ESAH Asking Questions About The Essex Record Office

Adrian Corder-Birch, the President of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History has been in contact with Councillor Susan Barker, Essex County Council Cabinet Member.

Set out below is further correspondence since October 2017, posted earlier http://esah160.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/esah-asks-questions-about-essex-record.html

From: Adrian Corder-Birch

Sent: 15 October 2017 19:38

To: 'Cllr Susan Barker, Member CC'

Subject: RE: Essex Record Office

Dear Susan,

Thank you for your message with answers, which I conveyed to the ESAH Council meeting yesterday.   Although it was considered that £40,000 for the Future Gov report is very high, it is difficult to judge without seeing the report.    

I look forward to hearing from you again as copies of the Future Gov report, the ERO Business Plan and the ERO Collecting Policy can be disclosed please.  In addition will you please keep me informed of progress with regard to the parking area adjacent to the ERO.

I also look forward to hearing from you regarding a ‘follow up’ stakeholders meeting during the autumn please.

Thank you.

With kind regards,

Adrian Corder-Birch)

President,  Essex Society for Archaeology and History.

From: Adrian Corder-Birch

Sent: 21 March 2018 12:06

To: 'Cllr Susan Barker, Member CC'

Subject: FW: Essex Record Office

Dear Susan,

I refer to our exchange of emails below and wonder if you are in a position to let the Essex Society for Archaeology and History (ESAH) have an update please?   ESAH is particularly seeking the following please:

1.       Disclosure of the Future Gov report.

2.       Disclosure of the ERO Business Plan, for which a major update was expected during December 2017.  The original Business Plan has not yet been disclosed let alone the update. 

3.       Arising from the Business Plan, the proposed second Stakeholders meeting, which was planned during autumn 2017 did not take place.  Is there any news of another Stakeholder’s meeting please?      

4.       Disclosure of the ERO collecting policy, which was expected at the end of 2017.

5.       The present position with regard to the ‘empty’ parking area adjacent to the ERO.  When we met at County Hall on 18 July 2017 you kindly offered to speak to your contacts at Chelmsford City Council to expedite negotiations and ascertain if users and volunteers of the ERO could use this parking area.  It seems a great pity that it stands empty and access is prevented by a locked gate, when it would make an ideal car park for ERO users.  I expect users would be willing to pay a reasonable car parking charge, but the cost of the multi storey car park a few hundred yards further away is horrendous, quite apart from its distance away from the ERO.  I can assure you that the parking problem often deters users, who often think twice about visiting.

6.       Has any further progress been made with improving the digital service please?      

The next Council Meeting of ESAH will take place on Saturday, 28 April, so if you are able to let me have an update upon the above points before the meeting it would be much appreciated please.  Thank you.

With kind regards,

Adrian Corder-Birch

President.  Essex Society for Archaeology and History