Annual Town Meeting

 

Minutes of 11th Annual Town Meeting - 16th March 2007, 7.30 p.m. at Leigh Community Centre

 

1.  Present

Councillors: Dolby (Chairman), Abbot, Mrs. Ball, Blundell, Bolton, Mrs Cocks, Mrs. Crystall, Fraser, Mrs Holden, Margaret Cotgrove, Caroline Parker, Mrs. Rowswell and Wren

Mr. David Amess M.P

Borough Councillors: Godwin and Crystall

Chief Executive and Town Clerk of Southend-on-Sea Borough Council - Mr. Tinlin

Plus 29 members of the public

 

2. Apologies

          Councillors: Birdseye and King

          Borough Councillor: Gwen Horrigan

          Members of Public: P. Monk and B. Barnett

 

3. Minutes of the 10th Annual Town Meeting were agreed and signed by the Chairman.

 

4. Opening Remarks

The Chairman welcomed the guests, thanked his fellow Councillors, the staff and particularly Cllr. Blundell for her work on the display.

 

5. Annual Report of The Town Council

The chairman of the council and the chairman of committees presented their reports on the activities of the previous year.

 

6. Mr. David Amess MP spoke to the meeting regarding:

a)    CCTV and progress towards raising the necessary funds.

b)    Bus services - his continuing work to try to get subsidised services

c)     Badgers - there are problems with badgers in some area of Leigh

d)    Speed cameras - his concern over the revenues from cameras not being used locally.

e)    Cliffs stability

f)      Flats in Leigh

g)    The proposal for Leigh to become a Fairtrade Town

He thanked Cllr. Dolby for his Chairmanship of the Council.

 

7. Borough Cllr. Alan Crystall thanked the Town Council for their work and congratulated them on their achievement of Quality Status, and said he thought the Town Council represented good value.

 

8. Mr. Rob Tinlin, Chief Executive and Town Clerk for Southend Borough Council congratulated the Town Council for achieving Quality Status, explained the difficulties of Southend but was looking forward to a positive future and said he looked forward to partnership working with other local authorities externally and internally.

Local Authority spending would be under pressure over the next few years.

 

9. Questions and comments of members of the public

 

1

Mr. J. Smart

Who is responsible for automated bus signs on London Road?

Essex County Council, but there had been teething problems, not all buses had the equipment, and some drivers failed to switch it on.

 

 

 

2

Mr. L. Thorrington

Thanked Town council for work to try and keep Hadleigh Road bus stops clear.

 

 

 

 

3

Mr. D. Maddison

Has enjoyed the evening and been well informed on what is going on, but disappointed at public turn-out.

 

 

 

 

4

Mr. B. Vincent-Pryke

Asked Mr. Tinlin to outline the future of Leigh Port within the Core Strategy.

The Core Strategy was a top level document which had more detailed documents beneath it.  Thames Gateway had produced its waterfront strategy and Renaissance Southend were producing a regeneration strategy.  It was important that Leigh Town Council contribute to the RSL regeneration.

 

 

 

5

Mr. D. Williams

Southend is low on ‘peace and tranquillity', wants to make sure that regeneration does not make it worse.

Southend is the 7th most densely populated borough in the country, but regeneration should still maintain green corridors.  Southend hopes to become a carbon neutral town.

 

 

 

 

6

Mrs. C. Mulroney

What is relationship between various statutory and non-statutory agencies?

Government appears to be keener to give funding to non-statutory bodies than local authorities.  The local authorities have to try to influence them.

 

 

 

7

Mr. I. Palmer

Pleased that Joselyn's Beach has got a dog ban.