COUNCIL chiefs are spending £70,000 to upgrade a door security system which was fitted only five years ago.

The swipe card entry system is fully functional, but Basildon Council is replacing it.

It comes after the council learned replacement controllers for the system are no longer available, so if it breaks down it will have to be completely replaced at a cost of at least £110,000.

It did not get a long-term guarantee when the equipment was installed in 2005. In addition, Basildon Council, which has to save at least £19million over the next four years because of cuts, also expects to spend up to £25,000 on new lighting in the Basildon Centre.

The council has taken an urgent decision to spend £70,000 on the upgrade of the electronic door locking system, which blocks off private areas of the building and other offices, including the Towngate Theatre.

The current system would fail if one of its nine controllers broke down. A report over the decision says the original supplier Darwin Security, has quoted the figure to fit new controllers and upgrade the computer system, using existing wiring, without having to replace the whole system.

The report said: “The council’s current door access control system requires an urgent upgrade to prevent reliance on the equipment linking and communicating with the doors. The equipment referred to as a controller is no longer produced and could not be replaced.”

The upgraded system will have a 25-year lifespan, something the existing one does not have, the report adds.

New lighting is needed for an atrium area of the building on the second floor, where staff from St Georges Community Housing will be moving in.

They are vacating two offices at Alpi House in Miles Gray Road, Basildon, and Dunton Court in Laindon, to save around £800,000 a year. However, a review is currently under way into the possibility of scrapping St Georges, which currently manages the council’s housing stock.

A separate report over this matter said: “The existing lighting levels have been identified as inadequate for occupation and this area is needed in the new plans to maximise full occupancy.

“It is a requirement that must be in place before employees are in place to satisfy the health and safety needs of those individuals working in the designated atrium area.“