LEIGH Town Council has been accused of acting out of spite after scuppering a plan for a mosaic designed by children.

The Friends of Leigh Library Gardens has been working on a scheme since 2022 to hide an ugly three metre piece of concrete in the gardens with a colourful mosaic.

Funding of £5,000 from the Community Interest Levy had been previously agreed with the town council and designs had been drawn up and agreed with Southend Council.

However, the group was told at a town council meeting that funding had been withdrawn and the town council would do its own mosaic project.

Valerie Morgan, chairman of the group, said: “We worked with a mosaic maker and we got children to send in designs.

“The idea was that the artist in residence and ourselves and the mosaic studio would have workshops at the community centre so the children could come and learn about mosaics and they would help put it on the concrete in library gardens.”

Ms Morgan, a former chairman of the town council, added: “Unless we can secure sufficient funding from other sources then the whole project dies. It’s disappointing for all the children from Leigh who submitted designs.

“Because there were so many good designs it’s actually a compilation. All the drawings are included. They are beautiful designs. The theme was Leigh so there’s cockle shells and ice cream and boats.”

Carole Mulroney who represents St Clements Ward on the town council, said: “I feel so sad for Val. She’s done so much work. The town council has been spiteful right from the start. They really don’t care and don’t understand what living in a community is.”

But Conservative town councillor, Mark Flewitt, said: “It’s abutting a Grade I listed building. We didn’t want to run the risk of any disfigurement happening to a heritage piece of land.

“We refused but said we would put a contest on for youngsters to do a contest about a mosaic and maybe out of that a more suitable site would come up where they could have a mosaic even if it wasn’t in Leigh.

“They do everything they can to make life difficult for Conservatives on the town council.”