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.”

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?”

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?

The Future of Buses in South Essex

We saw this on the Rochford Lib Dems site and decided to run the story as well, which speaks for itself.

This work is licenced under a
Creative Commons Licence.

CCTV Camera at Nursery Corner

A CCTV camera erected at Nursery Corner in January was swiftly removed at the request of District Councillor John Mason.

It then took several weeks to find out what was going on and, by complete coincidence, this web site was brought down just as we were ready to publish.

Again the matter of the adequacy of our existng laws has been taken up with our MP but, as yet, there has been no reply.

Here is how the County Council explained.

WESTCLIFF MAKES A CHANGE

Westcliff Film and Video Club are about to start their new season. Nothing new there, it’s happened every year since 1963. The difference, this time, is that the club has changed its name to, SOUTH ESSEX FILM MAKERS.

One of the premier film making clubs in the country, it now attracts members from all over South Essex and the name change is aimed at reflecting that. In fact the club has rarely held its meetings in Westcliff at all. Over the years they have used many venues including the County Hotel Eastwood, Hawkwell Community Centre and, for the last few years, Wyburns Primary School, Nevern Road, Rayleigh. That is where the new season will start, on Monday 29th September 7.45 for 8pm. Visitors and prospective members are always welcome. Once again there will be a full programme of Talks, Practical sessions, Competitions and members film nights.

Essex puzzle enthusiast scoops £10,000 cash prize

A local puzzle enthusiast has scooped a £10,000 cash prize from the UK’s leading Prize Competition organisers, Prize Magazines.

Sheila Watkins from Hockley in Essex was presented with the cheque for £10,000 by Prize Magazines owners Tony and Judy Lane after winning the main prize in a national draw being run through their seven magazines.

Sheila, who is about to start receiving her pension later this year, said “What a brilliant boost to my pension! I plan to share some of the money with my family, visit friends in Portugal for my sixtieth birthday and go on a dream trip to Iceland. I have already treated myself to a Nintendo DS too!”

This work is licenced under a
Creative Commons Licence.

Illegal Diversion of a Bridleway in the vicinity of Hawkwell Park Drive

I was called out by residents early on the morning of Saturday, April 19 to the work being carried out by a developer on the land running alongside 63 Hawkwell Park Drive and Park Gardens.  I spoke to the Architect and Builder advising them that they were illegally diverting and surfacing a bridleway.  They refused to stop the work.

I contacted our County Councillor by email immediately and also Rochford District Council.

Arriva No 8 Bus - Improvements sought by RDC

Planning Policy & Transportation Committee – 3 April 2007
Review of Bus Services

Resolved
(1) That County Highways be asked to:-
- Explore with the local residents ways in which the transport link between the Dome and Hullbridge could be improved.
Planning Policy & Transportation Committee – 3 April 2007
-Explore ways of improving evening services generally.
-Explore the possibility of reinstating the No. 8 service from Hawkwell to Rayleigh during the week.
-Explore with the local residents ways in which the local bus services could be expanded to cater for people wishing to visit places of recreation from the Rochford District.
(2) That Central Government be lobbied to increase its funding to support subsidisation of the bus services in the county.
(3)  That Arriva be lobbied via Essex County Council to improve the condition of their buses and make them more user friendly.

Verge Destroyed by Factory Parking - Main Road Hawkwell

This issue has been the source of a constant trickle of complaints ever since I was first elected in 2000.

The planning application for a car park on the farmland was understandably refused by RDC in 1999/2000.

A then also newly elected Conservative Member of RDC asked if I would sort this out for the factories. But no one ever contacted me.  That Member has now lost his seat and at the Count I remembered that conversation.

Basically the chewed up and deeply rutted, water and mud filled verge is an eyesore and in terms of amenity value it has none.

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