Hello again, I write as the weather turns and we orientate ourselves towards the fast approaching festive season. On the theme of nativity and fear of not being left in a stable, the need for good quality affordable housing is as relevant now as it was 2,000 years ago.

I’ll start from where I left off in my last viewpoint with the alarming decision by the Salvation Army to put forward their land at Hadleigh, which borders Leigh-on-Sea, for options consultation in the Castle Point emerging local plan.   To clarify, this is a process whereby landowners put forward their land for appraisal by the local authority, it is not yet determined whether this land will be acceptable for development.  

Nevertheless, the fight is on to protect this area of outstanding natural beauty adjacent to the historic monument of Hadleigh Castle, a SSSi, and the beautiful natural landscape that surrounds its majestic setting.   Myself and Stuart last week met members of the Save Hadleigh Farm to listen to the key concerns.  Such is residents outrage, an 8,000 signature petition of objection was delivered to Castle Point Offices on Friday morning.

The Greenbelt act was implemented for the purpose of stopping urban conurbations from expanding and merging into each other.  This is an important factor in keeping openness and a strong sense of place, I strongly believe Hadliegh Farm is sacrosanct and should be protected from what is a completely illogical decision from the SA American HQ to put the land forward for consultation.

Aside from the ancient monument and SSSi, the other stupidity of such a proposal, if it were considered by Castle Point, is that the land is a long way from train stations and public transport hubs, creating more car dependency that will invariably be travelling to the main trunk roads of the A13 and A130.  Most of our roads are already at 98% capacity, It would be more logical to develop Land to the West of Castle Point closest to the trunk roads that serve it.   This should be Castle Points priority in creating more sustainable transport solutions and acknowledging the need for multi-modal options.

Another important quality in urban design and town planning is the spaces between buildings – The space between Hadleigh and Leigh along the London Road affords an important vista across the landscape to the Thames estuary, giving people a sense of human scale and orientation in the landscape – we all marvel at it and it should remain protected.

Of course, the pen is mightier than the sword, and legislation is mightier than campaigning alone. One way of protecting land from developers is under the localism act whereby residents can form Neighbourhood Planning groups under national planning policy framework (NPPF). ‘Neighbourhood Plans’ can be put forward and, once approved, would be Integrated within local planning policy that ultimately gives residents control over their neighbourhood and how it is developed.   Setting one up would be an essential first step.  It is also worth mentioning the important publication of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, LNRS, published by Essex County Council of which Hadleigh farm would be essential for Nature and biodiversity recovery. 

Of course, we have the same problem in Southend of the increasing population and demand for housing putting pressure on green and inappropriate sites. 

Previously I wrote about the council’s decision to drawdown £12 million to built 30 council houses on the questionable location of the former cattery site.  Not satisfied with the answers provided, I asked to see the monitoring equipment for noise and air pollution, yet to be seen.  Notwithstanding this, reading an article on the 700,000 empty homes in England I made an enquiry into how many empty homes there are in Southend.   The answer was around 1,700 and we have a dedicated officer to bring those properties back to market.  Our empty homes officer should be commended as this year alone she has thus-far brought 40 to market.  My point is that councils should be buying up these empty houses to help address a pressing need for affordable housing in the city.  They should also be thinking very carefully where they choose to build, as once developed, land is gone forever.  The Green Party maintain building the right houses in the right location, for Southend that has to be higher density around the major transport hubs.

Two weeks ago we approved the long anticipated 557 flats development of Alexander house, a high quality design by reputable architects and adjacent to major bus and train transport hubs.  I was asked onto BBC Essex last week as there was much ado about the 0.5 car park space allocation per flat, which would have been zero had it been in central Chelmsford or London.   Yet here in Southend, one of the most high density populated areas in Europe with no less than eight mainline London train stations compared to Chelmsford‘s of just one, people are concerned that more parking wasn’t approved.   It doesn’t take a mathematician to work out that we can’t keep building hundreds of flats in a concentrated area each with a parking space – Southend, as any other city, doesn’t have the road capacity.

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A neglected shelter along Marine Parade in Leigh-on-Sea is set to be restored following action by the Southend Green Party.

After concerns were raised in a local Facebook group about its deteriorating condition, Green campaigner and Leigh resident Simon Gittus took swift action by reaching out to Leigh ward councillor Stuart Allen.

“This shelter has been rotting away for far too long, and I’m delighted to have made a difference for residents. It’s the small, everyday improvements like this that truly enhance our community.

“Restoring the shelter will not only revive its charm but also make the area more welcoming for everyone. It’s a shame the West Leigh ward councillors overlooked the issue, but I’m glad we could step in and get things moving.”

Simon Gittus, Green Campaigner

Cllr Stuart Allen added: “As a councillor for a neighbouring ward, I’m always happy to help improve our shared spaces. I’ve secured a council survey of the shelter, and refurbishment work will begin soon. Plans include repairing the timber structure, replacing the missing glass, and repainting the shelter early next year. Fortunately, because the shelter is within the council-managed parks, the process has been relatively straightforward.”

