I reply to the letter in Friday’s Southend Echo from Cllrs Courtenay and Moring

Two Conservative Cabinet members defending the political leadership in the Borough of Southend-on-Sea is no surprise, as it is no surprise that I lambast them for this woeful leadership and its profligacy in regards to spending taxpayers’ money on vanity projects. I note that they describe their Government’s cuts to local authorities as delivering “more than its fair share” – I think we can agree on the unfairness of this Government’s agenda.

Their attempt to justify spending £55,000 on the council website poses more questions than it answers. I have some experience of websites, by profession I am an IT Consultant. The first such question is that if the council website is no longer fit for purpose who was it that oversaw the design of this labyrinthine system? One also wonders how they think they can increase website transactions whilst closing libraries which, for many, is their only place for online access?

Behind this drive to encourage online access is the cull of those staff who deal with telephone and face-to-face inquiries. Whilst I also wish for the best IT system we can reasonably deliver I do not think this should cause the cutting of staff numbers. I happen to believe that for many who wish to contact the council, IT systems are more of a hindrance than a help. Many want human interaction, and I think we should oblige.

It is a big if to hope for increased web transactions and I wonder what leads them to believe this is a possibility. However, to beautify a working system at a time of financial constraints is an exercise in vanity and I do not believe that most residents would prefer this to kept open Children’s Centres.

That they compare the council’s budget to Mr Micawber’s household expenditure amply demonstrates this ruling administration’s failure; there is no corollary between the two.

They close by arguing for investment now; I concur. I hope they will speak with their Prime Minister and Chancellor and encourage them to invest in this nation’s future by creating jobs – something desperately needed in Southend-on-Sea.

Betting shops at the north end of Hamlet Court Road

I took these photographs last summer. These three betting shops are all within a short distance of each other.

Other than a small direct debit for the National Lottery I do not gamble, but I am not anti-gambling. People should be free to choose how they spend their money. However, I am concerned about the state of the high streets in Westcliff-on-Sea and Southend-on-Sea and think a surfeit of betting shops sends out a signal of decline. There is also the issue of addiction and use by people who can ill-afford to waste their income.

There is another betting shop just around the corner in the London Road. There could well be more in the vicinity – I admit to not doing a thorough survey.

Hamlet Court Road spectacular – a success by all accounts

I only caught the last hour of today’s event, but by all accounts it has been a success.

Well done to all involved, especially to Nigel Havens.

Hamlet Court Road spectacular

The BBC is filming inside and out of the Havens store in Hamlet Court Road on June 4th. This was mentioned at the recent Hamlet Court Road Traders’ Association meeting, where the road closure was noted and a request that other stores could also do something. There is a whole host of things planned and I encourage all who can to pay the area a visit (you might even get on the telly!).

I understand that many of the traders in the road are planning events and this will be used as an opportunity to showcase Westcliff-on-Sea’s high street.

Who wants to bung a millionaire?

David Cameron chose to give millionaires a tax cut of £100,000 while millions pay more.

Prices are going up faster than wages. The economy is flatlining. Nearly one million young people are out of work. Millions are paying the price for David Cameron’s economic failure.

The GB percentage of working age people with high qualifications is 32.9 – Southend has 19.6%

Centre for cities Cities Outlook 2013 has much data contained within that will interest and perhaps intrigued Southenders.

This report looks at the performance of 64 cities across the United kingdom (I know Southend-on-Sea is a town but I guess its inclusion is down to its size and status as a unitary authority). Anyway, here is how my town does in some categories:

9th cities with the highest start-up rate (business births) – 44.0 Business start-ups per 10,000
population 2011

10th cities with the highest business stocks (business stock per 10,000 population) – 341.0 Business stock 2011

58th cities with lowest number of patents approved (patents approved per 100,000 population) – 1.4

61st cities with the lowest percentage of high qualifications (residents with high level qualifications) – 19.6% Percentage working age population with NVQ4 & above 2011

9th cities with highest earnings growth (average earnings) – £512 per week

4th cities with the lowest emissions per capita (CO2 emissions per capita) – 4.8 Total CO2 emissions per capita (t) 2010

A mixed bag, to say the least. Bearing in mind my recent local battles with those who run education in Southend-on-Sea the fact that we are 61st in terms of high qualifications only seeks to emphasise the points I have been making.

Knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing

In an era where numbers take precedence, the monetary value of a service is taken to imply a potential saving, with little regard to the human cost.

Numbers, mere numbers, mean we see the dog warden privatised. No questions about their efficiency, about the efficacy of what they do. No questions as to how privatisation will do anything but deliver a worse service for residents and worse conditions of employment for the warden.

The pest control service is now scrapped, a victim of the savings. Savings? We mean saved money, not saved services. Savings: a sick euphemism for cuts.

No more black sacks, no more school uniform grants, children centres facing tough times, battered wives facing a diminished service.

And those doing the cutting – are they being cut too?

The number shuffle, where the amount of money in the world is moved around as the casino decides that the house cannot lose.

We can close libraries, but must spend billions on replacing an unused weapon with another that we will not use. We can make cuts to the health service, see care assistants, social workers, police staff, and others working for the community attempt efficiency gains – all so that the bean counters are gratified.

The cuts cover the destruction of a national school system, cover the breaking up of the NHS, and see victim status granted to the undeserving poor. And whilst the shirkers are being punished, those that see themselves as born to rule paint themselves as strivers.

My conversations about dog fouling, burglaries, litter, uneven pavements and homelessness all include references to the financial constraints we all have to operate under nowadays. I find myself apologising, and I do not know why. In a world ruled by spreadsheets and dictums about balancing the books we now assign a value to almost everything. Money, a mere medium of exchange, a promise to pay the bearer on demand … Nowadays it is those who once looked after the money for us who now demand.

What value on communities weakened to appease those who gambled in the good times and who cannot suffer in the bad?

Southend’s budget – who voted, and how

Here is the officially recorded list of who voted and how in the budget meeting on February 28th. I am not sure how long these have been up and I am aware that this is some weeks after the event. I am also aware of just bereft of detail the minutes are – there is no flavour of the debate and you would never believe it was a six hour meeting just judging by these. The minutes can be found here.

The opposition alternative budget:

In favour:

Cllrs Assenheim, Aylen, Ayling, Betson, Borton, Chalk, Collins, Crystall, Gilbert, Godwin, Grimwade, Anne Jones, Lewin, Longley, McMahon, Norman, Russell, Terry, Van Looy, Ware-Lane and Wexham (21)

Against:

lrs Brown, Byford, Caunce, Courtenay, Cox, Day, Evans, Flewitt, D Garston, J Garston, Habermel, Hadley, Holdcroft, Holland, Horrigan MBE, Jarvis, Adam Jones, Kaye, Kelly, Lamb, Moring, Robertson, Salter, Stafford, Velmurugan, Walker and Woodley (27)

Abstentions: The Worshipful the Mayor, Cllr Carr (1)

Absent: Burdett & Morgan (2)

A number of Cllr Ron Woodley’s amendments were defeated.

The Council Budget 2013/14 proposals were then voted on.

For:
Cllr Assenheim, Aylen, Ayling, Brown, Byford, Caunce, Courtenay, Cox, Day, Evans, Flewitt, D Garston, J Garston, Habermel, Hadley, Holdcroft, Holland, Horrigan MBE, Jarvis, Adam Jones, Kaye, Kelly, Lamb, Moring, Robertson, Salter, Stafford, Terry, Van Looy, Velmurugan, Walker and Woodley (32)

Against:
Betson, Borton, Chalk, Collins, Crystall, Gilbert, Godwin, Grimwade, Anne Jones, Lewin, Longley, McMahon, Norman, Russell, Ware-Lane and Wexham (16)

Abstentions:
Cllr Carr (1)

Absent: Burdett and Morgan (2)

You will note that nine Independent councillors voted for the budget; had they voted against it it would have been defeated. Cllr Anne Chalk was the only Independent to join with Labour and Liberal Democrats in attempting to vote down the Tory budget.

The Festival of (hot) Air

The Spring 2012 edition of Outlook magazine (produced by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council) includes some words on that year’s (at the time) impending air festival:

Outlook magazine, Spring 2012

ONE of Europe’s largest free air spectaculars is all set for take off again in the Borough. Hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to pack along two miles of seafront …. It will be the 27th year that Southend-on-Sea has staged the huge two-day event which regular attracts up to half a million people.

