Empty sand bunkers could be sold for scrap metal
SAND bunkers which remained empty during Tewkesbury's recent floods could be sold off for scrap metal.
The town council was criticised for having bought the three bunkers, for hundreds of pounds each, and yet not used them during November and December's flooding.
Councillors said at the time that they thought the borough council was going to supply the sand so that residents worried about their homes flooding could make sandbags.
But the borough council denied it had been asked to supply the sand.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013
Now some town councillors have said they feel the bunkers should never have been bought in the first place and the logistical problems involved in filling them with sand mean they should be sold off.
Pete Aldridge told a full council meeting: "The way forward is to dispose of them. Maybe we could get something back on the value of the metal, though we wouldn't get anything near what it cost us."
Vernon Smith said the bunkers had been bought, following the disastrous floods of 2007, to try to help people who could not get sandbags from the borough or county councils.
But he said, in hindsight, the town council had made a mistake to think that it had the resources needed to quickly fill the bunkers with sand.
"We have to remember we're a parish council. We didn't have the ability to do what we were aspiring to do. That's what went wrong.
"We need to sell them and get as much money as we can and perhaps we should buy some sandbags.
"We have to hold our hands up and say we tried but we made a mistake and should recoup as much money as we can on these containers," he said.
Kevin Cromwell said councillors, as public employees, would not be allowed to climb up on ladders to empty sand into the bunkers.
But Chuck Pavey said he was convinced they could be safely filled from the back of a tipper truck and staff would not have to climb ladders.
The council decided that its environment committee should now consider the matter.
OPINION, P8
Comments
by tewkman
Wednesday, January 16 2013, 7:07PM
“I often wonder what they are really there for.....we would be better off with a bunch of primary school kids running this council. I thought these bins were a total waste of money from the start, so how much did they cost and which councillor or councillors agreed to spending our money on them?
With so many builders merchants in the town it would have been far better to had an agreement with one to supply sand!”
by andypandy789
Wednesday, January 16 2013, 6:52PM
“Why don't they just keep them filled? I cannot believe the councillors involved. Former mayors who shoukld know better.
That way you don't lose any money by selling them for less than paid for because they will be being used.
Hate to think of what we would get if we tried to sell one of the incompetent named councillors in the article. In fact we would have to pay somebody to take them off our hands.”
by FreeRadical1
Wednesday, January 16 2013, 6:41PM
“What a huge amount of incompetence. Are Tewkesbury Town Councillors really counted as 'public employees'? Also, if Tewkesbury town council is only a parish council, how come it has a mayor? I've always wondered why Tewkesbury Town has a mayor, in addition to Tewkesbury Borough.”