A UKIP councillor has hit back at criticism from the Conservatives about plans to scrap three regeneration schemes.

In yesterday’s Echo, it was revealed that Basildon Council’s regeneration and policy committee was considering pulling funding for improvements to Billericay swimming pool, the high street and a car park in South Green.

Conservative party leader Phil Turner, who was leader of Basildon Council until he was ousted by the Labour, Ukip and Independent councillors joining forces, heavily criticised the decision.

Gavin Callaghan, leader of the resources and policy committee which is looking at the funding for the project at a meeting tonight, hung up when contacted by an Echo reporter about the proposal to cut the funding.

He then declined a call when they attempted to ring him again.

However, councillor Linda Allport-Hodge, vice-chairman of the committee, said she was “disgusted” by the comments made by Mr Turner.

She added that all councillors had been sent a note about the new committee system, which Mr Turner was ignoring, as it was the environment and regeneration committee which would decide the fate of the projects, not the policy and resources committee, so the criticism of herself and Mr Callaghan by Mr Turner was misplaced as they were only looking at the funding side.

Mrs Allport-Hodge said: “I am particularly disgusted with Mr Turner’s attempts to divide the community.

“If these schemes are really that good, why have they not been started already?”

So far, only £3,000 has been spent on the three schemes, but funding has been ringfenced for them, including £365,000 for improvements to Billericay High Street, £80,000 for South Green car park and £15,000 to improve Billericay pool.

She said - sarcastically - that Mr Turner kept saying how Pitsea had “never looked better” when they had closed the swimming pool down, and that councillors were only trying to make sure that the other regeneration projects lived up to this standard set by the Conservatives.