‘I’m Sure There’s Plenty More; But That Will Do For Now!..’

OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, Canvey Island’s political landscape has changed beyond all recognition. Apart from Ray Howard, Canvey Island West’s Conservative councillor, all island wards are now represented by Canvey Island Independent Party councillors – both at Borough and Town Council level.

Islanders have rejected all main political parties in favour of home-grown ‘independents,’ whom have nearly all appeared from the once aspiring Labour Party ranks.

But nothing else has changed.

Essex Fire & Rescue Decisions Are A Matter For Residents And Essex Fire & Rescue Service

WHILE THE CANVEY ISLAND INDEPENDENT PARTY try their best to turn residents’ concerns (about Essex County Fire & Rescue Service, proposing to replace Canvey Island’s full-time fire-fighters with retained staff) into another political protest, islanders are in imminent danger of losing touch with reality.

As already pointed-out on this Blog, the matter concerns an operational decision by Essex County Fire & Rescue Service (ECFRS)  – and it is that organisation that will, in consultation with residents, have the final say. But, rather than throw their weight behind our local MP, Rebecca Harris, in her attempts to raise resident concerns with the Chief Fire Officer, the CIIP (and apparently also the resident’s protest group) have been directing their attention at petitioning Essex County Council.

Canvey Island: What Would You Fix?..

IN THE RUN UP to this Blog’s live political debates in April – and the local elections in May – the Canvey Beat is asking all readers to either write-in or leave a comment on this post regarding any island issue that they think needs addressing by local politicians.

Is there a specific issue in your ward that the politicians have ignored; or is there a wider Canvey Island matter that irks you because it has not been addressed?

Are you happy with your ward’s Town and Borough councillors – or do you feel they have let you down?

Are you clear on whom to call about local matters – or are you confused about the distinction between Town and Borough councillors?

ECFRS Public Meeting Midday Saturday

ESSEX COUNTY FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE (ECFRS) will be holding a public meeting to discuss the proposed restructuring of Canvey Island’s Fire Service arrangements on Saturday, January 29th at 12:00 Midday.

The meeting will be held at Smallgains, Island Boys Pavilion, Creek Road, and has been scheduled ahead of the full Fire Authority meeting of February 9th, where elected members will be asked to approve the recommendations.

According to the Service, the average response times of Canvey’s retained fire-fighters compare favourably with those of full-time crews – with only a two-minute difference.

Neville Asks Why His Party Is Being Criticised For Starting Another Petition

THERE WAS a creaking of levers and clashing of gears in Cyberspace today as the Canvey Island Independent Party decided to crank-up its Blog site for the New Year.

As widely anticipated, there was no explanation of the party’s weeding of critical resident remarks from its sites – and no apology or rectification of the misappropriation of Veteran Charities’ funds. Neville Watson, as usual, chose not to address the issues residents want answers to; but, instead, asked why his party was being criticised for raising the petition that he and his colleagues have been so busily publicising in the local press.

A Good Week For The CIIP

DAVE BLACKWELL and his Canvey Island Independent Party (CIIP) are reportedly very pleased with themselves this week-end. At this time last week, the party was reeling from the revelations made on this Blog regarding its misappropriation of Veteran Charities’ funds and its weeding of anti-party comment from its Websites; but a week is a long time in local politics.

Residents’ Fire Cuts Protest Ignored By Echo In Favour Of CIIP Petition

IF RESIDENTS WERE WAITING to have their local story of Tuesday’s Fire Protest meeting told by the Echo – or to have the paper follow-up the Canvey Island Independent Party’s manufacturing of resident support and its redirection of £2,580.50 of Veteran Charities’ funds into its Town Council’s Bank Account, they will have been sorely disappointed.

£1,000 Fine For Dog Fouling Owners From 1st Feb

FROM NEXT MONTH it will be an offence for dog owners to allow their animals to foul any public place within Castle Point and fail to clean-up after them.

The Order comes into effect on Tuesday, 1st February, 2011, and exempts blind persons and those relying upon a dog trained by Dogs for the Disabled; Support Dogs; or Canine Partners for Independence.

Claiming to be unaware of the defecation - or not having a suitable means of removing the faeces – will not be an excuse.

Straw Poll Sees CIIP Vote Rising!

