The Burnham pontoon is one step closer to being renovated, after councillors recommended for approval a £60,000 scheme to carry out "urgent" works on the attraction.

The strategy and resources committee at Maldon District Council came to the decision last night (Thursday, 3 February), after hearing the pontoon, on the Quay, has suffered rust damage alongside "wear and tear" since being installed in 2006 - with no money having been spent on its maintenance so far.

Praising the scheme, Councillor Wendy Stamp said: "I was actually going to applaud that this council is actually going to invest in Burnham-on-Crouch for once in a while."

She added: "I've had conversations with an officer about possible uses in the future on how we can get an income if we can get it back up to scratch - so I certainly will support that project, it goes without saying."

Members also queried the cost of the scheme, with Councillor Sue White saying "there's no real cost benefit, this is effectively just a vanity cost".

But Councillor Christopher Swain, chairman of the committee, said: "There are two aspects - one about preserving it because it's an important asset for the town, but also it's one of a number of projects which we will be looking to generate more income in the future."

Councillor Penny Channer, the newly-elected leader of the council, added: "It would be a great loss if that pontoon wasn't there, actually, a fundamental loss to Burnham-on-Crouch."

A report to the committee says: "The projected life of the pontoon was 15 years and, due to an absence of any maintenance agreement or budget following its installation, the pontoon now demands a comprehensive assessment and renovation to ensure its longevity as a serviceable walkway for river users."

It says the pontoon, which is accessible to the public and used as a right of way to access a private ferry across the River Crouch, "urgently requires renovation work to prevent accidents or significant damage".

The renovation scheme is one of several capital projects put forward by officers as part of the council's capital strategy prior to the approval of its 2022/23 budget and updated medium-term financial strategy, which will be presented to full council on 24 February.

Officers said: "As part of the budget strategy, the broad principles adopted in relation to capital are that expenditure will be financed from existing useable capital resources and not directly from revenue."

At the beginning of the 2021/22 financial year, the council had capital reserves of £2m.

£500,000 has been allocated to support the 2021/22 capital programme, which leaves £1.5m to support future programmes for 2022/23 and beyond.

Chris Leslie, director of resources at the council, said: "There is no borrowing requirement as expenditure will be funded from capital receipts reserve or government grants."

If approved by full council, the works to the pontoon would be completed by November.

The committee voted to recommend the capital strategy for approval - including the pontoon project - and the final decision will now be made at the next full council meeting on 24 February.

Councillors also approved a new scheme to replace the sale of memorial benches in the district's parks, which you can read about here.