Castle Point Council - An Administration without opposition!

 

I commented a while back on how Castle Point Borough Council, an authority without any opposition presence, would be able to function in an open, democratic and accountable manner and thought that I would test the water by viewing the latest council meeting held on 9^th October 2024.

I was particularly interested to see how the Administration would deal with a claim for restitution against certain specific former staff who apparently made unlawful decisions relating to their own financial position resulting in potentially unlawful payments.

This issue has been dragging on from some time and was previously considered by the council in March of this year when it was decided to obtain further legal and professional advice.

At the meeting it was explained that the allegedly unlawful payments totalled over £1,100,000 and the question was whether to effectively write the money off or to pursue recovery through the courts or otherwise.

Clearly the legal advice received was confidential and this resulted, quite reasonably, in the meeting moving into private to discuss the detail of the advice before moving back into public to discuss the recommendations and to decide on the way forward.

On the resumption of the open meeting the Leader proposed pursuing recovery of £218,155 with a decision to write off the remainder. His comments then sought to criticise the previous administration (albeit that I am not aware that any elected member was in any way liable for the relevant decisions) but did not seek to in any way explain or justify a decision to write off nearly £900,000 of public funds excluding accrued interest. The Deputy Leader seconded the motion and 3 other councillors spoke briefly in support but concentrating on the deplorable loss of public funds rather than seeking to justify why the balance was being written off. The proposal was passed unanimously.

Now having undertaken civil litigation for over 40 years I know all about its cost implications and risks and we do not know what the specialist lawyers had advised, however as far as the public meeting was concerned there was no challenge to the decision or attempt to justify that the council was being driven by its duty to protect the public purse. All we know is that nearly £900,000 has been written off. The decision was in my view a very good example of why a lack of vibrant opposition is not in the interests of accountable democracy..

Southend Conservative Group - "Infamy, Infamy, they've all got it in for me!"

 

So the Conservative Group on Southend Council has decided to appoint a new leader, forcing out Cllr Tony Cox and installing Cllr James Courtenay. At the outset I should say that I have considerable respect for both gentlemen who have served the Town and Party well over a number of years. In fact whilst Council Leader I appointed them both to their first cabinet posts and found them effective, articulate and hardworking members of the Administration.

It is of course disappointing for Cllr Cox to be forced out against his wishes but I am surprised that he has chosen to leave the Conservative Group and sit as an Independent. I read his recent Facebook entry which could not be described as his version of mea culpa  but reminded me of Kenneth Williams in Carry on Cleo” – Infamy, Infamy, they’ve all got it in for me!

I hope that he will rethink his position once the dust has settled. No political leader is unchallengeable and if they lose the support of their group there is no realistic option other than to step down. He led the Group through some difficult challenges and was Leader of the Council for a year but perhaps now is the right time to try a different approach. This does not undermine or devalue the efforts and progress he made but I am not convinced that his current actions or comments will enhance that reputation. The Conservatives need to regain control of Southend Council and I wish Cllr Courtenay every success as he works towards the next local elections in 2026. That task would be easier with a supportive and motivated Cllr Cox but perhaps that is too much to ask for!

Hadleigh - a community under threat from over development.

As I mentioned in my last post I attended the only Hadleigh consultation meeting on the Castle Point Local Plan and have since submitted my response to the Issues and Options Consultation. I have to admit that the entire process is disheartening and I suspect that for many interested residents trying to complete the on line response will be challenging.

My biggest issue with the draft documentation issued to date is that it seems to ignore the situation as it currently is. Focussing on Hadleigh the reality is that even based on the current population the infrastructure (to include schools, GPs and dental surgeries) cannot cope, the character of the area is under threat as a result of over development, and the highway network is on the point of collapse.

 In particular any disruption on the very busy A13 (however minor) results in excessive rat running and gridlock across the alternative routes to include Church Road and Scrub Lane. Similar problems arise if the A127 is closed for any reason.

This situation cannot be significantly improved. There is no possibility of widening the A13 between West Leigh and Hadleigh Church and in any event traffic would then back up on the single carriageway road through Southend to the west and Benfleet to the east. There is no viable alternative east/west route to reduce the current traffic loads.

One of the possibilities mentioned in the consultation is a large residential development on the Salvation Army land fronting the A13. This is completely ridiculous. This land provides an essential green lung between Southend (one of the densest populated areas outside London) and Castle Point. To lose any part would be detrimental to the character of the area and the mental health of local residents.

Of equal concern is that any construction works would create traffic chaos for months if not years and when occupied the new residences would place impossible burdens on the A13, surrounding roads and our other infrastructure.

