AN unchallenged electricity bill for the Roundhouse building has been blamed for a series of high bills totalling nearly £3,000 since February this year.
Concern was raised about the high electricity bills for the small building in Church Street by cllr Mike Sankey, who noted that the Roundhouse has not been in regular use since its former tenant left in October last year.
An electricity bill for over £1,000 was received in February; another bill for over £1,000 in June; and more recently, a bill for over £900 was sent to the town council, who own the building.
An investigation by town council staff found that the bills were based on estimated usage, and should have been challenged when the first high bill was received in February.
It is “expected” and “anticipated” that the town council will be due a refund from their electricity supplier.
Speaking at a full town council meeting earlier this month, the town council’s economic development manager, David McKnight, said, “When the previous tenant ended their lease in October 2019, the first bill following their exit was received in February, and it was over £1,000. That is the one, in hindsight, that should have been challenged and it wasn’t for a variety of reasons, primarily work pressures associated with Covid.
“A new tenant took on the building in March, using the Roundhouse as a storage unit – as far as they can recollect, they have never plugged anything into the electric supply, and has simply flicked the lights on when using the building.
“But we’ve had another bill for over £1,000 in June, and we’ve received recently a bill for over £900 – all based on estimates.”
