TOWN councillors in Nailsea are to use new Freedom of Infor-mation Act legislation to find out where money allocated to be spent in the town has been used

TOWN councillors in Nailsea are to use new Freedom of Infor-mation Act legislation to find out where money allocated to be spent in the town has been used.Nailsea Town Council has submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to North Somerset Council amidst claims the authority spent thousands of pounds due to be spent on recycling in the town on improving car parks in the Weston-super-Mare area.It is understood that this is the first time a town council has submitted such a request to the authority.Town councillors are claiming the money was not spent in Nailsea and have a spreadsheet which reveals £20,000 of the £30,000 allocated for the town had been used to improve car parks in Worle and Kewstoke.The request asks for details of where the money was spent and also for the accounting details of the dispersal of the Tesco 106 planning agreement money. It also asks for invoices for the work carried out at Clevedon Road car park and for the original tender document.Nailsea town councillor Marston Dufty said: "It would appear to us that a large proportion of the money due to be spent in Nailsea has been spent elsewhere in the district."Quite clearly, if this is the case, it is very wrong and we are greatly concerned about it."It could be that we have been seriously shortchanged."The council has also written to North Somerset Council leader Nigel Ashton asking for a meeting to discuss how 106 money is spent.The meeting comes after the North Somerset Times revealed the authority has a massive £12million stashed in its accounts as a result of 106 planning agreements. Despite the figures being in black and white on the balance sheet, North Somerset Council has denied the money was spent outside of the town.A council spokesman said: "The money from the Nailsea Tesco 106 agreement was spent on the Scotch Horn play area, the leisure centre, refurbishing the High Street and on recycling facilities at Clevedon Road car park. "The money was spent in accordance with the 106 planning agreement.