📍 St. Mark’s Church, Westcliff
💚 Hosted by the South East Essex Green Party

Get your thinking caps on and join us for a fun-filled evening of trivia, laughs and community spirit — all in support of your local Green Party!

🎟 £5 per person advanced, £6 on the door, teams of 6 max
🍷 Bring your own drinks & snacks
🎁 Raffle prizes to be won!

Whether you’re a solo quiz whizz or bringing a full team, everyone’s welcome. Come along, show off your knowledge, and help power our green campaigns.

The post South East Essex Green Party Quiz Night appeared first on South East Essex.

A much-loved shelter on Marine Parade in Leigh-on-Sea is finally getting the care it needs, thanks to Southend Green Party.

After local residents raised concerns on Facebook about its poor condition, local Green campaigner Simon Gittus got in touch with Leigh ward councillor Stuart Allen to push for repairs.

The council has now started work on the shelter, which will include fixing up the timber, replacing missing glass, and giving it a fresh coat of paint.

Simon Gittus said:
“I raised the issue with Cllr Allen back in November, so it’s great to see the repairs finally happening. With some TLC, this lovely old shelter will look brilliant again and be something the local community can be proud of.”

Cllr Stuart Allen added:
“It’s brilliant to see the work underway and I look forward to seeing the results. I want to thank the council officers who’ve helped make this happen.”

The Marine Parade shelter restoration is the latest step in the Green Party’s ongoing work to push for improved public spaces across Southend.

The post Work Starts on Marine Parade Shelter After Green Party Action appeared first on South East Essex.

You can read our letter below:

Dear Cllr Cowan, Mr Burton-Sampson and Mr Alaba,

We are writing to express our strong objection to the inclusion of the area commonly referred to as ‘Bournes Green’ in the city’s submission to the New Towns Taskforce.

We firmly oppose any further development on Southend’s Green Belt for the following critical reasons:

1. Food Security

The UK is becoming increasingly vulnerable to food shortages as climate change accelerates. Extreme weather, both drought and flood, is already placing significant strain on farmers. According to recent research by Anglia Ruskin, York, Bristol, East Anglia and City universities, such climate-related pressures are now the leading cause of concern for future food supply, with warnings of potential civil unrest.

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has called on the Government to better support domestic food production, and Abi Reader, Deputy President of NFU Cymru, has warned of erratic rainfall and extreme conditions threatening long-term food security. With this in mind, the Government should be prioritising the protection and restoration of our best agricultural land, not building over it. Incentivising farmers to farm the land through natural, organic farming.

2. Biodiversity and Nature Loss

We are in the midst of an ecological emergency. The World Wildlife Fund reports a 73% average decline in global wildlife populations over the past 50 years. Here in the UK, the House of Lords has noted a 19% drop in species since 1970, and insect populations have plummeted, Buglife and Kent Wildlife Trust found a 60% decline in just 20 years.

The destruction of any remaining natural spaces, including our Green Belt, is simply unacceptable at this critical time.

3. Housing: Broken System, Misguided Solutions

The housing crisis cannot be solved by sacrificing our green spaces for unaffordable private developments. A recent study found developers are sitting on land with capacity for over 1.4 million unbuilt homes. Granting yet more permissions only rewards land-banking, not housebuilding.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of homes lie empty, locked in probate, used as short-term lets, or held as second homes. The stamp duty system disincentivises downsizing, and there is a chronic lack of genuinely affordable council housing.

The solution lies in building well-planned, energy-efficient social housing on brownfield sites, embedded within existing communities. The years-long delay to the Better Queensway regeneration scheme underscores the need for direct investment and political will, not more sprawl.

4. Infrastructure: The Wrong Direction

Adding thousands of homes without major investment in sustainable infrastructure will only increase car dependency, congestion and emissions. Southend’s recent bus cuts have forced more people into private vehicles, creating a feedback loop of declining services and rising traffic.

New developments must be designed around public and active transport, not more roads.

