Clock hit by passage of time

A clock installed in Southwell to mark the millennium needs repairing.

Councillors are concerned that the Millennium Clock in the Market Square is looking shabby and could give a bad impression of the town.

The town council’s finance and policy committee was told the plastic casing on the clock face was beginning to decay and rust was spreading up the panels surrounding the clock.

Mr John Robinson said he was astonished that the clock needed repairing as it was only eight years old.

The council has been given an initial quote of £3,000 for repairs.

The quote covers the installation of a radio-controlled mechanism that would change the time automatically.

The clock is currently changed manually when the clocks go back in the autumn and forward in the spring.

Councillors were unhappy about the potential cost and did not feel the radio-controlled device was necessary.

Mr Andrew Gregory said £3,000 could be better spent.

“If the clock will last a year I would rather delay it a year,” he said.

Mr Paul Handley said when he was the town clerk he used to go to the Market Square on the Saturday night before the clocks changed to adjust the time.

The controls are enclosed inside a panel at the base.

Although it was suggested the repair work should be put back a year, Mr Handley was keen for the refurbishment to be carried out as soon as possible.

“The longer you delay it, the shabbier it becomes,” he said.

“We have quite a lot of money in the bank to keep up with routine maintenance.

“It is one of the council’s showpiece assets and should be kept in a showpiece condition.”

The cost of the refurbishment, which is expected to be halved by dropping the radio controlled mechanism, will be discussed at the next meeting of the finance and policy committee.

The clock cost around £4,500. An identical clock was bought by Balderton Parish Council at the same time.

The Balderton parish clerk, Mrs Cheryl Davison-Lyth, said so far no refurbishment was needed on their clock.