Southend BID & HARP Launch

I bumped into this young lady there!

Southend Business Improvement District  have recently been working closely with the Homeless Action Resource Project, Southend’s Homeless Charity, to explore ways in which to operate together in order to deploy long term solutions for rough sleeping and street drinking, as well as encourage engagement with HARP’s services.

I was invited  to the official launch, in partnership with HARP, at Victoria Circus today.

Mac Felton at the launch

This was part of our ongoing educational campaign to educate the public on how they can best help people to overcome homelessness in Southend.

More concerns about the High Street Post Office in W H Smiths

Milton ward councillor Julian Ware-Lane had expressed concerns about the move of the High Street  Post  Office into the W H Smith store. It was something that concerned not least because he could foresee issues with access.

This move has happened in the last year, with mixed views as to its success. Some customers do not like having to traipse through the stationery store and bookshop to purchase stamps, etc; others are stoical.

Recent rains have seen the roof leak in the building that house WH Smith and now the Post Office. The leak cause all self service machines to fail. There was water all over the floor; this affected access to Post Office services.

Cllr Ware-Lane said: "Having the Post Office counters above the ground floor not only makes access a little more difficult, but it is also liable to these  sort of extreme weather incidents."

Deputy Leader of the Labour Group on Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, Cllr Anne Jones, said: "Labour councillors and activists spoke to many members of the public, prior to the Post Office moving to their current premises. The most frequent concern was that it would be located on the first floor and could be inaccessible to wheelchair users, mobility scooter users and people with children in prams. It is appalling that not only did the post office dismiss these concerns, but the premises underwent only a cosmetic refurbishment and not a proper upgrade. The concern all along was that the building would  not be fit for purpose. Furthermore, it is not particularly safe for the public to use."

Shameful comments regarding travellers from two senior Southend councillors

There has been some ill considered comments from members of the local authority in respect of travellers. Fortunately none of the bad  commentary came from the Labour Group of Councillors.

I called for more " compassion, tolerance, and understanding" of the traveller community.

I have had two responses, and quite frankly they shame every councillor.

From Cllr Chris Walker (Conservative)

They are treated like pariahs because they are pariahs.

They have been driven from Ireland whence they emanate because of their thieving and filthy ways.

They contribute nothing to society in the way of taxes etc and create filth wherever they go .

Why should we make allowance for them ?

It would be better for all if they were to learn the foolishness of their ways and go back to Ireland.

They are their own worst enemies.

From Cllr Stephen Aylen (Independent)

Nest time we have these so called travellers arrive in Belfairs or Oakwood park (remember a large majority of the residents in the area around these parks are proper gypsys ) could you please provide me with flyer maps of locations in Milton (such as the cliffs ) that these travellers may use.

Then give it an hour and see if your response is the same as below.

I very much doubt it.

Or may I suggest you come to Belfairs ward or any ward in the west of Southend and tell the residents what you think.

There has not been a hanging in Belfairs since 1938.

Labelling a whole community is race hate. I sincerely hope that Cllr Walker and Aylen re-think their comments and then retract them and apologise.

Saved, for now, but we should remain cautious and vigilant

I welcome Conservative U-turns on the NHS and their warm words as regards to accident and emergency provision at Southend University Hospital. This is too important an issue to ignore any support, even those joining at the eleventh hour. However, I warn against complacency as the plans to downgrade A&E provision in Southend were in response to budgetary pressures, and the need to make cuts is still there.

The Government is intent on continuing its austerity agenda, an agenda that has run for seven years so far. This agenda sees pain for public services and for those who depend on them. It means that the hospital has to make some enormous cuts, and if A&E has been saved, is this at the cost to some other service?

I have been involved in the Save Southend A&E since its inception, and proudly so, and I take some satisfaction from our apparent victory.

During the recent General Election the battle to preserve this valuable local service featured in the campaigns of both local Labour candidates, of both myself and Ashley Dalton. The Southend West Conservative candidate was forced, effectively, into signing our petition; whereas the Conservative in Rochford and Southend East chose to defy his residents (and somehow then claim credit for saving Southend's A&E).

Of course, whilst Ashley and I led our respective campaigns and made our voters aware of what was going on, we were ably backed by an unsung army of activists and volunteers who helped spread the word. Our success was their success too. The success also belongs to the people of Southend.

So, we cheer that we have had assurances about Southend's A&E, but we do not rest. We know that local public healthcare is under attack from this Conservative Government, and they can only be stopped by the vigilance of campaigners and the public.

Multicultural food get together

The Cornucopia SEVL renewal

Last week Southend-on-Sea Borough Council's Licensing Committee approved the renewal of The Cornucopia's Sex Entertainment Venue Licence. I sit on that committee, and I was one those who opposed the renewal.

The Cornucopia is found at the junction of Hartington Road and Marine Parade, in the middle of the town's 'golden mile'. The licence allows for striptease and lap dancing.

The stretch of seafront where the Cornucopia is found has seen a great deal of change in recent years, even since the last licence renewal. We now have a more family orientated seafront, with fountains at one end, and Adventure Island at the other. The Cornucopia sits right in the middle of this, the City Beach.

This area has many children wandering around, and to have them exposed to the sort of entertainment provided by The Cornucopia is a mistake, in my opinion. Sex entertainment venue should not be in areas where families and large numbers of children can be found. It is difficult to imagine an area of Southend where there are more children, except perhaps the borough's schools.

This borough aspires to be a family-friendly tourist destination and wishes to add to the six million plus visitors it already attracts. There has been a lot of investment and hard work committed to the central seafront area, and yet right in the middle is a venue offering decidedly un-family-friendly entertainment. In my humble opinion the licence renewal was a bad decision, notwithstanding the conditions attached to it. If this town really wants to be child and family friendly then it needs to start taking decisions to make that happen.