Points Of View

To have your Point Of View included in our ‘Points Of View’ feature, please email: [email protected].

Letter from: Councillor Paul Gilson, Leigh Town Councillor supported by the Conservative Group on Leigh Town Council: Councillors Bernard Arscott (Chairman), Sandra McCurdy (Vice-Chairman), Murat Agdeve, Rosemary Arscott, Owen Cartey, Mark Flewett, Jonathan Garston, Carol Lambert, John Lloyd, Anne Robinson, Judith Suttling and Craig Watt.

 

SIR, I am sure, like me, the residents of Leigh are fed up with hearing about the confusion around what is happening at Leigh Town Council (LTC).

I have to say that this confusion is being deliberately caused by people close to the Council, and their associates, who regularly attend and try to disrupt Council meetings, propagating lies about what the Council is doing or plans to do.

I will attempt to point out some of the lies being circulated. It should be noted that the election of members to the Council, 16 in all, was conducted according to current legislation.

A candidate standing in a ward where there is no other candidate is duly elected “unopposed”. That this occurred in several wards in the May 2023 election is simply an indication of a lack of interest in standing to serve the people of Leigh. The lies about the Council, and Councillors, are being propagated by those who missed out because of their own inaction.

Here are some of the false claims and lies that are circulating:

Claim. That LTC is seeking to close the Leigh Community Centre, as has been widely circulated in the media and on Facebook. Fact. Despite what has been very clearly stated in nearly every Council meeting for months, this is a lie, circulated by those wishing to overturn the elected administration.

Claim. That LTC wishes to sell off the Leigh allotments, which is untrue. Fact. It would be illegal for them to be sold. If they were somehow sold they would have to be replaced like for like. Where would anyone find a similar site within Leigh of such size and convenient location?

Fact. Staff have been lied to by standing Councillors and encouraged to obstruct Council

operations. This has recently led to some staff being suspended and/or resigning.

Fact. There was no plan to sack staff, contrary again to rumours being circulated by this same small group of people spreading lies and unrest.

Fact. The Locum Clerk identified one Councillor in particular who is trying to bring down the Council.

Fact. Some staff members have used Council equipment for personal use, e.g., downloading films to Council computers.

Fact. A new temporary, and highly-qualified Community Centre Manager was recently

employed to increase and enhance events, but rude behaviour and disparaging comments towards her made by staff were such that she walked away the same day and did not sign her contract.

Fact. Ex-Leigh Town Councillors, Southend City Councillors, and prospective Southend City

candidates, are spreading these untruths for personal political gain, despite their assertions that they are “non-political” and are there to serve the people of Leigh.

Fact. A sitting Councillor attempted to disrupt the Remembrance Sunday parade and

event. The lower hall at the Community Centre was booked for this, and then cancelled by

a mysterious “unknown” Councillor, according to the staff.

Fact. The same Councillor attempted to embarrass the Council, the Southend City Mayor

and the Southend West MP on Merchant Navy Day, by holding a rival ceremony before the official ceremony at Strand Wharf. The Sea Scouts, who should have been in attendance, had been called by a mysterious “unknown” Councillor and told that their presence was no longer required.

On the positive side, the Café kitchen needs refurbishing. Decorating and modernisation is

needed, and plumbing, cooking, and refrigeration equipment needs replacing.

The Council is progressing with a project to get all this done. When completed, this in turn will improve the quality of service and provide a better working environment for Café staff. Agenda item for next full Council.

Many rooms within the Community Centre are also in need of decoration; this will attract new business and hirers. Agenda item for next full Council.

More services and activities are planned, e.g., manicure and pedicure treatments for over-

60s at reduced rates.

This Council wants to get things done, and the continual harassment by those intent on disrupting Council business will no longer be tolerated.

 

Letter from: Steve Browne, Leigh.

SIR, the article in Political Viewpoint, Leigh On Sea News, February 20, by Councillor Kevin Buck demonstrates how local waste management’s loss is Southend City Council’s gain.

In the typical haste to pin the blame on someone, indeed anyone else, he explains that if only the Tories had been in control of the Council when the contract was being renegotiated then all waste management would have been wonderful and the weekly [waste management] collections would have been retained.

He, of course, fails to make any mention of the elephant in the room; the 60% cut to local government funding by his party at a national level since 2010, or to draw any correlation between the reduction in services across the board at councils across England.

His piece demonstrates that he appears to believe that he is doing the citizens of the City of Southend a favour by being a councillor.

 

Letter from: Lib Dem City Councillor, Coun Peter Wexham.

SIR, don`t be fooled by the Governments hand out of reduced National Insurance give away especially if you are self employed. In your older age your pension and any benefits you may need are worked out on how much NI stamp you have paid in the more they reduce your contributions the more they will reduce your old age pension.

 

Leigh Reading Round

 

THE Reading Round is a free group that meets to discuss poetry and prose one Tuesday afternoon a month at the Leigh Community Centre, room 8, from 1.15 to 2.45 pm.

The following sessions are upcoming: 16th April, 23rd April, 30th April, 7th May, 14th May and 21st May.

If you are interested in joining this free group to discuss poetry and prose, please contact the organiser, Shanta Everington, for more information via [email protected]

 

Letter from: Valerie Morgan, Chairman Friends of Leigh Library Gardens.
SIR, I wish to clarify some possible misunderstandings about the mosaic project in Leigh Library Gardens.

This is a project begun by Friends of Leigh Library Gardens ( FOLLG) in the spring of 2023 when we were beginning the revamp of the beds at the front of the library building. There is a large unsightly slab of concrete to the west of the building and it was thought a mosaic would be a great enhancement of the area.

A local, but nationally known company, The Mosaic Studio, were approached by me and said they would like to be involved as they had completed similar projects in Southend.
The plan was to invite local people, mainly children, to submit designs based on their vision of Leigh and then be involved in its creation.

I then approached Leigh Town Council to see if any funding might be available. The Town Clerk looked at the idea and said it was a perfect project for CIL money as it was very much a community project.

A proposal was put to councillors who agreed and £5,000 of CIL money was granted to the project. As a prestigious mosaic is expensive FOLLG planned to raise further match funded money.
At the last Finance and Governance meeting of LTC the chairman said there were no drawings and rescinded the grant. I can assure readers I have the children’s drawings and a beautiful composite design has been created by The Mosaic Studio.

It is now going to be that much harder to raise the money to make the mosaic a reality, but we will be setting up a Crowd Funding page, which I hope residents and businesses will support. Let’s make Leigh Library and its gardens a must place to visit.

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