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.

Grey Skies Portend Grey Times Ahead

GREY SKIES hung over the Borough this afternoon as residents prepared to usher in tomorrow’s New Year, and the morning mist, which stubbornly refused to move from low lying regions, obscured a previously visible horizon.

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.

Local Hustings On The Canvey Beat In 2011

THE CANVEY BEAT will be inviting all Canvey Island Town Council candidates to take part in six live husting events, hosted during April, on this Blog. Individual candidates will be invited to take part as panellists in one of six live debates, each covering one of the Canvey Island wards.

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:-

• All candidates will be given five minutes in which to present an election address – with incumbent councillors going first and others following in alphabetical party order.
• Those addresses will be followed by questions from those viewing the event live in their browsers, and others, put on readers’ behalves, which have been emailed-in.
• Each debate will last approximately one hour and, after it has ended, will be archived and immediately made accessible to anyone unable to attend the live event.

… (Ted Pugh, 30/12/2010) – Planning The New Year

A New Year Dawns As The Borough Thaws

AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR, Canvey Beat readers were debating whether Bob Spink, with the Echo’s support, would again retain his House of Commons seat as the Borough’s MP in May’s general election. This year, this Blog’s readership will be debating whether Dave Blackwell and his Canvey Island Independent Party (CIIP) can retain control of Canvey Island Town Council in the local elections to be held in May.

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.

Looking Forward To 2011

THE CANVEY BEAT underwent a major upheaval in 2010 when, in June, it was decided to move away from its original WordPress host and take advantage of the multi-media capabilities offered by Google’s BlogSpot. Unlike WordPress, BlogSpot provides full JavaScript support and also permits unrestricted advertising (which was a major consideration in the decision to move).

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.

The Canvey Beat Will Be Back In The New Year

A Merry Christmas To All Canvey Beat Readers

Readers Reject Council Tax Increase Option

CANVEY BEAT READERS have strongly rejected the idea that Council Taxes or Business Rates should be increased in order to find the savings that Castle Point Borough Council needs to satisfy the demands of central government.

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.

Bar Monico’s Licence To Be Reviewed

ESSEX POLICE have called for a review of the Bar Monico’s Liquor Licence after it was found to be in serious breach of new mandatory conditions that came into force on 6th April and 1st October 2010.

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.

Not An Easy Question To Answer

THE FINANCIAL QUANDRY, which Castle Point Borough Council finds itself placed in by severe government spending cuts, is not easily solved. That fact is illustrated by so few readers responding to the question: ‘What would you cut?’

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.’

What Is It With The Echo?

EVERY NEWSPAPER has a right to its own editorial opinion; but in its columns, unless it is clearly marked as an advertorial, it has an overwhelming duty to ensure it prints the facts.

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.

Canvey Island Prepares For More Public Protests

Spink addresses the paddling pool protesters earlier this year

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 Council Faced With 30% Cuts

DESPITE ITS FINANCIAL PRUDENCE, Castle Point Borough Council (CPBC) members are faced with the herculean task of having to reduce their expenditure by some 30 per cent over the next two years. Government funding will be reduced by 17.6 per cent from April next year – and 12.1 per cent the year after.

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.

Canvey Beat Readers Back Government Cuts

IN A 48 HOUR STRAW POLL, Canvey Beat readers backed the Coalition Government’s programme of cuts.

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.

Use Snow Time To Tweet Or Build Your Free Website, Says Essex FSB

ESSEX FEDERATION of Small Businesses is urging business owners facing quiet periods due to the snow and ice to use the time to revise their marketing plans and start using social media and the internet.

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.

CITC To Undergo Rebranding For May’s Local Elections

NOT CONTENT with re-inventing themselves as the Canvey Island Independent Party to hoodwink islanders into thinking they were voting for something new, failed ex-Labour councillors, who are now comfortably installed in Canvey Island’s Town Council, have decided to refresh that establishment’s failed image by completely overhauling its rarely used Website.

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.