One would hope that Essex County Council as the Highways Authority would be pointing these realities out however the County Council appears to be continuing with its efforts to develop the former school playing field site on Scrub Lane. A suggestion of up to 100 residences has been mentioned with access on to Scrub Lane which cannot cope with the current demands at rush hours – particularly if there is disruption elsewhere in the area.

I know that our MP Rebecca Harris and Castle Point Conservatives are working to oppose this over development but with a Council who will make final decisions on the Plan comprising solely members of the Peoples Independent Party and the Canvey Independent Group only time will tell if the Council will heed these concerns in an effective manner. In the meantime the Labour Government is threatening to impose ever greater housing targets on local authorities, whether or not they can be achieved in a way which protects the best interests of local communities.

It is essential that as many residents as possible complete the online consultation and monitor the draft plan which subsequently materialises so that we can forcefully oppose this nonsense! 

Castle Point Local Plan - an interesting consultation!

 

On Thursday night I attended one of the consultation meetings on The Castle Point Local Plan. In my next post I will comment on the plan more specifically but I was not over impressed by the meeting.

Whilst various meetings are being held across Castle Point this was the only meeting in Hadleigh. Bearing in mind that possible proposals include the development of part of the Salvation Army farm it is perhaps not surprising that many residents are concerned. Notwithstanding the meeting being scheduled in the school summer holidays and not, in my view, being well advertised, the organisers were clearly caught out by the level of attendance.

The original venue of Hadleigh Baptist Church Hall was swiftly abandoned when it became clear that it was too small and even after a transfer to the church itself there was soon standing room only.

The Council officer who made the presentation was very competent however the process included use of a smart phone to enter feedback which was beyond a significant number of the residents sitting around me who either did not have a smart phone or couldn’t follow the process.

Much of the information provided was inevitably detailed but what was unavoidable was the level of anger felt by many residents at the amount of redevelopment being proposed due to the adequacy of our current infrastructure, and the discussion on use of our precious greenbelt. Having subsequently completed a response to the Issues and Options document it is not straightforward and the reality is that a substantial number of residents will feel unable to do so. I hope that the strength of their feelings is still reflected in the draft Plan.

One attendee asked if our local councillors were present. This seemed a reasonable question bearing in mind the importance of the plan and the opportunity to hear the views of residents first hand. It is also the case that the Peoples Independent Party swept to power on the basis of their anti-green belt development position, and that as the presenting officer made clear, the final decisions on the Plan will be made by elected council members. The response was that the officer thought that they might be there but if so they were standing outside!

I am not sure if they were present or not as I don’t know what they look like but if they were there I fail to see why they did not make themselves known so that residents could be reassured that they were being heard, and if they were not the question is obviously why not!

 It is also unfortunate that a representative from Essex Council was not present as they are of course our Highway Authority and so much of any potential housing development is practically impossible due to the inadequacy of our road network to cope with current demands. Having said that with Essex County Council’s wish to put a ridiculous number of new residential units on the old school playing field site in Scrub Lane perhaps it was a good thing that they weren’t.

As I have mentioned I will comment on the plan itself more specifically in my next post.

Does a lack of legitimate opposition undermine local government?

 

I find myself in the interesting position that my house straddles the boundary between 2 parliamentary constituencies, Southend West & Leigh and Castle Point, and as a result I feel part of both communities and take an interest in local issues affecting both councils.

The current status of Castle Point Council is particularly interesting. Before last May the Council was run by a coalition between the Canvey Island Independent Party representing various wards on the Island and The People’s Independent Party representing various wards across the rest of the Council area. There was also a group of Conservative councillors who formed the opposition to this administration.

In the run up to the elections in May 2024 a decision was taken to hold “all up elections” rather than having staggered elections over three years. There is obviously a question of the democratic accountability of an “all up” election as it can mean that the result is swung by the national mood and results in no opportunity for the local electorate to make change for four years.

In this case the Canvey Independents won all available seats on the Island and the People’s Independent Party won all seats across the rest of the area with a wipe out of the Conservatives and no success for any of the other national parties.

This meant that the People’s Independent Party had an overall majority and could have been expected to take over the Council with the Canvey Independents forming the opposition.  However these two groups decided to continue their joint arrangement sharing out cabinet posts between the 2 groups and with a Canvey Councillor becoming the Council Leader.

The bizarre outcome of this decision is that there is no opposition and this will continue for the next four years! It was the Council of Europe’s Forum for the Future of Democracy which previously commented that “Opposition is an important part of democracy..”. It ensures that the policies and actions of the Administration are subject to robust scrutiny and challenge from elected councillors and the current arrangement in Castle Point must be perceived as undemocratic and extremely concerning.

Whilst I have previously commented on the unsatisfactory nature of “Independent” candidates in local government it is surely the case that the People’s Independent Party should honour the mandate they have been given and assume sole control of the Council allowing the remaining councillors to become a robust and conscientious opposition.