THIS BLOG’S STRAW POLL, regarding reader voting intentions in May’s Canvey Island Town Council election, is recording an unaccountable shift in opinion towards endorsing the Canvey Island Independent Party for a further term in power. The change comes after a week in which this Blog revealed that CIIP Websites indicate little support for the party; that many resident comments have been removed; and that the CIIP led Town Council decided to redirect £2,580.50, which it had collected for Veteran Charities, to bolstering its own bank account.

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CIIP Seeks To Change The Agenda Following Last Week’s Storm

FOLLOWING THE REVELATIONS on this Blog, last week, that the Canvey Island Independent Party (CIIP) is being forced to manufacture its own Cyber-threads to imply resident support (in the same way that its ‘latest recruit,’ Colin Letchford, manufactured petitioners calling for an elected mayor) and that the CIIP led Canvey Island Town Council decided to replenish its own bank account with £2,580.50 of Veteran Charity funds, the CIIP is closely examining current resident unrest, regarding the removal of full-time firemen from Canvey, as a means of restoring their shredded popularity.

Residents’ Meeting To Stop The Canvey Island Fire Service Cuts

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

7:30 PM

Fight to stop the Canvey Island Fire Service cuts Please come to show your support. We are fighting to stop the cuts affecting Canvey Island fire service. The non-political meeting is being held to discuss plans to fight this dangerous proposal....

Northwick Park School Third Avenue Canvey Island, Essex   UK

… (Methane, Mud & Memories, 19/01/2011) – Fire Protest! We Can See You Sneaking Out…

The Week Islanders Finally Opened Their Eyes

A CANVEY ISLAND INDEPENDENT PARTY Councillor, in a hot air balloon, realised he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, ‘Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am.’

The woman below replied, ‘You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're in Canvey Island’s Central Ward, near its boundary with the North Ward, and approximately in the middle of Canvey Lake.’

‘You must be an informed voter,’ said the balloonist.

‘I am,’ replied the woman, ‘How did you know?’

Canvey Island Town Council Steals £2,580.50 From Veteran Charities’ Funds

FUNDS RAISED from selling some three-hundred-and-forty-four £7.50 tickets to Canvey Island Town Council’s Night of Nostalgia event, held at the Paddocks following the island’s Armed Forces Day celebrations last year on 26th June, never reached the Veterans’ Charities to which they were originally destined. Instead, Canvey Island’s Town Council decided to re-direct all the money to its own depleted bank account.

TC Battlegrounds: Canvey Island Central Ward

AS ITS NAME SUGGESTS, Canvey Island’s Central Ward is situated in the middle of Canvey Island. It is also the Canvey Island Independent Party’s safest seat.

It was this ward that elected both Dave Blackwell (CIIP Leader) and John Anderson (currently Town Council Chairman) on 3rd May, 2007.

Blackwell and Anderson also represent the Central ward at Castle Point Borough Council – so they in fact hold four of the five local government posts available in this district between them. Together with that other CPBC post, held by their colleague Peter May, Canvey Island Central only has CIIP members representing its residents in both local councils.

CITC Sheds The Green And Adopts Tory Blue For Its New Website

CANVEY ISLAND TOWN COUNCIL has launched its new Website – same old same old – but in a slightly different format and adopting Conservative Party colours. At this late stage in the Town Council’s first term it is difficult to understand why islanders are being forced to pay for a cosmetic makeover; but, hey, who knows how the Canvey Island Independent Party’s mind works?

Interested readers are invited to dig-out their sunglasses and hop-on over to the TC’s new site to examine the brand new image that the ‘Independents’ wish to project. Gone is the environmental green that the party previously employed to project conservationist credentials. Now we have a safe, dependable and business-like image being thrust in islanders’ faces – stolen from their Conservative opponents (whom do not use the blue quite so loudly)..

CIIP Board Back Up – But It Is Not The Same

READERS will be pleased to know that the Canvey Island Independent Party (CIIP) has re-instated its discussion board; but in the way that only the CIIP can manage.

With no accompanying explanation, its board is back up; but a number of previous posts are missing.

The Way Things Were

CANVEY LAKE looks set to be the main topic for residents this week as the Echo finally decided to write a piece criticising the Canvey Island Independent Party (CIIP) led Canvey Island Town Council over its management of the community’s costly asset.