And Now: FREE Local Advertising Via Twitter

SINCE INTRODUCING this Blog’s live STOP PRESS panel, the number of readers whom have set the Canvey Beat as their homepage has increased from just under 25 per cent to 43 per cent (as of yesterday).

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.

Now That Is A Majority Decision!

WITH JUST OVER A FORTNIGHT to go before Christmas, now is not the best time for readers to be asked their opinions on how they would like to see the Canvey Beat’s Live Blog facilities used.

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).

Advertise Your Events And Appeals For Free

CANVEY BEAT READERS can now take advantage of a new 24 hour Stop Press panel - providing live breaking news snippets - to inform other guests and their families of their own news and forthcoming events.

Local organisations; Bloggers; and aspiring young reporters are also invited to provide their Twitter account names so that those feeds can be incorporated into the feature’s live content.

If you need to advertise a forthcoming event or make an appeal: just enter your company or private name in the 'Your Name' field and then write your post in the 'Send questions or comments' box.

Approved content will normally be published within 24 hours.

A Feisty Performance From Rebecca

OUR LOCAL MP, Rebecca Harris, today showed the nation why she had been elected to serve the Castle Point constituency. In presenting her Private Member’s Bill to the House of Commons, this morning, she made an impassioned, eloquent speech calling for the benefits of Single Double Summer Time to be investigated – and not once tripped over her words or diluted her argument with attacks upon its opponents.

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.

Oh, What A Wally!

I KNEW I would have problems during this Blog’s first live broadcast – and that the technology would have ‘bugs.’ But the ‘problems‘, earlier this morning, were confined to my own stupidity.

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.

Live Blog: Rebecca Presents Her Daylight Saving Bill To Parliament

Calling All Castle Point Residents – And Bloggers!

THIS FRIDAY, the 3rd December, the Canvey Beat will be venturing into live Blogging with coverage of our local MP, Rebecca Harris, as she presents her Private Member’s Bill to the House of Commons. Live coverage will begin here at 9.00am and continue until the vote has been counted.

Visitors will be able to contribute by commenting; asking questions; and contributing to various live polls throughout the time the broadcast remains ‘on air’ – and any local Blog will be able to carry the feed (to ensure their readers remain on their sites) by simply emailing me a request for the embed code.

Neville Congratulates TC On ‘Spectacular’ Event –But Fails To Acknowledge Those Whom Made It All Possible

NEVILLE WATSON, Castle Point Borough Councillor for Canvey’s Winter Gardens Ward, decided to use the Canvey Island Independent Party’s Blog, yesterday, to congratulate the Town Council on its £20,000 Christmas event, held last Saturday.

Neville makes no mention of his recent call upon councillors to reduce their allowances – or mention the fact that his party, currently in control of the Town Council, has budgeted to introduce lucrative personal allowances for its members this year.

Perhaps that sordid matter has just been brought to his attention, and he has decided to remain quiet.

And Now – A Local Newsreel Widget

READERS WILL KNOW that I am not a particular fan of the local Echo’s coverage of Canvey Island politics; but that I nonetheless provide its daily feed in this Blog’s widget columns. Also, regular guests will know that the Canvey Beat used to provide feeds from the Telegraph, the Daily Mail, and the Guardian; but that I removed them because so few readers made use of their facilities.

It took me some time; but I finally realised that Canvey Beat readers were not interested in national news. They seek out this site to supplement their knowledge of local matters.

It is to that end that I have now introduced a ‘Local Newsreel’ widget in this site’s first right-hand column, above the Echo feed. Powered by Google, it draws upon that search engine’s news database to provide customised local coverage according to the topic chosen in its header. For instance, clicking upon ‘Rebecca Harris MP’ will return the top news articles recently written about her – and, clicking upon ‘Canvey Island’ will bring up the latest news regarding our local football team. Just click on the headline that attracts you and the article will open in a new browser window.

