Plan B Forum

A council has provoked fury over plans to treating its tenants to a trip to see the new Muppets movie.

Mid-Devon district council says the event will give housing officers a chance to talk to council home tenants so they can explain changes to rent and 'maximise their income'. But some councillors are questioning whether it is a sensible use of taxpayers' money in hard times and said it may make the whole council look like Muppets.

The council’s 'Helping Tenants with Money Issues' event will take place at Tiverton’s Tivoli cinema on February 15. The Muppet event could cost up to £1,000, but the council would not commit itself to say how much the will cost until numbers are finalised. It is not being funded from council tax, but through housing rent that could be used for other projects.

The 260 seat cinema costs £75 to hire and tickets will cost the council £3.50 per head.

But it comes as the council considers a rent increase of around 6 per cent on their council houses. Cllr Jenny Roach - the only councillor to vote against a 23 per cent increase in councillors’ allowances earlier this month which will cost £50,000 - said similar ‘engagement’ events had proved controversial in the past.

Previously the council gave out tokens to claim free ice creams and fish and chip suppers at an event called 'Chat and Chips'.

Cllr Roach said: 'I have a fundamental problem with treating council tenants to ice cream and fish and chip suppers, which I think is patronising.' Cllr Kevin Wilson said that the Chat and Chips event did not attract the younger generation. He said: 'I am surprised somebody on the council has not thought about the connotations of the word Muppet.' Head of housing and property services, Nick Henderson, said: 'The cost of the event will be covered from housing rent not council tax. 'We have arranged this event for our tenants to be able to offer them help and advice and to tell us how we can improve our service to them.

'The council appreciates that today’s tough cause hardship for our tenants. It will provide advice and an opportunity to pick up money saving ideas.' The TaxPayers’ Alliance criticised the Muppet idea. Robert Oxley, their campaign manager, said: 'If councillors are really worried about hard pressed families then they should stop wasting taxpayers’ money on gimmicks like council funded days out.



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Guinevere wrote:Explain to me again what a district council is?

keld feldspar wrote:That sounds like something I would write.

Does nobody proof read any more?