The future of the Town Hall Cottage is again on the agenda – item 100 – at Rye Town Council on Monday evening, April 13. This is the historic building adjacent to the town hall, wrested back from Rother following local government reorganisation in the 1970s. Rye owns it. Up until now, it has been let out on six-monthly contracts, providing additional income to the council.
On February 9 this year, the council asked councillors on the Local Affordable Housing Working Group to hold an initial meeting. The proposal being put forward is then, presumably, the result of their deliberations. Part A of the proposal asks the council to consider to let, not sell, the cottage as holiday accommodation. Part B suggests starting the process of obtaining a loan to fund the purchase of two residential properties – to be let at an affordable rent to younger Rye families.
Some councillors have in the past favoured a sale of our town asset to part-fund such a process and might still wish to pursue this option.
I confess that item 100 came as a bit of a shock to me when I opened my agenda papers for the meeting and the following questions spring to mind:
- Should a council make a first dive into the holiday rental market and do battle with issues of administration and the dreaded VAT?
- Does it have the time and experience to organise the furnishing and refurbishment inherent in such a project?
- Should Rye Town Council become a social housing provider without any experience or expertise to do the job?
- Who will choose the lucky two youngsters from the many who are unable to find accommodation in Rye?
- The lack of affordable housing is a major problem for Rye but would it not be better for a new set of councillors to pursue the matter vigorously with Rother, the official provider of such accommodation?
- Should a council 24 days from an election be making such important decisions about the future of a community asset – your cottage?
And when, we are entitled to ask, did the public discussion / consultation about this take place?
Mary Smith is a retiring Rye town councillor / Photo: Tony Nunn