Southend Airport already pays dividends to the town

Just a quick note – the airport is already paying dividends back to our town.

easyJet are putting big money into this year’s Airshow, a big thing not only for our residents but our local economy.

Thank you easyJet!

Occupy Southend

St Mary’s church yard is not St. Paul’s Cathedral. It is a quite little place of solitude in the centre of Southend where people go to worship, grieve and celebrate their marriage or birth of their child.

Quite why this would be the site of choice to the protesters I really don’t know. I really think they should pack up their tents and go home!

I support, most strongly, the right of protest, but I don’t think this extends to the right to be in some hardworking Southend couple’s special day. Or to stop a grieving widow from being able to visit her husband’s grave without a megaphone going off in her ear. Are these the capitalists whose day these protesters really want to ruin? I suspect not.

Now, I’ll make this comment here – If I normally read the above paragraph I’d think “What a drama queen he is making a mountain out of a mole hill” or “Yes, but not around here”. BUT it is the way it is. Not in a foreign land. Not in London, but Southend, our town.

It is church land, so the council has no direct control over the protest. But I support the church in exploring every single legal avenue they have available to them to evict these trespassers. And please, Police, Fire, Council and others do take care – I know the world has gone PC/H&S mad, but let’s try not to legitimise these trespassers. Some of whom like remarkably like other protest groups in Southend who are always knocking our town. Please let’s not let them bus more people in over the weekend, that would send the wrong message.

Kent Elms Junction… What is happening?

Cllr Mark Flewitt and Cllr James Courtenay are still working on this matter and have secured full officer engagement in doing improvement work at this very important and strategic junction.

It is slow process as this is a long term piece of work even to get the council in a position to use the funding streams being consulted upon at this time. This piece of work is underway and likely to see some movement once the councils own budget is settled in very early March of this year.

There is, with this major junction, some serious level of traffic capacity survey work and technical analysis to be carried out, to save money the council have recently signified to Mark and James that this could be carried out internally.

Your frustration at the seemingly slow progress is appreciated by both Mark and James, but whatever work is done at this junction must dovetail into the rest of the major highway system or risk losing so many of the gains made by the previous “Better Southend” projects.

The objective of all concerned is to enhance the capacity at the junction, so that surface crossing becomes possible rather than the current bridge arrangement.

Mark and James are clear that you should realise that this is not a simple matter and are continuing to push for enhanced safety at this junction and not just a quick political result for the May elections.

Budget 2012/13

As we already know the revenue from central government is down, and the council has to save over £11 million, but having taken some difficult decisions your Conservative Administration are proposing:

Council tax frozen.
Car parking charges frozen
No leisure centres, arts or cultural facilities to be closed.
Money for a well needed extra primary school and money to support our existing primaries under the pressure of higher pupil numbers.
Money to keep the pier going – to bring in tourists to Southend
Money to shore-up the cliffs by the sea-shore (sorry!) where a museum will eventually go to house the Saxon King artefacs found by Prittlewell Park.

Yes there are cuts, yes they aren’t nice, but who wants to make them? No-one. Who is prepared to take the difficult decisions, be sensible, not borrow to fund day-to-day expenditure? Your Conservative Administration.

We must live within our means, otherwise we will be mortgaging our children’s future.

 

After this budget the council will still be able to ensure that:

Children are protected from risk and harm
Families are supported in caring for children with disabilities or in need
Schools are doing the very best they can for our children’s education
We have enough places for all Southend children to start school and school admissions are fair
Children with special educational needs or requiring alternative education get the right service
Children are prevented from offending and we combat anti-social behaviour
There is local youth centre provision for our children to attend
There is a vibrant and active voluntary sector working to a shared vision for children with all agencies across Southend
Young people find employment, education or training
Every family has access to a children’s centre and those most in need are supported through them
The children we look after thrive in our care and we can find them permanent families for life
Families and children in need get early help to prevent problems getting worse
Adults continue to have opportunities to learn throughout their lifetime.

The Spy Car – What A Saga!

