Essex has £6.5 Billion Shortfall on Infrastructure

From a paper submitted to the Cabinet of Rochford District Council.  The full paper, Strategic Countywide Economic and Housing Issues, can be downloaded here.

“Essex has traditionally taken a significant proportion of economic and housing growth without benefitting from the necessary infrastructure improvements to enable growth to take place in a truly planned and sustainable manner. The paper estimates that the cost of delivering the supporting infrastructure across Essex is some £7.6 billion, with an identified funding gap of £6.5 billion. If Essex is to continue to deliver the levels of development anticipated, then this gap needs to be closed and greater levels of infrastructure investment achieved.”

Rochford Council’s Airport Meeting Cancelled

The Extraordinary Full Council Meeting to be held in Rochford on 16 July has been cancelled.

It is understood that residents intended to attend the meeting to hear what their councillors thought about the JAAP Plans for Southend Airport.

Residents in both Southend and Rochford have expressed concerns about the plans in the public consultation and have read in the Press about an apparent about turn by many Southend Councillors. This was followed by a critical Press Release from Rochford District Council that the administration remain wholly in favour.

New Houses for the Mythical World of “HockWell”

The latest version of the District Council’s Core Strategy is now available from the Rochford District Council website.

And the Council still is talking about this mythical place called HockWell !! This is because the Council insists that Hawkwell and Hockley are grouped together “because of housing markets and access to services and facilities”.

Hawkwell West, which is still masqueraded by the Council under the misdescription of “South Hawkwell”, is nothing at all like Hockley in terms of access to services and facilities.  

What were the recent elections like for you?

Did the County Council Elections prove to be the best place for important questions of policy to be answered by the existing political administration and its political challengers? Did you get the chance to even ask? Did any of the candidates ask them for you?

Faced with promises from David Cameron that Council Tax could be frozen did any of the other parties put them on the spot and extract a local commitment from the Conservatives running Essex County Council?

Well No !! 

And did anyone tell us the answer to this question “When will we get anything on improvements to cope with all the extra planned housing?”

Please Protest about no Bus

The campaign to get our evening bus back for Hawkwell has hit an iceberg in the form of the Review Committee for Rochford District Council.

This committee is headed up by Rayleigh Lib Dem, June Lumley and it was asked by Transport Councillor Boss, Keith Hudson to examine all the bus issues that were being raised by the public about cuts in services in Hockley, Hawkwell and Ashingdon.

At the same time I raised the issue of the lack of an evening bus in Hawkwell whilst giving evidence to the committee.  At a subsequent meeting with the residents associations in Hockley and Hawkwell it was raised again for reconsideration by Essex County Council.

How do you dispose of a defunct toaster in Rochford District?

Or anything else that is not listed under Recyclable or Non Recyclable on RDC’s web site !!

An old toaster is not listed so what do you do with it now?  You can’t put it in any of the three bins.  Answers on a post card would be appreciated. Or rather please enter a message under Comments.

One of my residents has had a problem with the Contaminated Bin Stickers and I am at a loss at what to advise given his recent experience.

Council Tax Freeze?

David Cameron says in a leaflet, specifically and personally addressed to you and popped through your door during these elections, that “We’ve got plans to help people through this recession – like a council tax freeze.”

See Leaflet here http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1063718/davidcameron.pdf

In this case the Conservative Party can take this action right now and before a General Election because it is in majority control of many local councils,  all County Councils and so they can put in a local council tax freeze just as David Cameron has personally promised you.

But will they do it?