Doodles from a couple of Essex County Fire & Rescue Service meetings

I am the  Essex Fire Authority Lead Member for Health & Safety, a role I have had for two years. I am the sole councillor invited to attend the Health, Safety and Welfare Strategy Group Meetings.

The' perk' that is gym membership is about to be taxed, and this presents an interesting conundrum. Perhaps perplexing, or worrying, rather than interesting.

For fire fighters, as for a number of other occupations, being fit is a necessity for the job. This is not a nice to have - often fitness governs whether you be allowed to do the job, irrespective of whether you want to or consider that you can.

Where it is not possible to site keep fit equipment at a fire station then an arrangement is made where the fire fighters can use a local gymnasium and the cost is met (to some extent) by the Fire and Rescue Service. If this perk is now to be penalized then this presents a disturbing issue for both the fire fighter and those they seek to protect. Someone making themselves the best they can be for the job they perform strikes me as something we should encourage. The alternative is a prospect of less than able workers.

If the job requires that you be fit (and remember that this is often tested) then this 'perk' should not  be penalized, especially as it comes down to location. If you are lucky enough to be stationed where there is keep fit equipment then there is no issue, if not then it is akin to a double-whammy. I remain to be convinced that this is fair.

I did ask at this week's meeting whether the cuts have made the job more dangerous .This has to be monitored. We will have to check the injuries received on the job, and that the frequency does not rise as austerity bites ever deeper.

Three out of 13 of the senior management team at the Essex County Fire & Rescue Service are women. The overall headcount shows that 14% are female, which makes the percentage in senior management (23%) look quite good. I cannot say with certainty whether the authority is heading towards gender parity, but if it is it certainly feels like a crawl rather than a sprint to this observer.

Stranger in a strange land

Last night I turned up at my old CLP's meeting. Last march I moved about a mile and a half eastwards, and in doing so moved constituencies. For many years I was a resident in Southend West, and I now reside in Rochford and Southend East.

I am very close to the constituency boundary, and am five minutes' walk from four wards (Chalkwell, Milton, Prittlewell and Westborough)  in addition to the one I actually reside in (Victoria).

There were eighteen people at 268 Sutton Road(Southend Labour's HQ)  last night (seven female, 11 male, so no parity). The meeting was chaired by Cllr Charles Willis. Also sat at the top table were Cllr Kevin Robinson (secretary) and Hilary Scarnell (treasurer). There were six councillors in attendance (Cllrs Borton,  Jones, Nevin and Ware-Lane, in addition to the two already mentioned).

Those that spoke  included Mike Smith, who spoke about the SAVELeigh-on-Sea Post Office campaign, and Norman Traub, who spoke about the NHS campaign and KONP (Keep Our NHS Public).

There was a general discussion on the recent Council budget, and on the future of the Labour Hall.

It was good to see comrades who I have not bumped into for a while.

Press Release

Southend Labour disappointed with council properties' sales

On December 7th, 2016, the Council sold 2A Bournemouth Park Road for £224,000. On the same day it also sold 4 Cranley Avenue for £301,000

Labour councillors were disappointed that the Conservative Administration decided to sell these two properties, which have been used for decades as social housing.

These properties were family homes, one for more than 40 years and another for over twenty years. The two properties were relinquished by their tenants, as in both cases one of the residents encountered ill health.

The council have used the technical argument that the properties are not part of the South Essex Homes portfolio, yet both sets of residents had access to the full range of services from SEH over the period that the properties were managed by them. Previously, the properties were managed directly by the council, prior to ALMO transfer and even further back, by Essex County Council.

Cllr Anne Jones says: "It hardly matters to families deserving of housing, which part of the council are responsible for particular properties. They just want a place to call home. The Conservatives have stated that the properties are in need of major repair, but this is not the case and is an insult to the families who resided there. Both properties, internally and externally were meticulously maintained by the residents who took pride in their much loved homes."

The Conservatives describe these properties as 'not typical council houses', whatever that means and not 'not forming part of an estate', which further shows the lack of regard that they have for the people of this town. Such stereo typical views are most unwelcome and indicative of an administration out of touch with the people it serves.

The excuses that are given by the Conservatives do not hold up to scrutiny, as they continue to let similar properties at market rent from the same property portfolio, resulting in sustained income and the retention of family homes, much needed in the current housing crisis.

Cllr Jones goes on to say: "The revenue from these sales ( £525,000) will not be ploughed back into social housing (unlike receipts from Right To Buy) Instead it will transfer to the Council's General Fund. It is interesting to note that the costs of plans for commemorating  Southend's 125th anniversary are estimated at a similar figure."

