Consultants paid £300,000 to sell off council land

3:00pm Thursday 15th November 2012 in Echo News Exclusive By Jon Austin

Tony Ball Tony Ball

COUNCIL chiefs are paying £300,000 to consultants to dream up plans for a controversial housing development in Laindon.

A private firm will prepare proposals for a new housing scheme on the council owned green off Ballards Walk so it can be sold off to help plug a £5million debt run up during the development of the £35million sports village in Gloucester Park.

Council leader Tony Ball said: “The planning specialists will develop an outline planning application and dispose of the site. They need £300,000 to act as advisers and prepare the application.

“This area was always going to come up for housing at some time to protect green belt areas.”

Basildon Labour group leader Nigel Smith reacted with dismay to the cash involved, saying residents did not even want the site developed.

He said: “We are Losing a facility and the taxpayer has to stick their hand in their pocket to pay £300,000 for advice to dispose of a bit of land they don’t want to get rid. It is good money if you can get it, so we don’t have the skills to do this? I think we need a stronger case for this sort of spend.”

Comments(24)

Olivia2847 says...
3:01pm Thu 15 Nov 12

They are involved in education as well are they? Pig, trough, greed comes to mind ....

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Eric Whim says...
3:03pm Thu 15 Nov 12

maybe they need to think about using that 300 grand on lowering the alleged 500 grand left outstanding as debt on the Sporting Village.

The quicker that that Ballards Walk plot of land is applied for Village green status the better.

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Eric Whim says...
3:04pm Thu 15 Nov 12

which Councillor's mates run this Consultancy firm?

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Eric Whim says...
3:09pm Thu 15 Nov 12

how much for your granny Tony?

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Ells says...
3:38pm Thu 15 Nov 12

Eric Whim wrote:
how much for your granny Tony?
“This area was always going to come up for housing at some time to protect green belt areas.”

Really? Tell that to the residents of Lee Chapel South and Dry Street Tony!

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Eric Whim says...
3:43pm Thu 15 Nov 12

Ells wrote:
Eric Whim wrote:
how much for your granny Tony?
“This area was always going to come up for housing at some time to protect green belt areas.”

Really? Tell that to the residents of Lee Chapel South and Dry Street Tony!
if the confederation of outraged dog emptiers can get that recreation ground in Vange saved and Sun Corner gets protection from development (no real surprise there though as it's in the sacred boundaries of untouchable Billericay) then surely the allied dog emptiers and friends of Ballards Walk can get themselves organised in order to apply for Villlage Green status.


The land 'only' has t have been used recreationally for twenty years to be considered but they'd better get in quick before the rules are changed in a year or so.

I suggest they check out last weekend's airing of the BBC's 'Countryfile' on the iPlayer or catch up TV to get the necessary gen.

This grasping Council has got to go!

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bazza 1 says...
4:44pm Thu 15 Nov 12

Basildon will soon be the "New London ", with wall to wall houses, and no open spaces. I totally dislike the attitude taken by the council, and the attitude to green spaces. Many end up losing, to appease the few, and it's not right.

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Olivia2847 says...
4:45pm Thu 15 Nov 12

Eric Whim wrote:
Ells wrote:
Eric Whim wrote:
how much for your granny Tony?
“This area was always going to come up for housing at some time to protect green belt areas.”

Really? Tell that to the residents of Lee Chapel South and Dry Street Tony!
if the confederation of outraged dog emptiers can get that recreation ground in Vange saved and Sun Corner gets protection from development (no real surprise there though as it's in the sacred boundaries of untouchable Billericay) then surely the allied dog emptiers and friends of Ballards Walk can get themselves organised in order to apply for Villlage Green status.


The land 'only' has t have been used recreationally for twenty years to be considered but they'd better get in quick before the rules are changed in a year or so.

I suggest they check out last weekend's airing of the BBC's 'Countryfile' on the iPlayer or catch up TV to get the necessary gen.

This grasping Council has got to go!
Or The Lodge - Eric, a good well thought out comment - thank you,

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Audioman says...
5:11pm Thu 15 Nov 12

Best Council Leader we have had,does a very good job in these taxing times.
Hope Tony stays in the job for a long time to come.

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SpiffSpaffington1984 says...
5:13pm Thu 15 Nov 12

Basildon council has the taxpayer over a desk with their trousers down

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Eric Whim says...
5:15pm Thu 15 Nov 12

SpiffSpaffington1984 wrote:
Basildon council has the taxpayer over a desk with their trousers down
and a plate of pies and a crate of ale on the taxpayer's back so they can continue to trough away while shafting them

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jolllyboy says...
5:18pm Thu 15 Nov 12

Am i reading this right? they are paying people to agree to the best way to do this. i thought we paid the high salaries for people because they were the best and did not need consultants. That is all aside from the moral of the building inthe first place. Shame on them.
ps can I became a consultant please seems thats where the money is these days cos noone seems to be able to do their own job any more.

