“IT'S like marmite” was the term used by Cllr Frank Partridge when the Bude Light was up for discussion at Bude-Stratton Town Council’s recreation committee meeting last week.

It has been a topic that has evoked many different responses over the past several months, with some calling for it to be taken down, while others want it restored back to it’s former glory — and in many ways, made even better than it ever was to begin with.

In the Post’s ‘Letters to the Editor’ section last week, Lucille Opie wrote, ‘The Bude Light was chosen by Bude-Stratton Town Council and its people with Millennium funding as our heritage to honour our forgotten genius Goldsworthy Gurney and it stands proudly in front of the Castle, a popular meeting place for all to visit.

‘The Bude-Stratton Town Council’s remit is to look after and maintain the light. Maintenance funding was included in the original quote as were explicit instructions on how the maintenance should be carried out.

‘Very unfortunately this has not been adhered for several years and is the reason why the light has deteriorated so badly into its present state.’

Lucille urged members of the public to go along to the meeting last Thursday evening to tell the councillors that they ‘expect to hear the Bude Light will be fully refurbished, renovated and restored to its original state as soon as possible to be ready for the summer visitors and locals to enjoy.’

Out of the members of the public that did attend the meeting, and spoke during the public participation section, Chris Jewell took a slightly different stance on the Bude Light.

He said: “I don’t like it — never have. When it was first put in, we were promised that it would bring bus loads of tourists to see this piece of artwork I suppose you’d call it, but I’m yet to see that.”

Lesley Moores, however, was in full support of seeing the Bude Light restored to its former glory.

“I would like the council to get it back to how it was, and even more spectacular really, with a much brighter light. By doing this, it would give the public something they can see the money being spot on instead of on things that can go unnoticed.”

Non-committee member Cllr Peter La Broy was also in favour of getting the necessary work done and said: “The recreation committee has done some good work in the past with prudent financial planning and working with the community to provide planned grass cutting and environmental management services.

“The Bude Light and the mast on Summerleaze Downs [also on the agenda] — from the ketch Elizabeth — are part of the fabric of our society. They appear on postcards of Bude and are known far and wide as landmarks of the town.

“I hope the committee makes a firm commitment to the preservation and ongoing maintenance of them so that locals and visitors can enjoy them for many years to come.”

Once the committee reached the item on the agenda, chairman Cllr Frank Partridge said: “To get the Bude Light back to its former glory, it would cost a considerable sum of money. As the Heritage Lottery Fund helped us commission the Light, we should see if they have any form of grant scheme that we could apply for to help with the costs.”

Anthony Fanshawe and Carole Vincent designed the Bude Light and in March, Mr Fanshawe returned to Bude to examine the condition of it and write a report of the work that needs to be done as well as provide a quote.

All of these details were distributed to all Bude-Stratton Town Council members, but as the council needed to obtain quotes from at least two other sources, Cllr Partridge informed the other councillors that the document contained ‘commercially sensitive’ information that shouldn’t be made public as it would be unfair to Mr Fanshawe.

For that reason, Cllr Partridge hoped that the committee would deem it appropriate to defer the item until the council had obtained other quotes.

Other councillors disagreed, and felt the specific nature of the Mr Fanshawe’s work required him and only him to carry out the work and that the council should just move forward with the plans to refurbish the Bude Light.

Cllr Alan Biggs said: “The only thing commercially sensitive about the document is the price. The right thing to do is to simply have that part of the document redacted and make it available for everyone.”

Promotions, marketing and events officer Andrew Morgan said that when Mr Fanshawe came to look at the light he said that as he designed it, he would be the only one able to fix it unless he gave his specification out to another company, which is his choice to do.

Mr Morgan added: “The last time there was some work done on the light for its upkeep, the wrong lacquer was used and that’s why we’re in the situation we are now.”

Cllr La Broy said: “It strikes me that Mr Fanshawe may be the only one that knows how to fix it, and if we go out to tender he will need to write a specification for others to use.”

Cllr Paul Tilzey said: “Either way, whoever fixes it, we need to look after it, it’s part of the Bude scene now.”

If anything was made clear regarding the Bude Light at the meeting, it was that the council will refurbish it, whether that’s through Mr Fanshawe or another means, that is yet to be decided.

Some councillors were keen to make some progress in terms of the town council showing intent to get the light back looking its best so that when members of the public read the meeting’s minutes, they can see the direction it’s going in.

Cllr Partridge said: “This committee has no intention of letting this light get into any further deterioration. We will be keeping it going, we just want to look at other quotes and be sensible with using council money.”

Cllr Biggs advised the other committee members to be careful with how they word the work they plan to have carried out as he was concerned with raising people’s expectations. He said that there is a big difference between a complete restoration of the Bude Light and some minor refurbishment works.

Cllr Paul Curtis proposed that in order to move this matter forward Bude-Stratton Town Council agrees in principal to refurbish the Bude Light, seek other funding and obtain necessary tenders. The committee were all in favour.

After the meting, Cllr La Broy questioned why Mr Fanshawe’s report was only seen by members of the committee, adding: “I thought that the council should deal with the problems right away rather than defer any action.

“The structure is so specialised that I can’t believe that we shouldn’t be taking the advice and repair work from the original constructing engineer. If the council has allowed the structure to fall into disrepair it should make it good without delay.”