Cllr Julian Ware-Lane said: "I am sure other properties have also been sold in recent years. Bearing in mind the local housing crisis and the large housing list, what does the selling of these properties say to those who still await to be housed by this Council?"

"It really is very disappointing" Julian, "The money raised is roughly equal to what is being spent on the 125 year anniversary of the Borough; I think a better way to celebrate would be the housing of two families by the local authority."

It's about time ..

Southend Council’s Budget: Labour questions Tory priorities

PRESS RELEASE

Southend Council’s Budget: Labour questions Tory priorities

Southend Labour Party has challenged some decisions taken in Southend Council’s recent budget.
At the May 2016 local elections, Conservatives had argued to ‘keep Council Tax as low as possible’, yet they have just produced a budget setting the biggest Council Tax rise for a decade. Conservatives were also anxious that the previous coalition administration shouldn’t squander the Council’s reserves, and yet today the current administration is engaged in one of the biggest raids on reserves ever seen.

Southend Labour Party considers that the Government’s austerity policy has been a dramatic failure, and it was a Conservative Councillor who said at the last Council meeting: “you can’t cut your way to prosperity”.

When the previous coalition administration increased parking charges the Conservatives complained about it, although they now happily receive this additional car parking revenue into Council coffers.

Conservatives pledged that they would cut the size of the Cabinet from seven to six, but instead they have increased the number to eight. A Conservative Councillor described the setting of new crematorium fees as a ‘tax on death’, but puzzlingly those increases were not reversed.

Perhaps we can excuse the apparent hypocrisy of individual councillors, if they can be seen to be broadly doing a good job. Unfortunately, Southend Borough faces major problems:
• Our local Police Service is in crisis. Conservative Cllr Flewitt has stated that there are streets in Southend that are becoming lawless.
• Our NHS is in crisis. Conservative Cllr Salter said, at the last Council meeting, that she believes the system is underfunded.
• There are now over 2,000 people on our housing waiting list, with many living in unsuitable and overcrowded conditions, yet properties only become available in single figures each month.
• Adult Social Care is in crisis. Domiciliary care has fallen below standard, costs are being squeezed, carers are being paid a pittance, lengths of visits cut, and vulnerable people treated without the dignity and compassion that they deserve.

In adult social care there are cases of missed visits, delayed visits, and poor quality visits, which can be a matter of life and death to people who depend on these services. It is clear that the Council does not adequately monitor the quality of the care we pay for, and we place too much trust in private companies to do the right thing.

The Labour Party proposed that an extra £120K should be put into Adult Social Care next year, with more pro-active checks, more rigorous follow-up when things go wrong, and adequate records to assess the quality and reliability of our service. The voluntary sector should be strengthened and better technology available to monitor care visits for our vulnerable and elderly, which could prove cheaper and more efficient than our current methods.

Ian Gilbert, Leader of the Labour Group on Southend Council, said: “I am pleased that the Council supports the concept of a trading company for adult social care; that they are progressing plans for the Queensway Estate; that they are planning further investment in green, energy-saving technology.”

Ian added: “When we were in administration we took hard decisions that gave the council the best chance of being able to balance the books in future years, and that is the key reason we see no big cuts or closures in this budget. When we entered administration we did so with big ideas. Not just talking about the derelict buildings on Victoria Avenue, but actually instructing officers to build a case for compulsory purchase - clearly the then owners got the message we were serious.”

Deputy Leader of the Labour Group, Julian Ware-Lane said: "There is a distinct lack of imagination in the budget. I guess the local Tories are in a jam, insofar that they are shuffling the pack as well as they can in the face of further savage cuts from their Government."

 

The view from Clifton Mews

Waste land in Whitegate Road being tidied up

The view from Clifton Mews

I was pleased to see the other week that some waste land in Whitegate Road was being tidied. The gentleman doing the tidying up told me the land belonged to the Tomassi family, which was intriguing. Since I had recently featured it here, in my blog, then perhaps someone in that family was inspired by what they saw. Maybe Anna is a fan.

Anyway, following on from that success I thought I would highlight another eyesore in Milton ward in the hope that it would quickly see some TLC.

Clifton Mews runs off Devereux Road. I am not sure whether this piece of land belongs to either of those roads, or whether it belongs to an address in Clifftown Parade. Whatever it belongs to, it is a dumping ground at the moment.