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Letter from: Jilly Henderson-Long, Chalkwell Lodge, Leigh.

SIR, may I, through the Leigh News, congratulate Westcliff Library on their new initiative – live performance.

A group of perhaps sixty people purchased tickets to see folk singer Jess Morgan’s one-woman show “Boring Someone in a Dark Cafe” at the Library tonight (4th March) and, judging by the applause, it was a great success.

Jess’s series of both funny and sad anecdotes about a young performer trying to break into Big Time show biz, was beautifully interspersed with her own songs and she clearly gave it her all.

I hope Westcliff Library schedules other performance artists in the future, who may not otherwise get their chance to shine. Well done Jess. And well done Westcliff Library.

Letter from: Anthony Baws, Elm Road, Leigh

SIR, on page 14 of your last issue there is a report of someone receiving a 6 month driving ban for exceeding the speed limit on the A127 – I believe this is 50 m.p.h. between Leigh and Basildon.

Yet on page 16, Councillor Kevin Buck tells us Basildon is ‘easy to get to from Leigh, being about a 10 minute drive’.

My satnav tells me that when driving within legal limits, the journey takes 20 minutes on a good day. Just what speed does Councillor Buck normally drive at?

Letter from: Richard Lee, Canonsleigh Crescent, Leigh.

SIR, I was a bit concerned to read Councillor Kevin Buck’s claim that he can drive from Leigh to Basildon’s Festival Leisure Park in around 10 minutes. (Council on a path to bankruptcy, 21 Feb 2023).

That’s an 11 mile journey according to my satnav, so he’s exceeding the speed limit throughout. I’m sure it was a slip of the keyboard, but still, not the best look in an article where he’s claiming that he and his colleagues are better with figures than the current incumbents.

Letter from: Mark Flewitt, Borman Close Leigh.

SIR, as we are an automated council (My Southend) it’s worth thanking Veolia for a very high level response rate to flytipping clearance.

However, I must point out that too many contradictory responses are being made from the Highways Department. Within the same hour, on the same issue, I received 2 responses, one we couldn’t find the problem and another the problem was allegedly on private land!

Incidentally, last year the identical issue was accepted for resolving!

Equally, I have had refusals, only to find the same issue marked in orange for resolution!

If we are to make an automated system work, especially for residents, the clarity and accuracy must be high, not “pot luck”.

Letter from: Robert Quade, Leigh.

SIR, have to say how much I enjoyed reading the “new” Leigh News. It’s the old Leigh Times back again!!

I was never a fan towards the end of the Tindle ownership when they changed the layouts and the fonts. It all seemed terribly spaced out, probably to fit a template, and to make up for the fact it hardly contained any news, yet it was still thin!

Now it’s gone back to what we were used to. Plus it’s full of news once again!!

I remember remarking to my father since December at how the paper became a sad shadow of its former self. Every week it used to have bumper estate agent adverts, other local advertising and full to the brim with local news and opinion pieces/columns. But during December and January the paper was thin, had hardly any properties and very few articles.

The usual thick annual Xmas issue was also lacking. It just seemed like Xmas was on oversight!

But now normal service has been resumed!! Admittedly advertising revenue isn’t great anymore with businesses cutting back, yet you’ve managed to pull together for a quality first issue, and that in itself should be applauded these days. So I’m assuming it’s back to being independent again?

Well may I wish you and your team my very best wishes for future issues. Glad to see a familiar newspaper back into circulation.

Editors note. Thank you for your letter Mr Quade. Yes, the Leigh-on-Sea News is indeed a fully independent publication.

Letter from: Jon Fuller, South East Essex Friends of the Earth, Martyns Grove, Westcliff

New flights from Southend Airport.

SIR, firstly I want to wish you every success with your local news endeavour. Good for you!

The prospect of new flights from Southend Airport (Leigh on Sea News 21/2) will fill many with dread.

The record breaking heatwaves of 2022 killed 3,271 people in England and Wales, and extreme weather events around the globe are beginning to hit food supplies. Climate breakdown is upon us and will get a lot worse if we continue to fly and undertake other polluting activities.

In Sweden there is a campaign for people to fly no more than once every 3 years, in Germany a campaign urges people to fly no more than once in 5 years.

We all need to accept responsibility for protecting the young from climate breakdown. That means dramatically reducing the flights we take, enjoying holidays in the UK; spending our cash here and helping our economy to recover.

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