Confusion Over Concord Beach Fund Raising

THE CONCORD POOL issue seems set to dominate the local press this winter as the Echo prematurely announced, on 13th November, that Canvey Island Town Council (CITC) had saved it from destruction. As usual, the paper gave voice to the Canvey Island Independent Party’s posturing over the issue - hoping to put pressure on Castle Point Borough Council (CPBC) to remove the condition that the Town Council also take over responsibility for the pool’s beach area.

Having placed itself in a dubious financial position and faced with the need to increase resident contributions, while all other Councils seek to reduce their costs, CITC is currently doing everything it can to save face over its public promises regarding the Concord Pool. But just how it can maintain that particular asset without the right to have a labour force or its materials access it – and be obliged to restore the beach area to a suitable pristine condition afterwards – is anyone’s guess.

Ray Prepares To Take The Fight To Island ‘Independents’

IN A STATEMENT issued today, the local Castle Point Conservative Association announced their pleasure at Ray ‘Mr Canvey’ Howard agreeing to stand for re-election as Borough Councillor for the Canvey Island West Ward in next year’s May Council election. At the same time, the Echo was announcing yet another island fight that Ray had successfully concluded – rescuing Winter Gardens’ pre-school budget from Essex County Council.

Ray will lead a strong team of candidates, committed to winning back Conservative seats from the Independent Party. He will be joined by James Parkin in South Ward; Mark Howard in Winter Gardens; Lydia Parkin in East Ward; and Chas Mumford in North Ward.

At the same time the Conservatives will be battling to gain control of Canvey Island Town Council. Candidates already in place include Bill Sharp in Central Ward; Tony Belford in South Ward; and Pat Haunts in North Ward.

The selection process for remaining seats will continue over the coming weeks.

Party Tricks

HERE IS a little party gem that may prove useful to readers over the coming festive season – particularly if you do not have the funds to stand the next round yourself.

This video is currently doing the rounds on the internet – so beware…

How to get that cork out of the bottle

Less Than 1% Of Voters Visit CPBC Website?

ACCORDING TO COUNCIL OFFICERS, providing information to last Thursday’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting, visitors to its information page regarding changes to the borough’s waste collection policies totalled just 155.

The number of Castle Point residents, registered to vote, is 67,284.

It is an interesting comparison that Norman Ladzrie seized upon to support his argument that the Cabinet had not ensured that the majority of residents had been properly consulted over the Borough Council’s new waste policy – but was he right to do so?

As usual, with statistics, there is more to this than meets the eye…

Council Constitution Blamed For Fortnightly Black Bag Collection By Blackwell

CASTLE POINT BOROUGH COUNCIL’s opposition leader, Dave Blackwell, shifted uncomfortably in his high chair as he opened the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s meeting, last Thursday evening, in the Council chamber.

His committee had called-in the Cabinet’s decision to introduce weekly collections of food waste, using specially designed caddies, and confine the borough’s non-recyclable waste to fortnightly collections.

Councillors Norman Ladzrie (Conservative, St James); Martin Tucker (Canvey Island Independent Party, Canvey Island North); and Andy Cole (Conservative, St George’s) had been concerned that the Cabinet’s decision would lead to health problems from not collecting nappy and surgical waste on a weekly basis, which is currently the case.

Are British IQ Levels Declining – Or Is It Education Standards That Have Declined?

THE BRITISH EDUCATION SYSTEM, over the past thirty years, has become a political football, passed between the main opposing parties, and fought over - as hyenas argue over fresh carrion. There is strong evidence to suggest that exams have become easier as the years have progressed, and many UK businesses now find that degree level immigrants have much more to offer than their British counterparts.

Dumbing down educational standards, it can be argued, has resulted in dumber citizens. And dumb citizens are easily controlled; because they are not taught to think for themselves.

Both here, and on my personal Blog, I recently exposed how the current national debate over our own MP’s Private Member’s Bill (regarding the adoption of Single Double Summer Time) has been hijacked by powerful lobbyists and self-centred interest groups by basing their argument for adopting SDST upon ‘manufactured’ statistical evidence from an old 1998, Labour Government commissioned report – whose authors remain anonymous.

