SOUTHEND Council has paid consultants £45,000 of public money for a study to discover the “character” of the town.

London-based consultancy firm Urban Practitioners have been hired to prepare an “urban characterisation study” of the borough alongside council officers.

The study is preparation for the council’s core strategy, the main planning policy document for the coming years, and was paid for with a grant provided by the previous government. An e-mail from council planner Amy Roberts on behalf of the councillor for planning Mark Flewitt, states: “This characterisation study will describe the history and growth of the borough and map out the existing built form.

“It will also analyse the various types of streets and buildings in the borough and help to identify areas which have a defined character.”

But opposition councillors condemned the exercise as a waste.

Lib Dem leader Graham Longley said: “It’s a lot of money for information they could get from councillors or people who live in the town, rather than paying consultants.

“It will probably tell us what we already know.”

Mark Flewitt, the councillor for planning, said Mr Longley was “creating a fuss”, but admitted the money would not be forthcoming in the present climate from the Government.

He said: “This study is not something we can easily do ourselves. Elements of it are highly-specialised and it will give us key characteristics of the town.

“The information is expected to last about 20 to 25 years minimum.

“This kind of quality consultation doesn’t happen very often. I would say it’s money very well spent.”

He added: “Something like this wouldn’t be happening now. The current Government would not consider this kind of expenditure appropriate. But we do things as cheaply as we can.”

Martin Terry, leader of the council's Independent group, said: “I was born in Southend, attended school locally and even worked on the cockle boats. They could have asked me rather than spending that money.”

The core strategy, which all councils must have, guides policy on planning such as how to judge planning applications as well as other related issues like job creation.

The firm helped draw up the Southend town centre masterplan on behalf of Renaissance Southend and were recently appointed by Castle Point Council to develop a masterplan for Hadleigh.