5. Southend’s Local Plan and the Bournes Green Site

The Draft Local Plan makes it abundantly clear: the Bournes Green site is Grade 1 agricultural land, of the highest quality, and would suffer “High Harm” from development. It is not suitable for reclassification under the so-called ‘Grey Belt’ concept.

We are concerned by claims from certain councillors questioning the land’s condition without offering any evidence. If there is genuine belief that the land is degraded, it should be submitted for rewilding under the appropriate DEFRA schemes, not put forward for irreversible development.

Conclusion

The case against building on our Green Belt could not be stronger. The evidence is overwhelming: our agricultural land must be protected, our natural world restored, and our housing crisis addressed in smarter, more sustainable ways.

We therefore urge you to join Rochford District Council in calling for Southend’s withdrawal from the New Towns Taskforce application process, and to make clear your opposition to any future proposals to build on Green Belt land across the city.

Yours sincerely,

Cllr Stuart Allen, Leader of the Green Group & Councillor for Leigh Ward
Cllr Richard Longstaff, Councillor for Leigh Ward
Tilly Hogrebe, 2024 Candidate for Southend West & Leigh
Simon Cross, 2024 Candidate for Southend East & Rochford

And the South East Essex Green Party Executive:

James Vessey-Miller, Fiona Clapperton, Vida Guildford, Simon Gittus, Lauren Ekins, Sarah-Ann Jardine, RJ Learmouth, Eva Mansfield,AJ Sutherland, and Peter Walker

The post Formal Objection Regarding New Towns Taskforce Application appeared first on South East Essex.

The Southend Green Group has put forward a motion to ensure that all steps are taken to allow for next year’s local elections to go ahead, despite plans for council reorganisation across Essex.

After the announcement of Local Government Reorganisation last year, local elections were postponed in many parts of Essex. Now, Cllr Stuart Allen, backed by Cllr Ron Woodley of the Southend Independent Group, is calling on fellow councillors to do everything they can to make sure Southend’s elections in May 2026 are not postponed.

Cllr Allen said, “People in Southend want their voices heard. We must not let the excuse of reorganisation silence them. While the Government may force a delay on us, we should not be going out of our way to reduce residents’ say.”

A Green Party spokesperson added, “This year’s local elections across England have shown it’s no longer just a two-horse race. With five parties, and Independent Councillors now in the mix, any one of them – including the Greens – could see big wins in Southend. After May’s elections, the Greens have a record high number of Councillors with 859 seats on 181 councils.”

The 2026 election is due to elect a third of Southend’s councillors, those who were last elected in 2022. There were no elections in Southend City Council this May due to it being a fallow year. 

The Government’s reorganisation plans could see Southend merged with Rochford and Castle Point into a new South East Essex Unitary Council. A ‘shadow council’ could be elected in 2027, with the new body officially taking over in 2028.

– ENDS –

Notes to editor:

The motion includes the following text:

Acknowledgement:

This Council notes that Local Government Reorganisation is expected to establish unitary authorities across England. In Essex, all 15 councils are currently developing proposals in line with Government-set criteria.

This Council further notes that, subject to agreement between the councils and central Government, this process is likely to lead to the formation of a new unitary authority, with shadow elections anticipated in May 2027 and full implementation in 2028. These timelines remain subject to change.

As things stand, Southend’s local elections in May 2026 are scheduled to take place in thirds, as per the usual cycle. While there remains a possibility that Government may seek to delay, postpone, or cancel these elections, this Council will continue to plan on the basis that they will go ahead, including the return to the ballot of seats last contested in 2022.

Therefore, this Council resolves that:

1. Southend-on-Sea City Council will not request any delay, postponement, or cancellation of the scheduled local elections in May 2026.
   
2. The Council will take all necessary steps to ensure that residents continue to have a democratic voice in local government throughout the transition to any new authority.

Proposed:
Cllr Stuart Allen

Seconded:
Cllr Ron Woodley

The post Southend Greens Push to Protect Local Elections appeared first on South East Essex.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the tens of thousands of new homes being pushed onto Southend by central government – top-down, with little regard for local voices.

