A MOTION calling for a halt to refurbishments of a major Penrith building, calling the plans "short sighted", has been defeated.

The motion, presented by Penrith west ward councillor Jonathan Davies, was defeated at an extraordinary meeting of Penrith Town Council last Monday by seven votes to three, with two abstentions.

Mr Davies' motion requested that the town council call on Eden District Council to halt their plans for the redevelopment of Voreda House, which was purshased by the authority from the NHS last year.

This purchase was the first step in the council's ambitious plan to have the building refurbished into the "UK's first net-zero-carbon retrofit office", and run all of its services from the site upon completion.

But Mr Davies challenged the logic of the planned move, which would see the council move its current operations from Mansion House and Penrith Town Hall.

He called on the council to halt the plans until "the outcome of the Local Government Reorganisation in Cumbria is completed, and the future of Eden District Council is established and concluded".

Mr Davies argued that with the potential of local government reform "drastically changing the local authority framework in Eden", the "very existence of Eden Councli as a district authority is at threat".

As such, Mr Davies said, "Eden Council is acting irresponsibly in pushing forward the Voreda House single site plans, when the future of the council is unknown".

Mr Davies' motion also raised the question of how the Covid-19 pandemic will impact on "how organisations operate in the future, with more people working remotely".

"Councils are required to demonstrated value for money. This proposal is short-sighted and not value for money," Mr Davies said.

Penrith east councillor James Fallows said there was a "strength of feeling" among a number of Penrith residents in support of Mr Davies' motion, judging by emails he had received from members of the public.

However, Mr Fallows said he felt what Mr Davies proposed the council resolved to say to Eden District Council "isn't an appropriate way of trying to conduct business between us and them".

Penrith north ward Councillor Paul Donald described himself as feeling "quite torn" on the issue, adding that because Penrith Town Council had decided not to join the Voreda House steering group, it "feels like we gave up any sense of ownership of what might happen to the building.

"But at the same time, I can see there are considerations about the Covid legacy, and whether or not buildings will be used in the same way," he added.

Penrith north councillor Ron Kenyon argued that were local government reorganisation to go ahead, residents will not "suddenly lose" the existing local authorities, and added that regardless of the final outcome of any local government restructure, there will stil be a need for "entities in areas to run particular segments of the council".

Councillor for the Penrith north ward, Scott Jackson, spoke against the motion from Mr Davies.

He said that an organisation such as Eden District Council "must operate as though it will continue to exist, right up until the moment it knows otherwise".

"Unitary authorities have been on the agenda longer than I've been in local government, which is about six years now.

"Eden District Council must seek value for taxpayers' money", Mr Jackson said, adding that it must do so right up until the moment it "does cease to exist", should local government reform go ahead.

Mr Jackson said that it is "fairly well known" that Penrith Town Hall and Mansion House, the current sites of Eden District Council's operations, are "not at all economical to run".

"Any modern building would run rings around them in efficiency ratings," he said.

"Put side by side, the existing is blown out of the water by the proposed in terms of value for taxpayers money," he said, adding that this argument is strengthened given the fact that Voreda House would have the "space to accommodate outlets for other organisations", bringing in revenue for the council.

Mr Jackson added that because of the "green credentials of this proposed building", it is in line for a Government grant of £856,000, further strengthening the case in favour of the project being value for money for Eden residents.

Further to this, Mr Jackson said that this project protects "the existence of public-facing local Government in Penrith", should local government reform go ahead.

"Any new organisation, any new unitary authority is going to take one look at the Town Hall and Mansion House and think these are inefficient draughty places that are going to take a lot of money to refurbish," he said.

"They're going to take one look at them, and pull out of Penrith.

"A new, modern, efficient building does the exact opposite.

"It could be the deciding factor in keeping a new council in touch with the people of Penrith."

Mr Jackson concluded by stating that "while this motion seeks to protect taxpayers' money, I think instead it serves to waste more of it, and indefinitely.

"While the intention is to question the timing, its conclusion is gravely in error, as action must be taken before the reorganisation, not after, when it would be too late to protect the Penrith residents' access to council services.

"It isn't EDC that are being short sighted. in fact, they're attempting to look after residents long after its own existence.

"I think it's this motion which is short sighted."

Plans for the refurbishment of Voreda House are still to be formally approved by Eden District Council.

The proposals include additions such as solar panels, allowing for the generation of renewable energy.

The council has described the plans for Voreda House as "providing greater value for money compared to the council's current offices", aiming to "better support flexible and modern ways of working and help the council to get closer to its ambitious zero-carbon goals".

"In light of a potential local government reorganisation, the move to Voreda House, a fit-for-purpose building, stands to better protect the locally-focused provision of services to residents of Eden and preserve local jobs," the council has recently stated.