The Spring 2011 edition includes the following:

Outlook magazine, Spring 2011

AROUND half a million people are expected at the 26th annual Southend Air Festival …. At one of Europe’s largest free airshows.

I understand why the decision to stop contributing towards the airshow was made (Southend Labour has called for this in previous years – see No more taxpayers’ cash for airshow says Labour) but what amazes me is that in the years that we argued for the money to be spent elsewhere we were told that it contributes up to £1million to the local economy.

As recently as 2011 it was reported (Southend Air Show to continue despite council cuts:

Derek Jarvis, Tory councillor responsible for culture and tourism, is sure the show will go on.

He said: “There are so many people who enjoy it. I do not think stopping it would be an option.

“Obviously it’s not possible to know what might happen in future years, but we have already started planning for next year’s event. I cannot see any changes in the foreseeable future.”

Anita Thornberry, the council’s head of enterprise, said: “Although the council has made a loss on the event in recent years, it benefits traders by bringing hundreds of thousands of people into Southend.

“The financial loss to the authority is outweighed by the positive effect the airshow has on the town’s tourist economy.”

Cllr Tony Cox has written on the airshow over the years:

2011 … was fortunate enough to visit both days of the Southend Airshow and what a fantastic event it was … This was the 26th Airshow and hopefully still going strong.

2013 … many businesses have privately over the years said to me that they do not need the Airshow as they will busy anyway due to it being a bank holiday weekend.

Why no mention of this when Labour was calling for this cut in previous years?

Cllr James Courtenay also claimed: … this year’s Airshow, a big thing not only for our residents but our local economy

One could say the local Tories are inconsistent, one could say that they have misled the town’s residents.

The ruling administration will not enjoy reading the comments attached to the Save Southend Airshow petition.

My budget speech

Here is my contribution to last night’s budget debate at the Civic Centre.

As a newish councillor this is my introduction to council budgets, and what a miserable introduction it is. I came into politics to do what I could for my community, and now find myself presiding over shrinking services.

I realise that these are cuts being forced on this council from on high. If Labour had managed a landslide in Southend and wrested control from the current administration last May then we would be facing the same difficult choices. We would, though, be lambasting the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government that is forcing these cuts on us.

Recently released figures show that 23% of Southend’s children are in poverty. Doubtless the figures and measures used will be disputed, but what cannot be disputed is that Southend’s kids are worse off than kids in all but two of the local authorities in Essex. I cannot imagine that the Government’s agenda of making the poor poorer will do anything but make this situation worse. It is beholden on all of us, in my humble opinion, to ensure that services are protected for the vulnerable. This includes such things as Sure Start, children centres and the libraries. It also includes small budget items like the school uniform grant. The £13000 saved is small beer for this council, but can make a big difference for those struggling with small incomes and battling the rising tide that is the cost of living. Uniforms are an equalising factor, and I am a passionate advocate for equality in education. I have bitter personal experience of the humiliation that is visited on those made to stand out from the crowd at school, and so I urge the administration to think again on this one.

Councils exist to serve its residents, not irritate them. Many cuts in this budget, and it is a budget of cuts, will irritate: cuts to black sacks, cuts to recycling bins, cuts to dog wardens and pest control. I can argue against all of these, but am acutely aware that any riposte will start with the rejoinder “but where is the money?” It is a gloomy budget, and I wonder just how gloomy the quiet skies will seem come the bank holiday weekend in May.

I recall past years when the money spent on the airshow was questioned. My memory suggest that it was Conservative voices who stated as fact that the economic benefits from the airshow outweighed the cost, and that it was important to the image of the town. One wonders what truth was in those statements. Still, Southend’s loss is Clacton’s gain.

As a trade unionist and someone who has seen what unemployment does to families I cannot but feel shame that I am part of a council that is once again sacking its own staff. I look forward to the day when we return to a recruiting regime. I should add that I also regret the cut being made to trade union facility time.

Even though our amendments would make things significantly better it is still not what we would want. Even a Labour administration cannot divorce itself from what is being inflicted on all local authorities by central Government. However, I urge all members, including the two unaffected by the changes we are making, to reject this Conservative budget.