Points Of View

Letter from Jill Allen-King OBE, Westcliff.

SIR,  I would like to pay tribute to my best friend Jill Welsh who died on May 7.

I first met Jill in 1967 when she was a Sunday school teacher at our Church. Jill asked me to speak about how I have to used my hands after I had lost my sight 3 years earlier.

After that talk she asked me to talk to her children at Fryers School where Jill was a teacher for many years.

These were the start of thousands of talks I did over many years.

When I took my daughter to school for the first time Jill was there to walk and guide me as at that time I had no guide dog.

Jill was thrilled to accompany me to meet the Queen at st James Palace and we also attended the Queen Mothers 100th birthday at Horse Guards Parade.

Jill had been a wonderful friend over all these years and for the past few years we have phoned each other every day comforting each other through many times of stress and illnesses.

Jill had funded many guide dog puppies and was extremely upset over my difficulties having to retire my guide dog Jagger.

Jill had supported many charities and I shall never forget all the help she has given me.

My sympathies go to her husband Alec and her family.

Her memorial service will take place at the Old Crowstone United Reform Church, 91 Crowstone Road, Westcliff, where we were both members on Friday June 23 at 12.30pm
Jill Allen-King O.B.E.

 

Letter from: Simon Gittus, Leigh.

SIR, newly elected Coun Richard Longstaff has proven that voting Green means you get a Green Councillor – a historic achievement for Leigh and Southend.

He will no doubt make an excellent Councillor putting green issues at the heart of the committees he is sitting on, making a real difference to the agenda over his first four year term – no matter who’s in power.

What Coun Peter Wrexham (who is up for election next time) forgets to mention in his letter in the Leigh News from the May 30, is that even if the Lib Dem candidate had been elected, the Conservatives would still hold power.

Ongoing infighting within the Southend Labour Party (forcing 2 of their hard-working councillors to leave the Party), and the Independents having decided to swap sides (probably because of this), means the previous administration were short of 4 seats. Is this a case of Lib Dem post-election propaganda or sour grapes.

 

Letter from: Coun Mark Flewitt, Borman Close, Leigh.

SIR, please let’s not let that sexual infections issue rear it’s ugly head again!

It is nationally reported that England is seeing record high levels of gonorrhoea and syphilis sexually transmitted infections, following a dip during Covid years.

There were 82,592 cases of gonorrhoea in 2022 – up 50% on the 54,661 recorded the year before, the UK Health Security Agency says.

Syphilis cases increased by 15% from 7,543 to 8,692.

There is absolutely no doubt, evidence has presented itself in the most clear and concise way.

The only conclusion, has to be that the tried and tested barrier method, the condom, is the weapon to beat and stem this unwanted surge in sexual infections.

 

Letter from Coun Alan Heart, St. James Ward, Leigh

SIR, I’m sending this to counter the piece by Coun Tony Cox in the last issue, mainly because I did not want it to take precedence over the letter I sent on June 1.

I think it will be of interest however, following the curious idea that a minority Council could be a stable one.

Coun Cox correctly stated that Conservative’s now have 22 elected (councillors on Southend City Council), gaining two, but losing one at the Count.

What he omitted to show was how the vote then proceeded in the Council Chamber. This is short of the 26 required formally, but the rest is, I think, interesting to consider.

Three others, not Tory, voted for him as leader making 25, still short. One Councillor was absent, meaning the 25 he had was equalled by 25 others.  The new mayor would have had a casting vote, but may not have been formally elected at that time.

However, five others, again not Tory, chose to abstain and not vote, meaning 25 to 20, hence a Tory led minority Council.

Sounds like a dodgy basis for an administration to me, where might the ‘famous abstaining five’ vote on future matters ?

 

Letter from: Coun Alan Hart, Leigh Town Council.

SIR, seriously Councillor Flewitt, why such concern with the history of Leigh Town Council?

If the best you can do to substantiate your claims of political hypocrisy is to highlight one member who consistently left her party allegiance at the door of Leigh community centre, whilst almost every other member had no partisan inclination at all, then I suggest you desist and concentrate on the future!

Denying the existence of something after four years on the inside clearly suggests that there is nothing to see, no kidding, no pretence. You have however made your point and the people of Leigh will judge.

That those people have a right to democracy is undeniable, however an organised exclusion of experienced and independent Councillors from every role and committee may prove to be the only disingenuous element in evidence.

Town and Parish Councils, like Rochford, manage well too, without the encumbrance of National Party pre-emption.

Frankly, I tire of this tit for tat see-saw and intend to concentrate on providing my best efforts within my role and trust that pride and excitement is demonstrated by the composite local authority.

Subject closed!

 

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