From the Salvation Army land in the west to Bournes Green in the east, our city is facing a tidal wave of urban sprawl. Our infrastructure is under pressure, and the green spaces that make Southend special are under threat.

We do need more homes; people are living longer, and we need working-age people to keep our society going and to start families. But those homes must be built in the right places — and at the right price.

For too long, we’ve seen overpriced executive estates dumped on greenfield land, with barely a thought for schools, GP surgeries, bus routes or water. Generic, car-focused, cut-and-paste houses that could be anywhere, and often don’t reflect Southend’s character or needs.

However, across the country over a million homes already have planning permission and haven’t been built. Another million are sitting empty. Yet developers still demand more land. They’re hoarding it, inflating their balance sheets, not building homes.

We should be building on brownfield sites near existing public transport infrastructure, creating homes that reflect our local identity. Just look at places like Cliff Town, mansion blocks, family homes, proper parks and tree-lined streets. Thoughtful, people-focused design that builds communities, not just postcodes.

Recently the Labour government announced plans to water down environmental protections further, weakening biodiversity net-gain rules that help our ecosystems. Simple steps like requiring swift boxes on new homes could be dropped. They’re even reclassifying parts of the green belt as ‘grey belt’ to make them easier to concrete over.

There is nothing “green” about building over high-quality farmland. These spaces could be rewilded or restored to produce food; something we’ll need more than ever as climate change affects harvests across Europe. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Adding to the housing crisis, council housing has been neglected since the 1980s and we’re now living with the consequences; sky high mortgages making homes more unaffordable for all but the wealthiest, forcing families to work more hours. Developers were supposed to pick up the slack with so-called ‘affordable’ housing, but time and again they try to wriggle out of their commitments, claiming they’re “unviable.” Only recently, the developer now being lined up to build at Bournes Green tried to slash its social housing commitment from 30% to 15%. I sat on that planning committee, and I was proud to vote against it. But it shows how broken the system is.

The council needs to step up. We need to build high-quality council homes ourselves, not buy up homes squeezed onto unsuitable plots, beside noisy roads or under flight paths. The private sector can’t fill this gap. We need proper national funding for a new generation of social housing.

And we must fix the spread of HMOs. Family homes are being converted into shared housing without proper planning, piling pressure on local services and removing the types of houses we are short of. Some HMOs are well-designed, but others are clearly gaming the system. Right now, anyone can convert a house into an HMO without planning permission, unless it’s for more than five people. That needs to change. We’re pushing to strike a better balance.

Roads and rail are at a tipping point; building more roads won’t solve the problems, it’ll make things much worse. We need bold thinking: better buses, safe cycle lanes, and fewer short car journeys. Let’s make it easier, cheaper and safer to get around without the need for cars. As Enrique Peñalosa said, “a developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation.”

And we must bring jobs back to central Southend – especially green jobs. The green sector is growing three times faster than the wider economy. We’ve got the talent: in design, manufacturing and engineering. What we need now is the investment to unlock that potential and stop treating Southend as just a commuter town for London.

What we need is a joined-up plan – for homes, nature, and jobs. Only the Greens are offering that. We’re the only party putting communities and climate before developers and short-term profits.

The upcoming Local Plan is the one opportunity to have our say to try to secure and protect our valuable spaces, so I encourage each and everyone of you to get involved. This is your city. Make your voice heard.

The post Building for People and Planet appeared first on South East Essex.

The Green Party have raised serious safety concerns after several cars were seen driving through Chalkwell Park.

The road that runs from Old Leigh Road to the cricket pavilion is marked “Authorised Vehicles Only,” with signage at the gate. However, certain users appear to be driving through and parking on the grass, rather than using the designated car park. One day, 12 cars were counted at one time within the park either traveling through or parked around the cricket club and cafe.

Green campaigner Kay Mitchell said: “Unauthorised vehicles using Chalkwell Park paths are putting families and pets at risk. These are not isolated incidents and clear evidence has been shared.

