Paul Collins and his fellow Liberal Democrat Councillors for Westborough & Prittlewell will be holding their monthly Surgery at the Steel Suite, St Peters Church, Eastbourne Grove near Southend Hospital on Saturday September 4th; 10am to 12 noon.
The Lib Dems will be delivering on another manifesto commitment when car clamping on private land is banned.
Liberal Democrat ministers Lynne Featherstone and Norman Baker have announced that car clamping on private land is to be banned as part of the Freedom Bill this Autumn.
Home Office minister Lynne Featherstone MP when making the announcment said:
“The Government is committed to ending the menace of rogue private sector wheel clampers once and for all.
“For too long motorists have fallen victim to unscrupulous tactics by many clamping firms. Reports of motorists being marched to cash points or left stranded after their car has been towed are simply unacceptable.
“A ban on clamping and towing on private land will end this abuse and companies who decide to flout new laws will face severe penalties.”
This is a link to the BBC website article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10993473
Garons is a very impressive Cricket Arena for the professional game. The Southend Cricket Festival is a very pleasant way of spending an August day in the Town.
At the Westborough Residents meeting on Friday night, our guest, Tory Portfolio Holder for Transport, Cllr. Mark Flewitt was asked by a local business woman, that was it true that as it was reported in the local papers, that the Tories had increased the number of executive councillors at a cost of over £10,000. Cllr Mark Flewitt did say that he did not think so, but would check this and report back. For his information, I will help him by providing the actual answer as the devil is always in the detail. What Cllr. Mark Flewitt did say the meeting was partly true, but not the full details. He said, correctly, that Tory Cllr John Lamb, who continues as Deputy Leader of the Council and was already in a Cabinet post holder (also called an Executive Councillor), was moving to a newly created post of ‘Deputy Leader post within the Cabinet’ with a wider remit. Tory Cllr John Lamb will not be receiving any further allowances for this change so it is, as Cllr Mark Flewitt said, cost neutral, but only for him. This new post has made a vacancy amongst the other Executive Councillor posts which has been filed by Tory Cllr. Tony Cox, who steps up to be a Cabinet member for the first time. That promotion is paid an extra allowance of £10,502.75 p.a. by the Council. Cllr Tony Cox did hold other minor positions within the controlling Tory group, but those positions have been taken by his fellow Tories, with his former extra allowances now going to them.
The Tories do not need to increase the number of Executive Councillors at this time and have shown a great deal of insensitivity to the local residents and business community, who would love an opportunity to pay themselves an additional £10,502.75 this and future years.
I was pleased to be asked to give a brief report to the Residents Association about Council Matters.
First the good news. the Westminster Garage planning request for it to become a Car Wash will be rejected by Council Officers. Full details will be announced in due course.
I was able to tell Residents my little tree story.
This story does go someway to show the disconnect between residents and the Council, where both sides care about the Ward, but it is not communicated.
A resident in Ramuz Drive called me two weeks ago to say that she had reported on several occasions a small tree near the junction of Ramuz and Westborough that has broken away from its stave’s and appears to be neglected. The first report she made was in December and then at regular monthly intervals after that. I was able to contact the Arboricultural Officer at Southend Council to find out that he had indeed been visiting this tree on also regular occasions and was trying different ways of making the sapling to recover, to the point of removing the supports so that the movement in the wind would encourage active root growth. Sadly, he now tells me that this will not work and the tree will be taken aback to the Council nursery to ‘learn an upright habit’. He assured me that it would be replaced by another tree before the end of the year. I was very pleased to pass all this information back to the resident, who was pleased to hear that indeed the little tree was being cared for and when it is taken away it will be to the nursery and not as she may have thought, destroyed.
Communication is so important, as the Resident and the Council Officer was caring about the little tree, but the Council Officer was not getting that message back to the Resident. I am pleased to be the conduit for residents concerns, but I am also pleased to let residents know that Council Officers do care about their work, it is just a matter of good communications back to the residents.
I also was asked individual questions that I will be looking at over the next few weeks.
I was invited to opening of the 52nd Essex Open Exhibition of Art of the Beechcroft Gallery, opposite the Cliffs Pavilion yesterday. A wonderful exhibition of local artists’ work, presented in a historic art gallery. Free to enter and is open until 2 October 2010, all days of the week, except Mondays.
After the tragic events on Saturday evening, in Priory Crescent, after the Rotary Club Charity event, in which a visitor was fatally stabbed, after an altercation. I wrote to my fellow Councillors and the Town Clerk as follows:
I am writing to you to express my concern over the events surrounding the tragic death of a visitor to the Rotary charity evening last Saturday, within the close environs of
I fully realise what happened was an extreme and tragic rare occurrence, but nonetheless to see Southend receiving a national notoriety in an area not associated with trouble, i.e. not the seafront, is of grave concern.
Do you think it appropriate that we should increase high visibility security for these upcoming events and publicise the fact.
