A council is going house hunting after a desperate bid to find new offices failed.

Myland Parish Council has been scouring north Colchester for a new base since November. But a shortage of rented office space means it is now being forced to look at buying somewhere instead.

The move will bump up council tax bills but councillors claim residents will only see a small rise. Clerk Gill Tansley said the council could borrow the cash from the Government.

"It won't cost us much more than we pay in rent so it wouldn't be a huge amount on bills," she said.

But buying somewhere isn't as easy as it seems. The council will still have to get the go-ahead to use a house as a parish HQ. And it could fall foul of planning rules.

Published Monday, January 17, 2005

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