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Axmouth, Combpyne/Rousdon, Sidmouth Town and Uplyme parishes are jointly inviting tenders for lengthsman work (ditching, weeding, cleaning grips and buddles etc.) for the period ending 31st March 2015. It is expected that the contract will be extended to the following year if the pilot is successful.

Applicants are invited to tender, by 17th December 2014, for the pilot, which is expected to commence from the New Year at the very latest. (Deadline extended owing to lack of response.)

A specimen contract that indicates the duties expected can be obtained from the Uplyme Parish Clerk, Mrs L Wakeman, Horseman’s Hill Barn, Gore Lane, Uplyme, Lyme Regis  DT7 3RJ
01297 444707, clerk@uplymeparishcouncil.org.

Alternatively it can be downloaded: parish lengthsman scheme specification 2014-15 (PDF file).

Conditions

Written tenders to be submitted by hand or post in a sealed envelope marked “Parishes Together contract”, to either:

Mr C Holland, Town Clerk, Sidmouth Town Council, Woolcombe House, Woolcombe Lane, Sidmouth EX10 9BB

or Mrs L Wakeman, Parish Clerk, Horseman’s Hill Barn, Gore Lane, Uplyme, Lyme Regis  DT7 3RJ

Open, unmarked, or emailed tenders will be automatically disqualified.

More information

Axmouth, Combpyne/Rousdon, Sidmouth Town and Uplyme parishes have received joint funding from the East Devon District Council and Devon County Council for a pilot project to commission lengthsman work, under the ‘Parishes Together’ scheme, which encourages parishes to work together. They also have some extra money from DCC Highways to employ their own contractor, rather than relying on the county-provided service.

“Similar schemes in other parishes have shown that if the work done is locally-controlled it’s much more effective, so we now hope to reap the benefits ourselves. We will be able to get the most important jobs done quickly, and with local knowledge of the roads, we’re in a much better position to do this than the county’s contractors”.

“In days gone by, each parish had a lengthsman who was responsible for keeping ditches, drains and road edges clear of weeds and debris. This project hopes to return our currently-neglected rural lanes to a much better condition, by employing a local company under the direction of each Council. If this pilot is successful, we hope to continue with council tax-payer funding in future. As readers may know, Devon Highways has to find huge savings next year, and more and more of this sort of work will have to be done at the parish or town level!”