You May Have To Be Quick To Catch This

CLICK HERE NOW TO OPEN THE CANVEY ISLAND INDEPENDENT PARTY’S FACEBOOK PAGE IN YOUR BROWSER (before it disappears)..

It is, of course, the page that the CIIP created on 11 June 2009, just after the local elections. But it was maintained up to 7 May 2010, when it then appears to have been abandoned the day following the local elections last year.

CIIP Resorts To Removing The Evidence

READERS OF THIS BLOG will know that its house-style is to include links to supporting evidence, within its articles, so that the public record may be complete.

In its last post, the Canvey Beat provided two hyperlinks to the Canvey Island Independent Party’s discussion board as supporting evidence for its claim that the CIIP has purposely misrepresented the amount of support it has on the island.

One link pointed to the fact that the CIIP had removed public comments from its discussion board, and that the action had been questioned by Lee Barrett (CIIP, Canvey Island East). The other hyperlink pointed to the discussion board’s home page, detailing the fact that the CIIP had conducted no discussions with residents and that their board’s members totalled only 35.

The Canvey Island Independent Party: What Is There To Say?..

FOR A PARTY that professes to be the voice of Canvey Island residents, it is surprising to discover that the Canvey Island Independent Party (CIIP) actually has nothing to say. The Echo, it is true, provides frequent space to Dave Blackwell and other party members attacking the Borough’s majority; but, when it comes to putting forward constructive ideas – or engaging with residents using its ambitious online capabilities – Cyberspace is unusually quiet.

The CIIP, bless them, have failed to comprehend that, in order to establish an internet presence, you first need to have something to say.

Dave Blackwell’s royal address to residents this Christmas using his party’s Blog went largely unnoticed by islanders – although Canvey Beat readers will have seen its passing presence in this Blog’s STOP PRESS column. But no one had anything to say. Just as on the CIIP’s Blog: nobody cared to reply with their own seasonal greetings.

TC Battlegrounds: Canvey Island East Ward

CANVEY ISLAND EAST WARD lies on the eastern point of the island, adjoining the neighbouring wards of Canvey Island North and Canvey Island South.

In 2007, the two Town Council seats were taken by the Canvey Island Independent Party. The late Christine Andrews obtained 888 votes, just tipping her colleague, Phillip Davies, into second place with 864.

In January 2009, Christine Andrew’s death gave rise to a by-election in which the CIIP just narrowly hung onto the seat after an incursion by the BNP into local politics. Nicola Pontius was returned with just 425 votes against the background of the majority of residents voting for other parties – and against the CIIP.

The Battle For Canvey Island Town Council

OVER THE COURSE of the next three months, the Canvey Beat will be examining the six Canvey Island battlegrounds in the lead-up to the live public debates to be held on this Blog in April, and the Town Council elections in May. During that time, six feature articles will be published, providing a brief snapshot of each individual ward’s main features, and the issues confronting its residents, as Castle Point Borough Council prepares to implement its program of spending cuts.

It Need Not Be A Two-Horse Race

CANVEY ISLAND TOWN COUNCIL is one of the few parish councils in the country to be run by local politicians. Most are led by local business and community leaders with strong links to local churches and charities. In most rural English parishes, politicians are kept at arms length, with the result that the Parish Council does not become just another tier of local government – fought over by local political parties.

Local community and business leaders, it can be argued, have far more to offer the community than part-time politicians; because they live and work within the community they serve. In addition, they often have far more skills in problem solving and experience of getting things done than those just seeking a chance to carve-out a political career.

No New Year Resolution Yet?..

Straw Poll Bad News For Blackwell

WITH FOUR MONTHS LEFT for readers to vote (or modify their previous choice) in the Canvey Beat straw poll regarding the Canvey Island Town Council elections, the results so far provide little New Year cheer for Dave Blackwell and his Canvey Island Independent Party (CIIP).

The Conservative lead over the CIIP is currently 30%; but there is still everything to play for.

Although the Conservative vote is strongest, with 48 per cent, the poll assumes that other parties will also be contesting all seats – which is unlikely to be the case. The battleground is therefore drawn around the 25 per cent of voters whom wish to vote for other parties, and the remainder whom, at this time, are unwilling to vote at all.