BACK TO SQUARE ONE
Member for Western Victoria Region, Bev McArthur has slammed the Surf Coast Shire Council for their appalling management of the Winchelsea Tea Rooms.
Earlier this year, the Council demanded that the Tea Rooms’ existing tenant, Philomenia Carney, pay unsustainable cost increases in her lease.
After the Tea Rooms were forced to close, followed by months of ‘community consultation’ resulting in a report produced by the Winchelsea Shire Hall community working group which suggested building a new cultural centre, lacking little distinction from the previous tenancy.
Bev McArthur said “Surf Coast Shire Council has spent thousands of ratepayers’ money on community consultation and the implementation of a vision for what to do with the Winchelsea Tea Rooms, when there was absolutely nothing wrong with it in the first place.”
“Now, we’re essentially back to square one. The community wants a café and art, like the previous tenant was already providing.”
“The council had been provided with a petition of 289 signatures asking them to allow the previous tenant to pay rent that was lower than commercial rates, but they were shunned and ignored.”
“It’s time the Surf Coast Shire Council began listening to their ratepayers and stopped wasting ratepayer money against ratepayer wishes,” she concluded.
13 December 2019