CONTROVERSIAL plans to fill a gap in dental provision for the elderly in Newquay could be scuppered.

Mayor Margaret North and town clerk Andy Curtis are allegedly blocking plans for councillors to use their Community Chest funds to pay for the charity Dentaid to visit the town amid concerns the initiative does not fit the criteria for the funding.

But councillors who decided to do a whip-round to ensure the plan becomes a reality argue it does fit the criteria.

The initiative follows Newquay Town Council voting against Cllr Mark Formosa’s proposal to bring the charity to the town as they felt it was inappropriate to use £10,000 of taxpayers’ money on health care.

The town council’s decision caused bad feeling as Cllr Formosa was subsequently found guilty of breaching the councillors’ code of conduct and ordered to apologise to the Mayor at the budget meeting in December. He refused to do so.

The councillor wrote to the town clerk asking him to make the necessary arrangements for Dentaid to visit following the offer of Community Chest money from a group of councillors, but says he is getting nowhere.

Cllr North declined to comment on the matter whilst the town clerk was unavailable.