“This is a serious and urgent matter. I’m working with Councillor Stuart Allen, who is contacting officers to push for a fast response. Safety for park users must come first. Vehicular access from Old Leigh Road should be limited to essential maintenance only and supervised. I hope the council responds with the urgency this deserves.”

A local resident, who asked to remain anonymous, added: “Parks are meant to be a place to escape traffic, where children and dogs can run free without fear. But now I find myself having to gather up my children when cars appear and sometimes I’m too late, as shown in videos I’ve taken of various incidents.

“This has to stop before someone gets hurt. The cars are also damaging the paths, they weren’t built for this.”

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“Thanks to residents for raising this. It’s shocking to see how close cars are coming to children in a space meant to be safe. I’ve reported it to the parks and highways teams, who are now looking into the issue.”

Councillor Stuart Allen

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The Green Party is calling for a bollard to be installed at the park gate to prevent unauthorised access, and is urging the council to act quickly before someone is injured.

– ENDS –

The post Greens Raise Safety Concerns Over Cars in Chalkwell Park appeared first on South East Essex.

The Southend Green Party has announced that Councillor Stuart Allen will take over as Group Leader for the coming municipal year.

The leadership change is part of the Green Group’s flat hierarchy, which emphasises fairness and shared responsibility. When Councillor Allen was elected last year, the group agreed to rotate the leadership role annually among its councillors. The position exists solely for council proceedings; all Green councillors have equal weight in decision-making, and, with no party whip, are free to vote according to their conscience.

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“It’s been a pleasure to serve as our Group Leader over the past year, and I know Stuart will do an amazing job. From being a lone voice on the council to becoming a growing group with an increasing vote share—it’s an exciting time to be part of the Green Party.”

Cllr Richard Longstaff

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“I’m looking forward to stepping into the role, especially at such a pivotal moment for the Council, as we move toward a Combined Authority Mayor and local government reorganisation. We’ve got a fantastic team behind us and we’re ready to meet the challenges ahead.”

Cllr Stuart Allen

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The change in leadership took effect this month.

– ENDS –

The post Southend Green Party Announces New Group Leader appeared first on South East Essex.

All are welcome to attend.
Sat 14th June, 17:30

We’re meeting at Trust Links Westcliff for our legendary vegan BBQ! Come and meet the Southend Green team, grab some great food, and enjoy!

Our volunteer chefs will be cooking up a delicious plant-based BBQ, with all the sides and delightful desserts!

This event is BYOB and Pay What You Can Afford, with all proceeds benefiting the Green Party in South East Essex.

The post Big Summer Social appeared first on South East Essex.

The Green Group had submitted an amendment to ensure that this land would never be built on, but was rejected.

Cllr Richard Longstaff, Green Group Leader said;

Nationally, the Green Party strongly opposes to building on metropolitan greenbelt land, which exists for a reason to prevent urban sprawl, protect nature and support mental and physical wellbeing through access to green spaces.

We’re also against administrative impropriety, where council is bypassed by any administration and council officers in making applications to government without full council debate. We’ve already voted against this as a council. I said very clearly last year how local government is based on democratic principles. This, again, doesn’t feel very democratic. Our residents deserve better. Bournes Green lightly serves as a valuable, ecological and community resource. Once built on its environmental and social value, cannot be recovered.

Alternatives exist. Southend, like many other urban areas, has underutilised brownfield sites, empty homes, and outdated commercial buildings that can be repurposed as repurposed or refitted as we seeing on on a yearly basis as the population grows. Prioritising urban regeneration and retrofitting high quality infill housing aligns with sustainable planning principles.

This type of proposal should be mastermind by planning and urban design professionals, not politicians and council officers. Southend is a peninsula of land the size of Manhattan. Is constrained on the north by greenbelt and at the south by history. It’s fairly unique. It is not Cambridge, Chelmsford or Colchester. It can’t expand in all directions. It needs a joined up masterplan to deal with sustainable growth.