Rebecca Under Pressure From Sunday Mail’s British Time Campaign

FEW SITUATIONS can be more daunting than to find yourself suddenly propelled to Parliament, only to find that your name has been selected, by ballot, to research, prepare, and present a Private Members Bill on behalf of the Nation’s voters. Even more daunting when it falls upon you to choose a suitable cause; when you have only limited political experience; when the country finds itself on the brink of financial ruin – and you have just fought a tiring, blood-thirsty, political battle with a morally corrupt sitting MP.

Having just defeated Bob Spink in last May’s General Election – in a contest which few thought she could win, our new MP, Rebecca Harris, chose not to select a soft option; but finally come to grips with an issue that has polarised the British public ever since Railway Time was introduced in 1840. She proposed that the new Coalition Government seriously investigate the pros and cons regarding Britain’s Daylight Saving Time – including the option of dispensing with GMT and adopting Central European Time instead.

An Interesting Poll

REGULAR READERS will remember that the old Canvey Beat, hosted by WordPress, used to frequently provide different straw-polls to assess reader opinion on a number of different local matters; but the poll it conducted regarding reader voter intentions, for last May’s local elections, proved to be hopelessly wrong as far as the island was concerned. The Canvey Island Independent Party, on a low turnout, swept aside all local opposition.

Town Council Prepares For Friday Night’s £10,000 Extravaganza

JUST ONE WEEK AFTER Castle Point Borough Council brightened residents lives with its self-funding fireworks display on Friday, 5th November, Canvey Island Town Council (CITC) is preparing to go head-to-head with its first Citizenship Awards celebrations – funded by £10,000 from precious reserves contributed by island taxpayers.

The costly event will take place at 7.30pm, in The Paddocks, this Friday, on November 12th – and all islanders are invited. It is understood that the current Chairman, CIIP councillor John Anderson, will be there sporting the Town Council’s Chain of Office (for which islanders paid £1,000; but which is so rarely seen by the public).

While Others Cut Their Cloth, Islanders Prepare To Take On Another Financial Burden

DESPITE WASTING OVER 78% of islanders’ annual Town Council precept on overheads, Canvey Island Town Council is attempting to recruit another administrator at its spacious premises in Canvey High Street.

Mrs Elaine De Can replaced Bosmere’s John Burridge in October - after just six months in office. The post being advertised is for the assistant’s position that she originally held.

The Town Council is casting its net as wide as possible in its search for someone capable of putting-up with Dave Blackwell and his Canvey Island Independent Party’s financial incompetence. Unusually, for such a post, there is no requirement upon applicants to have any formal qualifications; or any experience of Local Government.

Blackwell Looking Forward To The Borough’s Asset Auction

THIS WEEK’S LIGHTER MORNINGS have apparently inspired the Canvey Island Independent Party (CIIP) Leader, Dave Blackwell, to launch another dubious verbal attack upon ‘certain’ local Tory councillors - whom he felt unable to name. As readers of this Blog know only too well, Blackwell is only keen to point an unwavering finger at those he wishes to undermine when he can be sure of anonymity.

Innuendo, rumour and convenient political spin is Blackwell’s main stock in trade, so it would have come as no surprise for islanders to read his rantings in Monday’s Echo regarding: ‘A plot by certain Tory borough councillors to wipe out the town council.’

Time To Turn Back The Clocks?

THE UNITED KINGDOM will turn its clocks back an hour - at midnight tonight - in order to gain an additional hour’s morning daylight as the Earth’s rotation around the Sun leads us all towards the shortest day of the year (which coincides with December’s Winter Solstice).

At 11.37pm, Universal Time (or GMT), on Tuesday, December 21st, the life giving rays of our Sun will be at their weakest. The old Sun will ‘die’ and be ‘reborn’ to us at 8.07am UT on Wednesday, the 22nd of December.

