The post you are reporting:
I think you underestimate most councillors, DT1. Sometimes the officers do get away with blue murder in which case you would have a point but, as a rule, it is the Councillors that set the policy.
The Whitfield offices were built based on policy decisions by members and a lot of 'old guard' officers were not in favour as their little empires tucked away in different corners of the District would be shaken up and in many cases reduced.
The fact is that it would have cost one hell of a lot more money to consolidate offices in Dover, as well as causing political problems. It was the best and right solution enabling purpose built energy efficient (in early 1980's terms) offices built over a phased period, paid for from the capital receipts received from selling the old offices. There was no net cost to the taxpayers in capital terms and a huge reduction in running costs. These savings were well worth having. That combined with area offices in the towns to serve the public was without a doubt the best solution, not only in cost terms but also in efficiency.
If we had spent double, CPO'ing land and building in Dover (or Deal), there would have been a public outcry about cost and would have been a crazy solution. Think about it, there would have been the added cost of land purchase, the extra cost inherant in town centre land and building, higher rates (yes Councils pay them), higher building costs and would be less accessible from other parts of the District.
What projects would have had to be shelved to pay for it. The pedestrianisation, for instance, (cost c. £5m) or the Town Hall repairs (£1m), the WCE at £14m perhaps leaving that site barren to this day, no new library, no cinema, no new museum and where would the Bronze Age Boat be? Perhaps the refurbishment of the Sports Centre we did at that time would not have happened. Thats just some of the capital expenditure items that followed within the next 5/6 years thanks, in part, to this cost efficient decision.
Money can only be spent once.