No refreshments please, we’re Conservative!

Remember when after a walk or bike ride at Marsh Farm you could buy a lovely coffee and piece of cake and admire the view?

Those days appear long gone after Essex County Council decided that to maximize profits all its Country Parks should have the same caterer. The trouble was, as revealed by an FOI submitted by the SWF Residents Party, is that the non-local company which won it did not see any value in serving Marsh Farm users, making less than £1200 on the few days it operated.

Fast forward to 2024 and despite promises and assurances, our riverside country park is a refreshment free zone.

Now it can be revealed that Conservative Essex County Council has not included Marsh Farm in the latest tender.

The FOI which can be found here reveals Essex County Council is running a further procurement exercise with the winning company yet to be announced, but that Marsh Farm is no longer included as a location and ECC is ‘currently considering its options’ for our country park.

We are ever hopeful that that one of those ‘options’ includes the possibility that Essex County Council will think again and offer a local tender to a local business so we can all enjoy a refreshing snack while admiring that beautiful view.