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Olivia2847 says...
5:22pm Thu 15 Nov 12

Audioman wrote:
Best Council Leader we have had,does a very good job in these taxing times.
Hope Tony stays in the job for a long time to come.
Creep !

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Druggie Scumbag says...
5:52pm Thu 15 Nov 12

@Eric Whim who wrote:

"Sun Corner gets protection from development (no real surprise there though as it's in the sacred boundaries of untouchable Billericay)"

Eric, you should understand that the green at Sun corner is sacred turf to many in Billy. It has been the traditional courting corner for generations of Billy folk and many have taken refuge there in chemically induced psychedelic trances to watch the purple sun set over the now defunct police station. It is our little piece of heaven on Earth. You don't really begrudge us that, do you?

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Discouraged says...
5:53pm Thu 15 Nov 12

Eric Whim wrote:
which Councillor's mates run this Consultancy firm?
Just what I was wondering.

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Eric Whim says...
5:56pm Thu 15 Nov 12

Druggie Scumbag wrote:
@Eric Whim who wrote:

"Sun Corner gets protection from development (no real surprise there though as it's in the sacred boundaries of untouchable Billericay)"

Eric, you should understand that the green at Sun corner is sacred turf to many in Billy. It has been the traditional courting corner for generations of Billy folk and many have taken refuge there in chemically induced psychedelic trances to watch the purple sun set over the now defunct police station. It is our little piece of heaven on Earth. You don't really begrudge us that, do you?
no, but it would be nice if some of the green spaces in Bas were treated with the same reverence that the ones in Billericay are.

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dave1812 says...
6:28pm Thu 15 Nov 12

It seems these councillors can't scratch their arses without paying consultants obscene amounts of money to do it for them.

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leslog says...
6:44pm Thu 15 Nov 12

this pigs ear of a council seem unable to do maths ,how comes a prime site the swimming pool and adjacent park land was sold off to Tory supporting builders for housing development and the council still have a shortfall to pay for on the nearby sporting village ,also sell off council owned swimming pool in Pitsea for another supermarket,and for years have been led up the garden by owners of Laindon shopping centre re development, with local residents having to put up for years with this eyesore ,the best thing to happen would be at the first opportunity this council to be given there marching orders by residents of basildon and a council is appointed who listen and act on residents wishes

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Devils Advocate says...
7:16pm Thu 15 Nov 12

What a dirty piece of work these people are. It begs the question why every penny of the outrageous cost of the paddling pool has to be borne by the green space of our town. His old cronies, the Buckleys, have already managed to get thousands shifted towards Wickford memorial park's improvements, they have the Queen (God bless 'er) protecting the old Presland's fairground in Willerbicay, but they are commiting wholesale rape of the parks and green spaces in Basildon. Then of course, it does enable them to save on the rates bill for the out of towners, so that must be good for them. I think we will have to all pull together and work to rid ourselves of these people, who have hated Basildon ever since the "Billericay Urban District Council" was made Basildon council. This is rapidly going beyond politic. We should now call into question the local version of democracy created by our local council!

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Lastlaugh... says...
8:55pm Thu 15 Nov 12

Anything Ball is involved with is bound to be an expensive 'balls-up'

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TheWizzard says...
4:07pm Fri 16 Nov 12

Audioman wrote:
Best Council Leader we have had,does a very good job in these taxing times.
Hope Tony stays in the job for a long time to come.
This has probably got more to do with the £200,000,000 debt tony and his cronies have got this town into!

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Olivia2847 says...
5:24pm Fri 16 Nov 12

That's Horrible Ives off Porridge - never forget a face like that. B Wing Chelmsford - 1998 - the Narks Squad!

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Spyglass says...
8:04pm Fri 16 Nov 12

Get Rid Of This Council?

I totally agree, nothing would please me more.
So why didn't it happen in the last local election?
Too many working class Tories (worst kind) in the "borough" boundary.

FREEDOM FOR PITSEA

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Devils Advocate says...
9:32pm Fri 16 Nov 12

Trouble is, We do not vote for them Laindon West, Langdon Hills, Billericay and Wickford and all the idle eaters. (Clever trick I thought, Idolator: one who worships an idol. In this case the false idols,money and pies.) How do you dispose of those that aren't even here with the democracy that they created for themselves?

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