The conditions perfectly expressed the political weather that lies ahead.
Borough councillors face an ominous task in 2011, paring back overheads and public services to achieve almost 30 per cent cuts over the next two years. Few residents are likely to be happy as the axe falls; but the majority of Canvey Beat readers agree: deep cuts are necessary, and members should not increase Council Tax or Business Rates to lessen their impact.
The debates will take place on consecutive Friday and Saturday evenings, at 7.00pm, commencing Friday 8th April 2011, and all will follow a simple format:-
… (Ted Pugh, 30/12/2010) – Planning The New Year
Blackwell and his party, like Spink last year, can be expected to receive a great deal of friendly press coverage from the Echo; but that did not help Bob Spink’s campaign. Instead, the paper’s local political coverage alienated a large swathe of residents when it became apparent that it was supressing publication of relevant breaking news and evidence produced by this Blog.
The Canvey Beat underwent a number of significant changes. Freed from WordPress restrictions, this Blog can now provide live coverage of interesting local and national events – as well as providing live links to all the breaking national and local news in its STOP PRESS column. And, instead of being confined to plain text and image content with hyperlinks, the new Canvey Beat can now provide full interactive access to supporting documents within its articles, together with full video hosting.
In three 48-hour straw polls, conducted by this Blog, 92 per cent of businesses said they could not afford any increase to their business rates – with only 8 per cent prepared to pay a one per cent rise.
An overwhelming 100 per cent of readers rejected any idea of Canvey Island Town Council receiving an increased precept.
Voting was softest when asked how much extra readers could afford to pay in Castle Point Borough Council Tax. Sixty-four per cent said they could not afford any increase; but 29 per cent were happy to pay a two-and-a-half per cent rise – and seven per cent were prepared to pay up to five per cent more.
Despite the conditions being explained to Mr Derek Gray and Mr Reece Turner, the licensees, it is alleged that, during its Howl Or Scream Halloween event, alcohol was poured directly into the mouths of under-18s by staff – and a male exposed his penis to female customers.
Jean Burroughs finds the question impossible to answer. ‘The problem,’ she says in her email, ‘is that so few people know what the Council spends its money on.’ And she goes on to say: ‘I just feel fortunate that I am not one of the councillors forced to make these decisions.’
That duty is clearly something that the Echo’s editorial department simply disregards whenever Dave Blackwell or his associates are mentioned.
It is known that Bob Spink, Castle Point’s last MP, held a sword of Damocles over editors’ heads - threatening to sue them over stories they had written about the former’s marriage – if they once again impugned his image. It is that threat that lay behind the Echo’s reluctance to pursue the topic of Bob Spink’s expenses and other allegations that were consequently confined to this Blog. But Bob Spink no longer holds power – and the man, it could be said, now has no image to impugn. There is enough information on this Blog and its WordPress sister to ensure that any libel action undertaken by our deposed MP (if he can now in fact afford such actions without access to taxpayers funds) would be summarily dismissed.
THE IMAGES OF THE ONE HUNDRED or so protesters organised by Bob Spink and the Canvey Island Independent Party (CIIP) may soon re-emerge in the local press as Dave Blackwell’s party launches its attempt to keep control of Canvey Island Town Council in the run-up to May’s local elections.
The swingeing Government cuts, imposed upon Castle Point Borough Council, will provide the opposition leader with just the issue he needs to accuse the Conservative majority of disregarding islanders’ wishes. And, just as Spink alluded to the real CIIP’s objective of achieving Canvey’s separation from Castle Point in the accompanying David Bullock video, Blackwell and his party’s members will again represent public protest as support for that separatist policy.
Castle Point Borough Council Leader Pam Challis announced the news to shocked members at the Full Council meeting held on Tuesday evening.
The cuts are much more than anticipated. This year CPBC received £6.65 million as its formula grant from government, crystallising the two reductions as £1.17 million next year and a further £663,000 the year after.
‘It is important that we all work together,’ Pam said, as she concluded her announcement.
Fifty-five per cent were in favour, against 45 per cent who were opposed or undecided.
This week the Government will put flesh on the bones of its Autumn spending review and, by the end of the week, councils will have a good idea of how the cuts are likely to impact them.
Essex FSB Chairman, Iain Wicks, said: “We know that the current bad weather has meant many business owners are seeing fewer customers through their doors and we are encouraging people to use that time to develop their marketing and internet presence.
“Many businesses are finding that using Twitter and other social media is proving successful for them and, in very little time, it is possible to develop a presence which will raise the profile of your business and help attract more customers.
The image conscious councillors passed a resolution to employ local firm, Impact Media Design (based in Charfleets Farm Way) to conduct the work - at a meeting of the Canvey Island Town Council on 19th July this year.
Local residents are discovering that the Canvey Beat is the only place on the Web that now brings together all the local and national news as it breaks – as well as providing local weather information and immediate announcements from Essex and Castle Point Council Twitter feeds. Moreover, local business information is also made immediately available via tweets from the Federation of Small Businesses.
Most have far more important things to do as they settle down to writing Christmas Cards and preparing for the festive season, so my sincere thanks goes to those who took time-out to participate in the two 48-hour straw polls in the new STOP PRESS panel. (Readers may also have noted that, to encourage its use, I am also publishing a funny video in that column each day – at different times – to help lighten the mood).
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It was a polished delivery, belying the fact that our MP has little commons experience, and was delivered with a masterful command of keeping a wary eye upon the opposing benches (where the Scots sat).
The debate went all Mrs Harris’ way, despite an unedifying attack upon Peter Hitchens (at the Mail on Sunday) by Tobias Elwood - one of Rebecca’s supporters and author of an extensive missive of all the benefits that SDST could bring - for the reporter to have dared to use the term: ‘Berlin time’ in a fortnight-old MoS article.
I managed the event keeping a wary eye on the system’s visitor counter, wondering why it only peaked at eight viewers and deciding not to engage those few with the various polls I had prepared – because the results would have no statistical basis. Similarly, I confined myself to Parliament’s proceedings rather than broadening the various issues out as I would have liked.
