Points Of View

Letter from: Paul Gilson, Leigh Town Council – SIR, when you join a council, you are offered and expected to take up the opportunity of training, on (certain aspects) how to be a councillor.

The tuition is held at Great Dunmow at the headquarters of the Essex Association of Local Councils (EALC). I, as did many other new councillors attended; it was very good. What it did (highlight) was that Leigh Town Council (LTC) did not appear to operate in the way we learnt it should be.

As I was the only one from LTC on this particular course I though perhaps it was me not fully understanding what was being said. However; when we had completed the courses our tutors said give it a couple of years and come back for chairmanship training (of Council and or Committees at LTC).

This time two other councillors joined me for the chairman training role. Time and again we questioned what we were being told as it was not how Leigh Town Council operated.

On completing our training, we returned to LTC and tried to bring our knowledge to the council.

Within no time LTC had resigned from EALC being told we could get better value for training from another organisation. This led to more bullying and nastiness within LTC resulting in the other two councillors resigning.

I was accused of bullying, the aim to get me to resign. One of my fellow councillors, said “He had had enough after some nine years on LTC”.

My friend, the late Mike King, gets mentioned often when the council is being harangued, we hear how he would be turning in his grave. As a friend and mentor, I went to him for advice, I explained the many problems I was seeing and experiencing and I had had enough.

He was horrified, he told me in no uncertain language to stick in there and fight the bullies.

My last letter prompted a member of the public to confirm to me their experience of working in the Community Centre. They witnessed all I have been saying.

I am reminded of the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes, “you must see how wonderful and independent the councillors are. If you don’t you are stupid”. Well, I see a wrinkled naked man who is fooling only himself.

 

Letter from: Teresa Doyle, Kingswood Chase, Leigh – SIR,  I see plans have been approved by Southend Council to demolish the former Grey Gardens, London Road and build 17 flats.

But, with only 10 parking spaces! How does this work?  There are only a few 2 hour spaces in London Road for overflow.

17 flats means 17 cars minimum surely. The side roads are already full. Beyond  belief!

 

Letter from: Valerie Morgan, Chairman Friends of Leigh Library Gardens – SIR, Leigh Town Council voted to give £5000 of the CIL money they hold for community projects to a project pioneered by Friends of Leigh Library Gardens( FOLLG) for a mosaic on a redundant area of concrete at the front of Leigh Library.

A competition was held where local children submitted ideas for the mosaic based on their concept of Leigh.

Many beautifully drawn ideas were received, so it was decided to try and incorporate them all into the design.

A well renowned local company The Mosaic Studio became involved along with the Arts Group of the council and three designs of varying complexity were developed to meet differing budgets.

The plan then was to hold workshops for the children to learn how a mosaic is made before joining in the installation with other members of the local community. SCC have improved the site and paid for designs to be drawn up all ready to start when the current Leigh Town Council released the promised funding having paused it when they took office.

FOLLG are currently seeking additional funding from the Arts Council and other sources to install one of the more complex designs.

LTC have now announced they have cancelled their support and plan to start their own mosaic project.

FOLLG will now need to work harder to secure the required funding any help or suggestions will be gratefully received.

 

Letter from: David Gatland FRCS, consultant surgeon, (ret). Chalkwell Avenue, Leigh – SIR, Chris Gay considers that proposals for a 20mph limit need thinking through, as he believes the public would oppose it.

Some facts may help, derived from GOV. UK. 1. If someone is hit by a vehicle at 30mph they will certainly be seriously injured and probably killed, whereas at 20 mph they would likely survive. Motor vehicle drivers inflict 28,000 serious injuries each year, and 1800 dead.

2. In Urban traffic, the energy required to accelerate to 30 mph is  much greater than that needed to get to 20mph, thus more fuel consumption, thus more toxic air, which impacts on our health, our children’s lungs dont develop fully, we are more subject to cardiovascular disease and dementia due to inhalation of particulates, including those from tyres and brakes.
3. Walkers and cyclists are much safer when vehicles travel slowly and are more likely to take up active travel, leading to lesser motor vehicle use. We are in the midst of an epidemic of obesity and its consequences such as diabetes, while active travel leads to an improvement in our physical and mental health. Exercise like walking and cycling is as good as drug treatment for depression.
4. Noise is a major cause of stress related physical and mental health problems.
   Those who think speed is good might wish to consider that if if a child is seriously injured or killed because of speed, they can only hope that the victim is someone else’s, not their own child, If their own chid was killed, how will they feel knowing that the cause was speed, which they promoted.

 

Letter from: Jill Allen-King O.B.E, Westcliff – SIR, Southend city council have really got it wrong.

After reading a recent media report on a proposed scheme to employ people to clear dog mess and fly tipping. I would have thought the council would have started by repairing pavements throughout the City.

While dog mess and litter will not look nice and create a mess it will not cause the accidents and injuries that broken pavements do.

Hundreds of people fall and hurt themselves every day and many end up in hospital and have long term disabilities.

Southend City Council get your priorities right neighbours could help by reporting people who let their dogs mess and people who drop litter.

Only the Council can repair pavements.

Letter from: Karen Roberts, Park Road, Leigh – SIR, I would like to know exactly what Leigh Town Council actually do for Leigh?

Having lived in Leigh for forty seven years, I can’t remember anything they have done for the good of Leigh and its residents.

Every  decision they ever make about planning permission etc, is always overruled by Southend Borough Council anyway, so what use are they?

Letter from: Coun Alan Hart, Leigh Town Council – SIR, a new NHS dental surgery in Bristol caused massive queues of would-be patients looking to sign up, a scene, which is more than likely to develop elsewhere in the country. In our City the same could occur with new practices only catering for private patients and NHS options dwindling.

Locally I am aware of at least two new practices that are private only, charging anything up to £60-80 for a filling!

There is a further serious complication that leaves many in a trap between private and neglect, namely financial considerations relating to eligibility. Due to the cap of around £200 per week to qualify for benefit over and above state pension, it is the case that anyone who took Government advice some years back to take out a private top-up pension, or having a company scheme paying a little extra in retirement, will find that any excess means we are not eligible for NHS treatment.

This relates not only to dental, but to optical as well, a means tested benefit is necessary to qualify for free treatments. Those of us having a few pounds over the limit would need to pay private or go without.

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