Coincidentally, this year, there will be a full-moon eclipse at 8.17am on the Tuesday in which the planet will seem to disappear – before being fully visible again, in all its glory, fifteen minutes later.

It is unclear if this portentous event denotes the heavens’ support - or opposition - for our MP, Rebecca Harris, and her Private Member’s Bill.

87% Of Letchford’s Petition Signatures Invalid

CLOSE ON THE HEELS of Canvey Island Town Council’s Summer Fun package – that never was – Colin Letchford’s eight-month long petition for an Elected Mayor looks set to become one of this year’s biggest non-events. After handing-in his 4,442 strong signature, 179 page petition to Castle Point Borough Council for inspection last month, it transpires that only 588 signatures meet the requirements of the law relating to referendums and petitions.

Of those valid signatures, 93% are from Canvey residents and only 7% from Benfleet, Thundersley, and Hadleigh. It was therefore found to contain insufficient signatures of electors covering the whole of the Borough. In addition, the petition was also found to fail a further legal requirement in that it does not accurately describe the constitutional change being sought: namely an Elected Mayor with a Cabinet.

Another Late Night For CIIP Councillors

WHILE RESIDENTS ANXIOUSLY AWAIT details of how yesterday’s Comprehensive Spending Review will directly affect them and worry about the provision of local Meals on Wheels Services; Home Care Charges; Job Security; Benefit Reductions and huge increases in new Council Home Rents, the Canvey Island Independent Party’s blog – true to upholding its promise of keeping all islanders informed – has spent the last two months recording Neville Watson’s and other senior CIIP councillors’ appearances on the local celebrity circuit. But rumour has it that tonight will be an evening-in with a Chinese take-away and a six-pack as they anxiously follow the Tower Hamlets’ poll for an elected mayor on cable TV.

Unlike George Galloway’s Respect party, the local CIIP has been keen to distance itself from collecting resident signatures to have an elected Mayor - and an opportunity for Spink and Blackwell to launch a further attempt at controlling the borough. But, just as Galloway instituted the Tower Hamlets’ petition, there is little doubt that Spink’s fingerprints were all over Colin Letchford’s to provide an opportunity for the former to achieve another public office should he fail to be re-elected as our local MP.

Get Advice Before Starting Your Own Business

FIGURES PUBLISHED THIS WEEK show almost seven people out of work for every job registered in the local Castle Point Council area, putting it fourth highest in the country; but the Essex Federation of Small Businesses is urging the jobless to think twice before starting their own business.

South East Essex FSB Branch Chairman, Terry Taber, said: ‘The latest figures showing that for every job advertised in Castle Point there are 6.6 people unemployed is a very worrying statistic – and, following the Comprehensive Spending Review this week, it is likely there will be an increase in that figure as the public sector sheds jobs.

That’s Not Quite True – Is It, Dave?

THE ECHO provided several of its precious column inches to covering the island this week. The paper reported that Joan Liddiard (Vice Chair of Canvey Island Town Council) would be hurling her ‘really bad knees’ from an aircraft in the hope of obtaining the £400 cost of making the parachute jump from donations she hoped to collect in support of the local Citizens’ Advice Bureau. One would have thought that, in her position, she could have called upon the civic support of the Town Council to cover the costs of her charitable venture - but perhaps there is nothing left in the local Grant Budget to make that possible.

Council Votes To Review Cabinet System

AT ITS FULL COUNCIL MEETING on Tuesday, Castle Point Borough Council voted 21 to 14 in favour of undertaking a review of the current Cabinet System in anticipation of Coalition Government changes to the Local Government Act, which currently makes the present system mandatory.

The Canvey Island Independent Party voted in block against Bill Dick’s amendment to Dave Blackwell’s original motion calling upon the Council to revert to the previous Committee System, employed under the last local Labour administration, which had led to the Council being rated one of the eight worst boroughs in the UK. At that time, John Prescott (the then Deputy Labour Prime Minister) had threatened to take central control of the Socialist run borough to rectify the lamentable state of its political leadership and administration.