WHAT SHOULD EPPING'S SPENDING PRIORITIES BE?

Epping Town Council has recently directed the Town Clerk (as the most senior member of the Council’s staff) to bring forward a list of projects in the town which require significant maintenance so that the Council can then prioritise that list of work and consider the financial impact to forthcoming budgets. The list submitted is as below:

1. Epping Cemetery - Replace 20m of path - £4,000.
2. Stonards Hill - Create new pedestrian entrance with steps and a kissing gate - £3,000.
3. Stonards Hill - Replace hard tennis court fencing - £3,000 per year x4
4. Stonards Hill - Reseat 2 benches and replace 1 concrete ring rubbish bin - £1,500.
5. Stonards Hill - Replace fencing around the petanque terrain - £2,000.
6. Jack Siley Pavilion - Renew the flooring in the ladies and gents toilets and entrance hall - £3,000.
7. Jack Siley Pavilion - Install bow top fencing at rear of hall - £500.
8. Parklands Play Area - Replace bow top perimeter fencing - £10,000.
9. Frampton Road Play Area - Repaint existing play equipment - £4,600.
10. Lower Swaines Play Area - Refurbish play area - min of £15,000.
11. Lower Swaines - Manage hedge adjacent to St. John’s School - £3,500.
12. Ivy Chimneys Play Area - Clear and replant the hedge to the left of the entrance - £5,000.
13. Ivy Chimneys Play Area - Repair part of the old bow top fencing - £2,000.
14. Fingerposts - Repair and repaint the worst post - £600.
15. Bakers Lane Toilets - Strip off tiles and replace with metal panels - £9,000.
16. Epping Hall - Reset concrete slabs to the side of the main hall - £2,000.
17. Epping Hall - Provide storage space to the rear of the main hall - £1,500.

I often look at the figures pulled together by officers and wonder where on earth they get them from. I ask myself, how can it cost that much to cut a hedge back! However, local Councils are subject to rigorous health and safety checks. All work carried out has to meet high national standards and work has to be carried out with accredited companies to meet the requirements of not only the health and safety executive, but also the Council’s insurers. We can often only ever use contractors who are on county ‘preferred supplier’ lists. Where possible, we endeavour to use local companies to carry out such work to ensure that local taxes are being spent supporting local businesses, but we recognise that the best value for money sometimes comes from further afield.

Ultimately, Epping Town Council will be asked next Tuesday what they think should be the top priorities for the town. We currently only have a £20,000 maintenance budget available to us which has to last until next April and I would like to know what you think we should be focusing on. You can email me at allaboutepping@googlemail.com Please note that items 1, 2, 8, 13 and 16 have health and safety implications for the Council. Item 3 will rapidly become unusable if work it not carried out swiftly. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.