Independents - what is the point?

I have still to be convinced of the relevance or contribution of independents in local government. Elected councillors have in my view two primary duties. The first is to aid ward residents in dealing with specific issues which may arise across a range of council run areas to include housing, planning, education, social care etc. There are many members locally from all parties who fulfil this role conscientiously and effectively, often benefiting for the assistance of more experienced party colleagues. The performance of each councillor relies primarily on their own skill and dedication and the colour rosette they choose to wear is relatively insignificant.

However the second important role is to collectively formulate policy and priorities and to oversee implementation by council officers. It is in the second area that successful local government remains dependent on party involvement.

Each party, whether mainstream or more fringe, offers a clear underlying philosophy on fundamental issues such as regeneration, adult social care, education etc. giving the electorate a meaningful choice. If elected the party group is able to rely on a basic and sufficient ideological cohesion and organisational unity to deliver its core values with responsibility being maintained by the existence of a credible opposition acting as a balancing force.

In Southend we have the unusual concept of a recognised group of independent councillors who cooperate and campaign in a manner similar to the other party groups but who have no shared ideological background, overriding issue or geographical base. This inevitably means that they must concentrate on specific ward sensitive local issues or pursue negative campaigning in that they lack any consensus on the more fundamental challenges facing local government.

They include an unsuccessful Labour candidate and a former Conservative councillor as well as others across the political spectrum. Whilst this is suggested by some as a strength the question remains as to what would happen if they were to hold the balance of power at some stage in the future. Which party administration would they support and how could they agree on the fundamental priorities of the council within their own group, never mind with their new political allies? They are seeking to build what is in all reality a party group without dealing with these fundamental issues.

Westcliff Library and petty party politics

I note that once again the Independent Party are playing political games to try to frighten residents into supporting them. They have been suggesting to residents in Westborough that plans are afoot to close Westcliff Library. This is complete nonsense. At no time during the preparation of the budget for the coming year has any member of the Conservative administration or senior officer indicated any plan to shut Westcliff library.Having made up this scare story they will no doubt then suggest that they have had a part in "rescuing it". Don't be fooled. Strange isn't it that the party group who claim to be independent from party politics are inevitably at the forefront of stunts of this kind.

10 Downing Street

I was delighted to be invited to meet the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street earlier this week. It was my first visit behind the famous black door and it was interesting to see what a large building it is and to walk up the famous staircase with photographs of previous prime ministers. No photograph of Gordon Brown as yet! It is clear that David Cameron is fully aware of the challenges we are facing in finding economies in Southend but maintaining front line services and his team has no shortage of exciting initiatives for the future. What a difference to have a dynamic prime minister who can really connect with the public.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all as we embark on what I am sure will be an exciting if demanding 12 months. It is very exciting that Southend Borough Council has been short listed for the "Council of the Year" award. We will know the result later this year but being in the top few authorities in the country is further evidence of the progress we have made over the last few years.

Spending review

So with the Chancellor's recent announcement the challenge we are going to face balancing the council's books over the next four years is a little clearer although we will not have all the small print and the final detail until december. It is going to be challenging but we cannot allow the public debt to continue rising as has been the case under the last government. If we listened to the Labour leadership our debt would be almost £100 billion higher by the end of the current parliament and we would be paying £4billion more in debt interest alone by the time of the next election. As it is under the last government they doubled the national debt and left us with the biggest budget deficit in the G20 with interest of £120M interest each day - that is just about Southend Council's entire annual revenue expenditure accruing in daily interest! It is madness and simply can't continue - it is simply not fair on our children and grandchildren who will end up paying the bill.So now the hard work really starts to find the necessary economies with as little effect on council tax payers as possible.

Airport expansion - an update

What is happening about the continuing saga of the proposed extension to the airport’s runway. Whilst we were anticipating a debate by the full council in September to consider whether we should allow a variation of the airport lease to allow such extension, and if so on what terms, this has been delayed by court proceedings commenced by a local resident seeking a judicial review of the earlier planning decision. We are now faced with the ridiculous situation that through the legal aid system we as taxpayers are funding an expensive, and in my view speculative court action, and Southend council tax payers are also funding an expensive defence of the claim. This will result in a final bill for the public purse amounting to many tens of thousands of pounds whatever the outcome – hardly helpful in the current economic climate. In the meantime we are unable to move to the real debate namely do we block the runway extension and force the airport to expand on its present runway but with an absence of effective environmental controls, or do we allow the extension but linked to reasonable and effective controls on flight direction, flight numbers, volumes of cargo, increased radar provision etc. This delay only further extends the anxiety of some residents and the commercial uncertainty for the airport not helped by some council members who seem determined to cloud the true debate by misleading the public in suggesting that the Council can somehow stop any airport expansion or unilaterally impose restrictions on night flights, flight numbers or a range of other issues which we cannot. If we are to deliver improved environmental controls and indeed facilitate and harness the commercial benefits that airport expansion can bring we will only do so by being realistic as to our present negotiating position and concentrating on the effective controls that can be delivered.

Creating a better traffic jam

The four major road schemes at Progress Road, Victoria Circus, Cuckoo Corner and the central seafront are approaching completion. These projects should improve traffic flow and in the case of the seafront give this important area a much needed face lift. However I would be surprised if you have not wondered why we have undertaken four such significant schemes at the same time, and also simultaneously allowed the utility companies to continue to cause disruption to other roads across the Town. You may even have sat in a traffic jam fuming at the incompetence of the Council.
Let me say a few words in our defence. We received confirmation from the government in late 2009 that we were being allocated over £25M to deliver the four schemes in question but that the money had to be spent in its entirety by no later than March 2011. There was no option but to undertake the schemes simultaneously or lose the money. Significant preparation was undertaken to try to keep disruption to a minimum to include working with contractors to keep carriageways open during rush hours, requests to the utility companies to avoid work at the same time, reduction of work on the seafront during the school holidays to reduce the effect on business, and an attempt to get as much done as possible to the carriageways prior to the pre Christmas rush. There has also been an ongoing publicity campaign to keep residents, visitors and businesses updated on the plans. Unfortunately we do not have the power to stop road works by utility companies and their activities during the last few months has been frustrating and annoying. However we are now well advanced with all four large and complex projects and remain on target and on budget. If we had rejected the money we would have been open to valid criticism so let us hope that this short term pain will be worth a long term gain.