Young Residents Requested To Complete Kismet Park Play-Space Survey

DESPITE Anne Wood’s well publicised complaints regarding Kismet Park’s Adizone and her Canvey Island Independent Party’s opposition to the park’s play-space budget being reduced by Castle Point Borough Council, it seems that the CIIP and its Town Council is unwilling to encourage the island’s younger generation to participate in the online survey designed to ensure that the needs of its young residents are met.

No information is provided on the Town Council Website, and it appears that no CIIP councillor has so far taken the trouble to encourage young resident participation in the exercise. Instead, CIIP councillors have been keen to call for Canvey Road’s railings to be replaced; re-launch their aborted campaign for a Youth Centre in the Paddocks under new leadership - and reduce previously encouraged resident expectation over Canvey Lake.

The Gentle Author Visits Canvey

‘EACH SUMMER, as a respite from Spitalfields, I take a day trip to the sea. Last year, I enjoyed a visit to Broadstairs, but this year, inspired by a brochure given to me by Gary Arber, I decided to be more adventurous and go to Canvey Island. Printed by W.F.Arber & Co Ltd in the nineteen twenties – when Gary’s grandfather Walter ran the shop, his father (also Walter) was the compositor and uncles Len and Albert ran the presses – this brochure seduced me with its lyrical prose.’

You really should read the rest.

What are you waiting for?..

More Spam From Tom Jea

AS I MAKE final preparations for my overdue vacation, I find that this site’s spam box - once again – contains numerous comments from YourLocalTownTalk’s editor, Tom Jea - who does not permit any comments to be left on his own Web pages. Instead, he seems to be obsessed with trying to obtain the last word on any comments criticising the Canvey Pool campaign on the Echo’s site, and championing the causes of Colin Letchford and the Swann sisters (as if being appointed their sole publicity agent).

This Blog, as readers will know, has a policy of publishing all comments, provided they are on topic and that - provided they are not boring - they libel no one but me. So, for completeness sake, I now publish all Jea’s latest accusations - belatedly.

Interestingly, Tom always takes his time over replying to posts; despite being this month’s most frequent visitor. One wonders if they are actually spontaneous or if he is receiving some help in constructing what he writes.

Tom: Blogger does not notify me when spam is received by this site. I need to physically sign-in to my control panel and review those items myself (which I only do monthly). None of your posts are being communicated to me because, it seems, Blogger has identified your IP address as generating spam. You have only yourself to blame for that.

If you want to post here again: change your IP address (or use an Internet cafe or Canvey’s public wireless node) and post using the Name/URL option – which will also give you the neglected opportunity of promoting your Website(s). Do not use a proxy service because your comments will not be published (and, in future, do not post ‘off-topic’ – because those remarks will definitely be killed).

I have actually permitted your libellous remark, Tom (regarding me being a liar) and I make no apology for quickly removing an unfounded remark when the reader sending me your leaflet’s image immediately emailed me to explain your original flyer was on white paper. However, I was glad to see you still visiting this site so early in the morning. Apart from myself and the late contributor, all other readers were in bed.

Confused visitors will see Cynical Observer’s fingertips holding Jea’s flyer up to his computer’s videocam in the leaflet’s images - which I then put together and captioned in Photoshop. In the second image I had Photoshop render the background in white – but there is still a slight blue cast from Cynical’s computer screen.

You are using a Mac, Tom, and you should have no difficulty in confirming what I say about the images – which both contain Photoshop tracking information. (It is visible in Windows based systems too, via the Properties tab).

... (04/09/2010) - Actually, it seems that the Photoshop information is not visible to all Windows users. It could be that this is a new Windows 7 thing - or that you need to have Photoshop CS5 Extended installed on your system.

CITC Press Release (Concord Pool)

A meeting of Canvey Island Town Council took place last night (1st September) at the Paddocks, Long Road, Canvey Island, to receive and discuss an offer made by Castle Point Borough Council to transfer responsibility for the day to day management and operation of the old pool to the Town Council.

Council welcomed the offer, which it has been in favour of since the future of the pool was first cast into doubt, and resolved unanimously to accept in principle, subject to the Borough providing full details of the likely costs.

An unconditional acceptance cannot be entered into until the information that the Town Council has been seeking is released, to ensure that the Town Council obtains best value for money on behalf of its community and that next year’s outgoings can be met from the existing budgets which were set last January.

Council is very aware of and grateful for the publicity and support generated by Lea and Liz Swann and Colin Letchford, all residents of Canvey.

For more information, please contact the Clerk to Canvey Island Town Council on 01268 683965 or clerk@canveyisland-tc.gov.uk

2nd September 2010

... (Echo, 06/09/2010) - Town council poised to take on Canvey pool by winter

... (Methane Mud & Memories, 06/09/2010) - Now that's a paddling pool - in which Tom Jea eventually states that he is 'not practising any kind of journalism... just blogging'