On Tuesday, the CIIP’s blog awoke from a two-month silence to accuse the borough’s Tory majority of being in favour of mass development on Canvey Island. As usual, Neville Watson attempted to misrepresent the facts and, clutching at straws to defend his party’s lies at the last local election, pointed to the Conservatives’ absence at the hearing into Castle Point Borough Council’s Core Strategy as proving his party’s case.
No one was listening. The article floats in Cyberspace as testament to the CIIP’s broken promise to keep residents informed on their Blog.
Yesterday, the Echo also sank into the gutter. In the morning it made the most of Colin Letchford’s claims that a woman had fallen into the sea from Canvey’s new paddling pool and had had to be rescued by onlookers – facts strongly disputed by an apparent eye-witness, whose detailed account in the article’s comment section belittles Max Orbach’s report.
Max, it seems, has no time in which to check his facts and is prepared to take anything that Letchford says at face value. Just as he is apparently prepared to report other stories manufactured by the CIIP to score political points.
Yesterday evening, Max was again using his keyboard to attack the Conservative Borough Council for not asking local firms to quote for £126,000 of contract work destined for the island’s community hall at the Paddocks.
The charges were being levelled by Canvey Island’s Top Cat, Dave Blackwell, who is quoted as saying; ‘It’s a chicken and egg situation.
’You can’t get on the [approved contractor] list unless you have already done work for the council and you can’t do work for the council unless you’re on the list.
’It’s a shame because a lot of the businesses are struggling and would love these sort of contracts.’
Max made no attempt, in his report, to explain Blackwell’s curious statement. Nor did he ask the first leader of Canvey Island’s Town Council what he and his colleagues have done to support Canvey businesses and ensure that residents’ money was spent on the island to help support jobs.
The Town Council’s Website was provided by, and is subsequently maintained, by a firm in Bishop’s Stortford (5BelowZero).
The Town Council’s payroll is compiled by Acumen Wages Services – a firm based in Chichester.
The Town Council employs BVP Film Designers, from Chelmsford, to record and video its PR events.
The Town Council’s photo-copier is on a quarterly contract from FAF Ltd, based in Leigh-on-Sea.
The Town Council buys its desk plates from the Kings Lynn firm: Horton Badges and Emblems Ltd.
The Town Council uses King & Co, from Braintree, to provide machinery and and personnel to plant trees.
The Town Council uses Office Needs (Essex), based in Basildon, to provide its stationery.
Pinnacle Essex, based in Chelmsford, is the Town Council’s contractor for grounds maintenance.
The Town Council purchases its lamp post brackets and hanging baskets from Plantscape, a firm based in East Carelton, Norfolk.
Town Council plaques are produced by a firm based in Tebworth, Bedfordshire (Sign Of The Times).
People who live in glass houses, Dave, really should not throw stones…
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