“Police patrols in the immediate vacinity of Priory Park are being increased. This will include unformed constables, PCSOs and Officer on bikes.”
In addition I am pleased to report that the Town Clerk has instructed in response to my concerns
“that our uniformed officers visibly support the proposed visible police presence around the park and that event organisers ensure appropriate steps are taken with regard to visible safety.”.
Whilst non of this will correct the tragic event on Saturday, at least we will all be a bit safer in attending these events this summer.
The Big Event at Southend High School for Boys
I was happy to attend with my wife and two of our boys the The Big event, hosted by Southend Community-in-Harmony at the Southend High School for Boys. A warm afternoon that improved as the sun came out and we watched various peformances from ethnic groups that originate from all around the world. African Drumming , Punjabi Traditional Folk Dancing to Belly Dancing. Brenda Smith and other members of the Westborough Residents Asociation were providing teas and refreshments to all the visitors. I did try and leave the boys in the make shift prison cell, but sadly it was full! Scott came back with camoflage paint on his face and the Rossi’s was enjoyed by us all. A very good afternoon and it was good to see the whole Community sharing the afternoon together.
“I am pleased to be able to give my report to the Residents of Westborough after my first 6 weeks as your Councillor, as I have just completed my first monthly ‘cycle’ within the Council. As reported to you last month, the Conservatives control the Council through the 9 member cabinet, which sets policy and the decision making for the Council. The Cabinet is held to account by Scrutiny committees, but the ultimate decision remains with them. I sit on the Children and Learning Scrutiny Committee, which has met once.
Town wide issues to bring to your attention are recently announced plans by the new Government to allow the possibility of ‘free schools’ to be opened by Charity groups, faith groups and Parents. In addition, the encouragement by Government of ‘Outstanding’ Schools to leave local authority control and become directly funded by Government. The effect that this will have on the Schools left behind, their children and the staff at the Local Authority is of great concern to me.
The Airport remains on the radar (pun intended) and there is a very active group that strongly oppose the runway extension which has been in contact with all Councillors about the proposed ban on night time flights. The decision about this point is not yet ready for review as the Council are still negotiating these terms with the Airport. From my point of view, I do remain broadly supportive of the Airport as I believe it is an important part of the town. However, as your representative, my decisions will be influenced by the majority of the Residents of Westborough and I will be seeking your views as this matter progresses.
Local issues that have come to my attention are the Primary Care Trust (PCT) plans for the creation of two Health Clinics that will effect residents at the east end of the ward, namely the proposal of merging 5 GP surgeries into centres at North Road and Valkyrie Road. There will be residents who could lose their local surgery and be faced with accessing
The Prittle Brook Cycle path is under way and it has been reported to me about the threat over a large tree that was thought to be needed to be removed. After investigations with Council officers, this turned out not to be true, but it is good to be vigilant and I always welcome the opportunity to ask these questions, just in case.
The Westminster Garage situation has already been discussed this evening and Cllr. Terry is on the case. A resident of
Lastly, the local papers report of the Council employing high level agency staff to cover senior officers has raised an issue with residents. There has been a reasonable explanation expressed by the Town Clerk on how this has come about, however, I believe the culture within the Civic centre is wrong. In these stringent times and tough budgets decisions to come, it beholds the Conservatives, who are in control of the Council, not to allow this situation to continue. Why can no other Council officer step up either with or without a lower level temporary member of staff be employed to help? I can also tell Residents that I also serve on the Council’s Audit Committee and I assure them that I will be pressing my colleagues to look at these sorts of issues.
I thank the Resident Association for their time.”
As reported in the Southend Standard - Friday 18 June.
CONCERNS have been raised about a merger plan for an infant and junior school.
The idea has been put forward to merge Thorpedene Infant and Junior schools, which share the same site in Delaware Road, Shoebury.
The proposal would mean the formal closure of the junior school and the expansion of the infant school to provide education for pupils from the reception right through to Year 6.
Southend Council’s Tory cabinet supported the plans, which will now go out for two consultations before a final decision is made in November.
But members of the council’s cross-party children and lifelong learning scrutiny committee have raised concerns about the proposal Paul Collins (Lib Dem, Westborough) said: “I am concerned about the size of the school. With 630 places in one primary, is it large for one executive and one governing body?”
Jane Theadom, head of school support and preventative services, replied: “Yes, it’s a large school, but size is less significant than the quality of management and teaching.”
Questions about savings and the possibilities of redundancies were raised by Peter Ashley (Con, St Luke’s).
Ms Theadom said: “There will be a saving on one head teacher’s salary. Over time other savings may be realised, but the important thing to consider is the driving force for this is about educational benefits.”
The case to create a single primary school was supported by several councillors, including Ric Morgan (Lib Dem, Prittlewell).
He said: “In my experience in primary education, there’s often a downside to having two heads at schools on the same site.
“In principle, this is a sound move and we will find the cohesion of a combined primary school will be preferred by both parties.”
