MALVERN Town Council is looking to set aside £25,000 of taxpayers money to upgrade its website – a sum labelled as ‘scandalous’.
A report before the council’s Policy and Resources Committee meeting on Tuesday (January 31) says the five-figure sum is needed so the council’s website can undergo a ‘major upgrade’.
The £25,000 sum equates to more than four per cent of the town council’s overall budget which for the 2017/18 financial year stands at 610,000.
However town clerk Linda Blake has said the final figure of £25,000 may not be as high and a final figure and specification has yet to be decided..
The report states that the £25,000 funding will come from the council’s earmarked reserves for the next financial year.
The document, available to view on the council’s website, states: “It is now four years since the website was launched and with the advancements in technology and the introduction of social media, it is recognised that the current Town Council website is now rather dated and needs a major upgrade.
“Officers have received feedback both from Councillors and members of the public that the website needs to be improved and updated.
“Particular areas of concern have been that the news page is not clear enough, details of Town Council events are difficult to find, there is no members’ area and also that agendas, reports and minutes are not easy to locate and view.
“It has also been noted that the Town Council has a limited presence on social media and that this should be both improved and linked to the Town Council website.
“At the Budget Working Party meeting held on 15 November 2016, it was agreed to budget £25,000 for an upgraded website. This was subsequently included with the overall budget for 2017/18 and agreed by Full Council on 20 December 2016.”
But the sum was labelled ‘scandalous’ by councillor Jeremy Thomas who recalled reports last year that Malvern Town Council made a payment of £447 for the purchase of three hardback register books – equating to £149 each.
He told the Observer: “I think it is a scandalous sum and I think it is worse than the huge costs that the council paid for the register books.
“I’m sure the council could look at paying a more considerable sum for the website. I would say that you could get a Rolls Royce for that kind of money.”
