Political Viewpoint

 

By Labour Councillor Daniel Cowan, Leader Of Southend City Council.

 SOUTHEND City Joint Administration – 6 Months of Action and Achievement.

 It has been six months since we formed a joint administration with colleagues from the Liberal Democrats and Independent Group following the local elections in May.

 Our initial months of governance have required substantial effort to rectify, reverse, and resolve the myriad issues inherited from the previous Conservative administration.

 We faced departments in disarray, services undelivered, budgets overspent, costs spiralling, staff overworked, and a backlog of neglected decisions. Despite these challenges, we have rolled up our sleeves and committed ourselves to improving the council, enhancing the work culture, addressing the deficit, motivating our staff, and delivering essential services.

 Positivity doesn’t generate the same media coverage and internet clicks that controversy does, so you might be wondering what we’ve achieved for the City of Southend in the last 6 months.

 Well, to start, I am incredibly proud to announce that our Children’s Services department has secured a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted.

 This remarkable achievement is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and unwavering commitment of our staff. Their relentless efforts have ensured that we provide high quality care and support for our children and families, and I want to put on record my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in attaining this outstanding result.

 In a notable achievement, we brokered a deal to save Southend United Football Club after the previous deal failed to clear due diligence.

 We are fulfilling a key election pledge in introducing a free bulky waste collection service alongside the new waste collection contract, which starts in 2025.

 Additionally, we restarted grass cutting after it had stalled completely under the previous administration and allocated extra funds to catch up on their backlog.

 Our environmental efforts were bolstered by securing significant funding from Anglian Water to tackle flooding issues including those on Thorpe Hall Avenue.

 We hired more community safety officers, resulting in a decline in antisocial behaviour compared to last year, and implemented a new policy for installing disabled parking bays to ensure they are free for our residents.

 In a significant boost to our High Street, we brought new tenants to the Victoria Shopping Centre, including B&M and a new diagnostics centre.

 Our commitment to eco-friendly housing is evident as we secured nearly £500k in brownfield development funds for our council houses project.

 True to our promise, we protected all libraries and family centres from the cuts threatened by the former administration.

 We’re organising Southend’s first ever ‘City Day’ celebration to highlight what a fantastic place Southend is to live, work, grow up, and grow old.

 We also installed a green living wall at a local school to improve air quality and launched an anti-idling campaign to reduce air pollution around schools.

 We are developing plans for a modern-day Never Never Land to boost our seafront and safeguard our heritage, and our focus on enhancing cultural activities led to record visitor numbers for the Halloween Parade and record income from pier visits.

 We have also secured the return of City Jam for 2025 and 2026, giving clarity to the organisers and a boost to the local economy and invested in fireworks displays and will support new displays on New Year’s Eve.

 Our environmental commitment was recognised when we were awarded Gold Membership to Essex Wildlife Trust and resolved the saltwater contamination issue at Southchurch Park Lake. Additionally, we introduced a “Rocket O’Clock” scheme to protect wildlife from fireworks and created a civic pride action plan to clean up our city.

 We allocated extra funds to the highways budget for more pothole and pavement repairs, with a five-year improvement plan. Our efficiency in fixing potholes is demonstrated by maintaining a 100% record for repairing them within our 28-day target, ensuring permanent repairs.

 Additionally, we completed stabilisation works at Cliff Parade and Belton Way, and we’re planning a new accessible playground at East Beach.

 We have extended and introduced new bus services, securing £2.5m to improve buses in Southend, and resolved the issues with the education parking permit scheme in Milton ward, finding a solution supported by residents and the school.

 We supported seven small businesses at the Victoria Shopping Centre with free business rates, rent, service charges, and business advice.

 And that’s all I could fit into this article! 

 It has indeed been a busy six months, marked by hard work and dedication to building a city that we can be proud of.

 I feel privileged to lead an administration that is committed to this aim. However, I am also aware that there remains much work to be done. We will continue to strive for excellence and look forward to sharing more of our progress with you as we move forward into the New Year, so I will sign off with a thank you for placing your trust in us, and to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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