Cllr Richard Longstaff also commented: “Working together as a Green team, we’re dedicated to ensuring Southend is a community we can all take pride in. While the Marine Parade shelter is a great win, we’re focusing on restoring another shelter along the cinder path. This project has been delayed due to permissions required from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), but we’re pushing hard to get it resolved.”

The refurbishment of the Marine Parade shelter marks another step in the Green Party’s ongoing efforts to enhance community spaces across the city.

– ENDS –

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Green Party activist Simon Gittus has called on the Labour-led council to tackle the pressing issue of speeding along Marine Parade in Leigh-on-Sea.

 During a recent Full Council meeting, Mr. Gittus asked the Council Leader, Daniel Cowen, urging the administration to ‘design out’ speeding risks on the notoriously straight stretch of road.

“There are proven, effective solutions to curb speeding, such as chicanes and road narrowing measures. Yet once again, the Council downplays the problem.

“This isn’t what I’m hearing from concerned residents who live on adjacent roads, and families who visit Marine Gardens with their children and pets. We cannot ignore the fact that some drivers treat this road like a race track. We need action now, before a serious accident occurs.”

Simon Gittus, Green Activist

Adding to the urgency, Cllr. Stuart Allen remarked, “Speeding isn’t limited to Marine Parade; we’re seeing it on New Road, Station Road, and Cranleigh Drive as well. Residents know it’s an issue, the Police know it’s an issue, yet we continue to wait for another serious accident before acting. We already have had one tragic death on New Road and still we do not have a solution to slow traffic down along these roads.”

Cllr Richard Longstaff concurs, “We know where the speeding issues are and would like to see some firmed up action from the Council along these routes.  I have requested a tabletop pelican crossing at the New Road bridge to the old town, and I’m suggesting that we link this up to a tabletop zebra crossing in Broadway West adjacent to the Library and Gardens entrance. These additions will make our streets safer and more enjoyable, while significantly helping to reduce traffic speeds along these roads.”

In response to Mr. Gittus’ question, Cllr Cowan stated, “We fully appreciate residents’ concerns with speeding across the city and actively deploy a regular programme of speed monitoring surveys and work with Community Speed Watch, who are managed by Essex County Fire and Rescue Service; this road is one of their approved sites for monitoring. 

“Our most recent speed monitoring information for this road didn’t show any particular concerns, however, as it has been some time since the last test, we have requested that this road be added to our programme for speed monitoring surveys so we can assess if there has been any increase in the levels of speed being measured. It should be noted that any specific concerns around speeding vehicles should be sent to Essex Police for further investigation.

“Based on the current results and without yet knowing the results of the proposed survey, we would not be undertaking any further action at this time.”

– ENDS –

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The South East Essex Green Party and local residents have voiced their “incredible disappointment” in Southend City Council after the Labour Council ignored a petition signed by hundreds of residents and cut down seven mature ash trees in Vernon Road.

A petition was set up by resident and local Green activist, Simon Gittus, after he was made aware of the mature trees potential demise.

“I was devastated to hear the news, and instantly tried to do something to stop the chop. My grandparents lived on Vernon Road and I have fond memories of these trees as a kid. Unfortunately, the council has ignored the petition and has taken the wrong decision to axe the trees.

These trees, much loved by residents, are now gone forever. Any saplings planted now will take decades to reach the same maturity as the ones axed. This has a serious and irreversible impact on air pollution, biodiversity, and the visual character of this residential area.”

Simon Gittus, Green Party Activist

A public argument between Green activists and the City Council has now broken out. Removal notices were displayed on the trees themselves, but were not listed on the City Council’s website due to an “admin error”. Following public upset, the Council now claims that the trees were infected with ‘Ash Dieback’ but the council has yet to produce any evidence of test results for the disease.

Leigh Councillor for the Green Party, Cllr Richard Longstaff says;

“The story keeps changing; firstly it was about pavements, then it was conveniently Ash Dieback, then the trunks were too large in diameter – the Council knows they’ve messed up and are clutching straws to find anything that may justify their actions.

“As a council we need to be transparent with the public, especially when we are removing our community’s natural assets. It is worrying that the council officers did not place notice of their removals on the website – I dread to think how many trees are being removed without residents being informed.

“It’s incidents like this where there has been little scrutiny in officers recommendations, or sufficient evidence provided, that encouraged me to submit my Tree Motion to Full Council last September, but unfortunately it has been kicked into the long grass by both the Tories and Labour, ignoring the will of the Councillors who voted for it over a year ago.”

The local Green Party continues to push for any tree that may be towards the end of its natural life for its decline to be properly managed, so that it is swapped out over a period of years to allow for any saplings to mature sufficiently.

– ENDS –

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The Green Party now have a group of two on Southend City Council, and are looking forward to continuing to represent residents and push for bold action on social justice and the climate and ecological emergency.