Climate commitments in developing greenbelt land is inconsistent with local and national planning policy and environmental goals. Such development represents urban sprawl, which increases car dependency, harms biodiversity, releases stored carbon from soils and vegetation. It also risks food security for communities in the event of a food supply chain issue have we’ve seen recently, in recent years. In times of continued instability, with 55% of our food imported, we as a council, need to think very carefully about our development plans and future food security. This land is agricultural land.

Affordable housing shouldn’t be a Trojan horse. While housing needs is urgent, particularly for genuinely affordable homes, developers often use this argument to justify building executive homes on greenbelt land that represents urban sprawl and creates car dependency.

You can’t build infrastructure on a constrained city like Southend. Moving people through cities is what makes cities function. We can’t build an M11 to London. This is not the way to plan sustainable development. We believe we should be focusing on community led housing, co-operatives and council led affordable homes in existing urban areas instead. This needs a joined up approach with a more robust, forward thinking plan for growth.

Cllr Stuart Allen added;

I speak tonight not just as a councillor, but as someone who cares deeply about the future of our communities and our environment. Let me be clear: the Green Party had no part in the decisions around Bournes Green. We were elected in 2023. We weren’t in the cabinet. We didn’t vote for this and we won’t defend it.

What we have done is consistently oppose building on green-belt land. Bournes Green is not brownfield. It’s agricultural land, a vital green buffer between Southend and Rochford. Now we face plans for up to 10,000 homes. Let’s be honest, this motion has more to do with political point-scoring than protecting the land. And residents deserve better.

This kind of development risks turning Southend into a featureless sprawl. We’ve seen it before — unaffordable homes, watered-down social housing, and estates with no shops, no schools, no services. Meanwhile, over a million homes nationwide already have planning permission but haven’t been built. Thousands are empty – including here in Southend. We don’t need to build over our last green spaces to meet Local demand.

With climate change accelerating, land like Bournes Green could help feed our city. Once it’s lost, it’s lost forever. Neither the motion nor the amendment guarantees protection for this land. Had our amendment been accepted, it would have.

But I ask this chamber: stand for green spaces. Stand for smarter, fairer development.

Let’s build a Southend worth living in – not just for now, but for the future.

— ENDS —

The post Green Councillors stand up against the proposed Bournes Green Development appeared first on South East Essex.

The Green Party in Southend has spoken out firmly against proposals to build on Bournes Green and surrounding green spaces, warning that the plans threaten both the environment and the character of local communities.

The proposals, which would see up to 10,000 homes built on land classed as ‘very good quality’, have been criticised for encouraging urban sprawl and risking the merger of Southend with neighbouring Rochford into a single, sprawling mega-city.

Green Party Councillor, Richard Longstaff said:

“We absolutely recognise the need for new housing, but it must be in the right place. Building over what should be productive agricultural land and precious green spaces is not the answer. There are over one million empty homes across the country and another million plots with planning permission already granted. We should be putting that land and those homes to use first.”

The Party is calling for housing developments to prioritise brownfield sites close to existing public transport links, and to be planned alongside vital services such as shops, cafés, doctors’ surgeries and schools – rather than simply sprawling into open countryside without adequate provisions.

Bournes Green, the Greens argue, offers far more value to the community and future generations as protected agricultural land and open space, particularly as climate change threatens food security.

“Local food production will become increasingly critical. Concreting over land like Bournes Green undermines our ability to feed ourselves in the future,” Cllr Stuart Allen added.

The Green Party is urging Southend residents to oppose the proposals and support a smarter, more sustainable approach to housing and community planning.

– ENDS –

Bournes Green in Southend-on-Sea is classified as Grade 2 agricultural land, indicating it is of very good quality and suitable for a wide range of crops. This classification is based on a detailed Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey conducted by Natural England, which assessed approximately 78.3 hectares of land at Bournes Green. The survey found that the area is predominantly in arable agricultural use, with the majority of the land under winter cereals at the time of assessment. ​

The post Green Party Opposes Development on Bournes Green: Calls for Smarter Housing Solutions appeared first on South East Essex.