BASILDON council is set to consider agreeing to spend more than £10,000 on community projects including Christmas events and decorations as well as waste collections for bulky items.

Basildon Council's Pitsea area committee will consider the plans at a meeting after members of a community group in the town suggested the investment ideas.

If agreed the plans would see a £1,500.00 investment for the delivery of the Crunch service being delivered in Pitsea from the Pitsea Believe in Basildon Fund. 

A £3,000 investment towards the carols in the parks event in Pitsea, for the purchase of a lit Christmas tree for over the festive period from the Pitsea believe in Basildon fund, £4,000 additional investment for Pitsea specific Christmas celebration proposals from the Pitsea believe in Basildon fund and £1,560 funding award to the pitsea school uniform bank from the Pitsea community priorities fund.

A number of area committees have been set up to help improve those communities, these have access to two funding pots, Believe in Basildon fund and the funding for the 2024/25 municipal year for Pitsea is £39,945. The second is the community priority fund – and the funding for the 2024/25 municipal year for Pitsea is £13,333.

The meeting documents explain the projects and benefit to the community for each of the suggested investment ideas.

The documents say: "Alongside the carol concert, each location, should the proposal be agreed by the area committee, will also be dressed with a Christmas tree. 15 foot trees will be installed in early December, ahead of the concerts, and remain in situ until the close of the festive period. Trees will be professionally lit and will provide space for residents to attach messages and wishes for the festive season.

The date for the Pitsea carol in the park event is Monday December 9. This will be held in Northlands Park. 

"To further enhance the Pitsea carol in the park event, the pitsea area committee are asked to consider a further £4,000.00 spend in order to provide subsidised food vendors and to plant an additional permanent Christmas Tree in Northlands Park. This tree will aid future Christmas celebrations. Planting pre-Christmas 2024 will also allow the time for the tree to become mature and established for future Christmas events in Northlands Park.

"The crunch acts as a pop up household waste recycling centre which can be located at different locations in the borough. They act as a local site for residents to dispose of household waste and recycling materials.

"The aim is to provide an alternative solution to residents who may be unable to take their waste items to the local tip at Pitsea. The crunch sites operate on a Saturday morning between 9am and 12.30pm and residents can just turn up to dispose of their items. There are some restrictions on certain waste types and these are communicated on the website, social media and on signs at each site."