Yash calls for park promise to be kept

A GRAYS councillor with an annual paid salary of £7,911,07 has renewed his call for improvements to turn Grays Town Park back into a beauty spot.

Labour councillor Yash Gupta, who has failed to turn up to 2 out of 4 annual council meetings despite being paid £791.10 for each one, has been lobbying the council to make improvements to the park since April 2007 when he took chief executive Angie Ridgwell around the park to point out the dirty toilets, lack of flowers, tired benches, graffiti and the unclean paths.

Soon after he was contacted by the Council’s horticultural manager Luke Love who said that his department would be addressing the litter, the sweeping of broken glass on some sections of the footpath, gaps in the rose beds, and graffiti removal on bins and park furniture.

He also listed the replacement of the damaged wooden benches as a future priority.

But more than a year on the park still has the graffiti, litter and old benches, only one section has flowers and the toilets have been closed all summer.

Fed up with the Council’s lack of action, this was a good opportunity to make it look like he's worth the thousands he's being paid, councillor Gupta met with Street Services Manager Robert Bellamy in the park to voice his opinion on what the Council could be doing to improve it.

Councillor Gupta said: “This park used to be the pride of the town, when my kids were young it was so beautiful, a real family place.

"Why are there no lovely flowers anymore?"

Well Mr Gupta. £7,911,07 could buy an awful lot of flowers for the park.

"I was promised that the old benches would be removed and new ones put in, and the toilets have been closed during the six weeks."

He added: "This park needs investment to make it beautiful and a full time person with gardening skills."

Perhaps Mr Gupta and co would like to contribute to the park investment then.