“The spy car” as it has become affectionately (?) known hasn’t half got people talking and recently this discussion seems to have grown into one about the town’s Parking Attendants. Now I will start by saying that I’ve had my fair share of parking tickets over the years, either for overstaying or for parking on double yellow lines… It is horrible when you come back to the car you’ve left for 10 minutes or so and have got a ticket for £35.

There have been some “silly stories” where people have been booked at 10:01am, a few seconds after their time has run out or even mistakes with disabled (blue badge) parking. These do seem to get sorted out when people get in touch and object to their tickets – which is just the way it should be, someone ready to review the decision and apply common sense to decide whether the ticket should stand or not. As an aside I would suggest appealing a ticket is probably a better way of getting it rescinded than going to the local paper!

 I am sure most residents think, as I did, coming back to their car on double yellows – “Did I get away with it?” Usually the answer is yes… but on the odd occasion when you haven’t you get a bit annoyed and think why me and not some other chap! But I can’t say I have ever felt the need to have a go at a Parking Attendant or complain that they were doing their job. The law’s the law after all. When you get stopped for doing 80 mph on the motorway you don’t go to court and ask for your ticket to be rescinded do you? So why when you’ve parked illegally for 10 minutes should you expect your ticket to be rescinded either?

If you don’t want a ticket, don’t park on double yellows, on corners or on the pavement it is quite simple… and everytime you do and get away with it remember you’ve been lucky rather than unlucky when you get caught!

The spy car is like Marmite, you either love or hate it, there are a lot of residents that have spoken to me and ASKED for the spy car around their area to enforce the parking regulations, just because they aren’t as vocal does not mean they shouldn’t be heard.

Happy New Year

I’ve been a little quiet on the blog over the Christmas period, but have still been active with various residents’ concerns.

Here is a question for you avid blog readers – Morrisons, do many residents use it over the other side of the A127?

My colleague, Mark Flewitt, in St Laurence Ward is keen to see what is going on there and supporting local residents who are objecting to the changes proposed.

There is a planning application to change the use of the three units that are there (currently occupied by a hairdressers and another business) and use them for a Morrisons’ Cafe. There is a pub at the end of the parade of shops there that is concerned about the impact it will have on its day time trade.

I would be interest to know if Blenheim Residents use Morissons there or the businesses nearby? I want to support local businesses, but also take into account want residents want (a Cafe or other retailers there?)

Happy New Year!

Wellstead Gardens

On Thursday (15th December 2011) I presented the petition of residents of Wellstead Gardens to the Mayor of Southend at a meeting of the full council.

Letter to the Echo re Speedwatch (Published in the last week)

I must respond to Mr Ambrose’s letter (28 Nov). Many people are too quick to moan about what is wrong in their area without being prepared to do anything about it. Speedwatch is not for armchair critics, but for those who are prepared to stand out in the wind and rain, at all times of the day to make a difference to their local community. The Speedwatch in Blenheim Park ward has been a great success and I am proud to support them attending several sessions a month. We all take it in turns and a good number of residents have come out of their houses and say what an amazing difference it makes.

The team do a wonderful job, but they are not trained traffic police officers, so while the police do write to the drivers caught speeding, they are more of a polite request saying that the local residents are concerned about speeding in their area (I suspect they drivers are the armchair critics!) and asking them to slow down.

Mistakes are made: by the police, by Speedwatch, by private businesses and I suggest by all of us. These mistakes are unfortunate but should not detract from the good work that local people do in making their community safer.

Councillor James Courtenay

Blenheim Park Ward.

Leigh Lights Switch On

On Friday evening I attended the Leigh Christmas Lights Switch On and saw the procession go past

Very well attended event, with the whole line filled with people, 3 or 4 deep!

Some photos below:

                                          

Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday

Great to see a wonderful turnout at the Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph on Clifftown Parade. The number of young people involved in the Sea Scouts and Air Cadets to name just a couple of the organisations there was really impressive. Hundreds of people lined the streets to take part in one of the best attended services of recent times.

 

Also the Armistice Day parade at the top of the High Street was well attended, with the whole High Street coming to a standstill, almost without exception.