DARTMOUTH Town Coun­cil has been left with egg on its face after two Girl Guides were mistakenly told they could use the Guildhall ballroom free of charge for a charity bingo evening.

The council’s chairman of finance Cllr Sue Thomson wrote to the teenagers confirming the ballroom was available for hire in September, adding there would be no cost involved.

But she had no authority to do so and at a special meeting on Monday the council made clear its policy on charges, saying there could be no free bookings.

‘If we give this now I could name about 40 organisations and good causes in the town who would be queuing up to use the ballroom for nothing,’ said Cllr Gina Coles. ‘We will opening the floodgates.’

However, mayor Cllr Rob Lyon praised the enterprising spirit of the Guides and the council agreed to invite them to apply for a grant which may help them towards the cost running the function and obtaining their Baden Powell Awards.

Emilie Frost and her friend Grace Chapman, both members of 1st Dartmouth Girl Guides, sent an email to about half-a-dozen town councillors, saying they were finding it hard to book and pay for a venue for a bingo evening they were planning in aid of Rowcroft Hospice and Devon Air Ambulance Trust.

Town clerk Tracy Rowe said she had tried on two occasions to contact Emilie’s mother to invite her to come and discuss the event but she had not been into the office.

The charge for the use of the ballroom would be £50, plus a £10 insurance fee, and possible extras for use of the kitchen, she said

Cllr Iris Pritchard said she did not agree with the way the potential booking had been handled.

‘Everything should come through the council and not individuals and by doing this it sets a precedent,’ she said.

‘We are constantly being told how much money the Guildhall has lost over the years and what we are now spending on it and then we are offering a free hit, which I totally disapprove of.’

Cllr Les Barnes said initially he thought the free offer was a good idea because it would enable the council to show off all the refurbishment work it had done to the Guildhall ballroom.

But on reflection the chairman of finance had made ‘a serious mistake’ by giving it the go ahead without talking to the council, he said.

‘It’s totally wrong and she obviously hasn’t read her Standing Orders very well.’

Cllr Barnes said possibly the ballroom could be made available at a reduced rate?

But Cllr Tessa de Galleani stressed: ’We should stick to our policy that says nobody has a free anything.

‘However, they can apply for a grant from Dartmouth Town Council to cover it. They have done nothing and not even bothered to get in touch with the town clerk. If they can’t get their act together, then I’m sorry, but they are out of order.’

Cllr Francis Hawke said he also had seen it as a chance to promote the Guildhall.

‘Unfortunately where we’ve gone wrong is the chairman of finance in her wisdom said “yes”.

‘And Mrs Frost has also not responded to the council. It’s generally a pig’s ear of a thing but we have to resolve it as clearly we have got a lot of egg on our face.’

Cllr Paul Allen reminded councillors the council had agreed at an earlier meeting that no decisions should be made by email.

He said there was a certain amount of responsibility on the person making an application to the council and it was not up to the clerk to have to chase everybody.

Cllr Tony Fyson suggested the matter be looked at ‘informally, outside the confines of public debate’.

‘We all have a residual responsibility for something that has gone wrong,’ he said.

‘All of us are the council together and it would be nice to think we could find a way round it.’

But Cllr Coles said: ‘The chairman of finance has done something she shouldn’t have done, so she has to say sorry.

‘It has to go to full council or all hell will be let lose. It can’t be done on the quiet.’

Cllr David Gent agreed saying: ‘Standing Orders is Standing Orders and we’ve got to obey them or we might as well throw the whole lot out the window.’

Cllr Fyson added he didn’t think it quite right the Guides were being encouraged to apply for a grant in order to get the council ‘off the hook’ for the mistake.

Cllr Thomson, who sent her apologies for not being able to attend the meeting, said afterwards: ‘The decision doesn’t come as a surprise. It is disappointing, as it was an opportunity for the town council to be seen in a positive way. It also would have been a chance for people to see what we are doing to the Guildhall.

‘Next spring the refurbishment should be complete. We are currently putting together a Guildhall broch­ure to promote weddings and functions.

‘I am aware that some councillors do not share my enthusiasm to make the Guildhall a successful venue. It has great potential for all to use. There is more in the pipeline to come.’