and spills from Abingdon Fair
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VALE of White Horse District Council (VWHDC) have announced proposals that would see some backroom staff move away from their Abbey House base in Abingdon, in an attempt to save around £200,000 a year. As part of the move, Oxfordshire County Council would then lease two-thirds of the building from next year. Some VWHDC officers would then move to Crowmarsh Gifford, where South Oxfordshire District Council is based. Leader of VWHDC, Cllr Matthew Barber, said: “I think it’s a great idea because it brings together county council services with Vale services, and potentially the Citizens Advice Bureau as well. “Forty per cent of [Abbey House] is empty at any one time, which is just ridiculous. There is a saving, I think a minimum of
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£200,000 a year for the Vale, so that’s got to be good news.” Cllr Barber added that all frontline staff will remain in Abingdon, before adding: “We’re talking about moving fi nance, human resources and legal. “Quite frankly, does a member of the public in Abingdon care where these staff sit? Not really. “Also for the people of Abingdon, services will be preserved, if not enhanced, because there is no county council front of house service in Abingdon at the moment, so that will be an advantage.” But a group of Liberal Democrat councillors have expressed concerns that proposals to relocate some council staff away from Abingdon could have a detrimental effect on the town. Cllr Richard Webber, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition, believes council services will be affected by the move. • Continued on Page 3
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By Adam Flinn