Cllr Stuart Allen said:

“I really want to thank the residents who put their faith in me. Residents saw that I was the hardest working candidate; getting drains cleaned, potholes fixed and fly-tipping cleared. I’m keen to really make a difference between now and 2026, and will continue to work hard to try and make Leigh Fairer and Greener.”

Cllr Richard Longstaff said;
“It was a tremendous result, Stuart completely smashed it out of the park. He’s a dynamo, cracking on and getting stuff done. He’s been helping me all through the year, he’s just so committed. He was the only candidate who actually lived in the ward and also works in the ward. He’s very passionate about Leigh.”

Overall in Southend, the Green Party managed a record 14.1% city-wide vote share, putting the party 3rd across the city, meaning they are quickly becoming the credible alternative to the old parties.

James Vessey-Miller, Branch Coordinator, said:
“This was not just a great result for Leigh ward, but fantastic overall; our candidate for Belfairs Nathaniel Love defied expectations and placed second behind the Conservatives in Belfairs. We also really upped our vote share in both West Leigh and Chalkwell too. It’s clear that the Greens are now a credible alternative for residents and we have big ambitions for the future.”

Residents can join the Green Party from £6 a year, by visiting join.greenparty.org.uk.

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Our candidates are a diverse and energetic group of passionate locals keen to bring Green ideas to the table. Our representatives reflect the truly diverse nature of the town, featuring frontline health workers, teachers, businesspeople, and parents in our team this year. As ordinary people ourselves, we know the challenges the town faces as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Green Party offers new and innovative solutions to many of the town’s problems, but we can only make the change the town needs with your support.

A full list of our candidates (and short bios) have been published in Our Candidates section. 

What We Stand For:

These elections are crucially important for so many reasons. 

As the first election held since 2019, residents across town have the opportunity to vote on a wide range of issues that matter to them. Southend is not exempt from suffering from the national crises in housing, education, and healthcare, and meeting the ever-changing needs of our community is a task made more difficult by having a Local Authority without sufficient vision or determination to make the necessary changes to take us forward. 

Our committed and hardworking volunteers are already hard at work in our communities standing up for residents, winning impossible victories against developers, and fighting to make Southend a better town. Many local families who’ve never previously supported the Greens are pledging support for our vision of change this year.

Whilst the other political parties treat the Climate Emergency merely as a trendy fringe issue, offering woolly and unambitious environmental targets, you know that The Greens view this issue with the seriousness and gravity it deserves, and when elected, you can trust us to instigate the biggest shift in council direction in a century. Despite every warning light on the dashboard being on, the council continues to ignore climate science and is putting our families at direct risk. Worse still, they’re supporting the big polluters causing this. 

We will lead a Green Recovery from the pandemic, with practical support for businesses and families struggling to make ends meet, and with the resolve to follow the expert science to take us forward as a town. 

AIR POLLUTION

Air Pollution in many areas in Southend is already illegally high, exceeding the safe limited as set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Traffic congestion along the A127 and A130, in addition to the pollution from the Airport, only compounds these issues. Rather than kicking the can along the road by conducting long-term studies as the Conservatives once did, and as the Labour/Liberal/Independent coalition administration is now doing, Greens would introduce radical measures to help alleviate the town’s congestion crisis, and would bring in new controls to ensure clean, breathable air for our town. Clean Air is a right, and our current administration is failing us.

OUR HIGH STREET

Small local businesses and our High Street are struggling. Whilst the Labour party believes the future of our High Street is residential, the Greens stand by our commitment to local business and believe that in order to save our High Street, we should be blockading any out-of-town retail parks that would seal the fate of our ailing high-street. Small cooperatives and businesses should be supported with concessions to business rates, and a full-time indoor fresh food market introduced to support local growers and help promote healthy eating. 

HOUSING FOR ALL

Housing is at a crisis-level in our town. More families are struggling to make ends meet, and many families are in destitution paying ever-increasing rent amounts each month. The Conservatives and Labour are both lauding the Better Queensway scheme as one answer to our town’s issues, but in reality, there will be insufficient truly affordable homes on the site for local people. We believe a sustainable and affordable housing revolution in our town is required. We need to stop building luxury high-profit commuter homes on Green-belt land and should be building truly-affordable homes on the 50+ brownfield sites across our town, and supporting new housing co-operatives that will make it happen.

LITTER

Litter is at epidemic levels across the town; Marine pollution is at such the extent whereby voluntary groups in Southend (including some set up by the Green Party) are out almost every weekend collecting the discarded trash that sullies our wonderful beaches and coastline. Greens would continue to tackle rampant littering and fly-tipping and would seek to support voluntary groups in a community effort to tidy up our town. Other initiatives such as repair cafes, and upcycling groups would also be given funding to help repair and repurpose broken goods and electronics to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

You can read our full local manifesto in the What We Stand For section.

Visit the Get Involved section for details on how you can help get Greens elected in Southend.

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