A GROUP which promotes Abingdon has held an away-day meeting — in Faringdon.

Eighteen members of the Choose Abingdon Partnership spent all day at the three-star Sudbury House Hotel, 15 miles away, on Monday discussing the best way to bring businesses, shoppers and tourists to the town.

Last night, the partnership, which is funded by Abingdon Town Council, Vale of White Horse District Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Abingdon Chamber of Commerce and Abingdon Business Alliance, was criticised for holding the event away from the town it is supposed to be promoting, while one venue said it would have hosted it free of charge.

But Choose Abingdon manager Heather Brown defended the move as a practical decision because the people at the meeting needed to be focused, not distracted by emails or be late returning from lunch after visiting their own offices in Abingdon.

She said: “Everyone is really busy and they are all the type of people that if you give them a lunch hour they would all buzz off and do their emails and not come back on time.

“We had some heavy strategic issues to cover effecting the future of the partnership that needed commitment and concentration.

“It was a practical decision. At the end of the day it is only £400 that we spent in the ‘wrong’ town. Generally, we do everything in the town centre. It is not about there not being a suitable place in Abingdon, and at the end of the day Faringdon is in the Vale.”

The partnership spent £545.95 on the hotel, but will get the VAT on that back.

It usually meets once a month at the town council offices in Abbey Close.

Abingdon property developer, Steve King, said: “You would think that Choose Abingdon would choose Abingdon as its venue. It is fundamental. It is there to promote the town and increase vitality. It is total contradiction in terms.

“It is obscene, so wasteful and just not necessary. They meet normally in the council offices. How can they justify supporting this?”

Mervyn Knight, of F Knight & Sons hardware store in Ock Street, said: “It is disappointing that it was not held closer to the town.”

The partnership could have hired a meeting room at the Four Pillars in Marcham Road or Cosener’s House in Abbey Close (both at £35 per person = £630).

Steve Hipgrave, landlord of the King’s Head and Bell in East St Helen Street, said the partnership was welcome to use his committee room free.

Mrs Brown said the King’s Head and Bell was not suitable because it did not have disabled access and one member had trouble getting up stairs.

Leader of the opposition at the district council, Matthew Barber, said: “As the partnership is publicly funded, I think it only right that they publish the conclusions of their discussions at the away day to reassure taxpayers that they are getting value for money.

“It is interesting bearing in mind the cost that it could not have been held at the council offices in Abingdon for free.”

The partnership, which replaced the Joint Economic Forum in September 2009, has an annual budget of £60,000.