Since becoming the Leader of the Harlow Alliance Party in 2019, I have come to realise that both main politic parties are very good at spending other people’s money, often on vanity schemes which are of no benefit to the residents which they are supposed to represent.
The Conservative Party in Harlow spent many years in opposition complaining about the poor performance of the Labour Administration, who wasted money planning schemes that never materialised or schemes such as the resurfacing of Market Square just a few years ago which cost over a quarter of a million pounds.
Since before last Christmas, like me, many residents have become bemused by the time it is taking to resurface areas of paving along Harvey Centre Approach, Broadwalk and East Walk. Even when work is being undertaken, few workmen have been on site. As a second thought I have wondered how much this work is costing and ponder if some repairs and a deep clean of the existing surfaces would have been a much cheaper option.
I made a Freedom of Information request of Harlow Council, seeking an answer to the question of how much this work is costing (never mind where the money is coming from). It also begs the question of when work will start on the former Occasio House site and how much will be spent on paving and a new road on that site.
So how much I hear you ask? Well it is just a mere £6,954,000!