There is a review taking place in parts of Southend on Sea , to see if Selective Licensing would be a good scheme to be introduced.  Parts of Kursaal, Milton and Chalkwell wards are being looked at to see if it would help the local communities, in a bid to tackle anti-social behaviour, improve the quality of accommodation and help the general areas to improve.  Selective Licensing requires owners of privately rented dwellings to pay for a license.

Under the scheme, every residential premises which is privately let to one or more tenants – subject to certain exemptions – must be licensed,  if it is within the designated area.  The relevant fee must also be paid.

 With this in mind the council have put this scheme out for consultation.  Roads in the borough have been suggested, residents and landlords are being asked for their views on the scheme.

 What are the benefits?

• Reduction in anti-social behaviour
• Conditions on license relating to gas safety/smoke alarms
• Anti-social behaviour clause to be signed at commencement of each new tenancy
• Improved living conditions
• Fewer complaints

 For Landlords:

•  Better behaved tenants; longer tenancies, potentially increased rent levels and improved property value (over time).

 The consultation is showing that there is support for the scheme, but that landlords are also very concerned too. 

 I think the principle is good, to bring up the quality of tenants living in Southend properties and landlords do have a big part to play in that. 

 Landlord’s concerns range, from whether the license costs too much, the effectiveness of policing, the need for CCTV, to council tenants just as culpable for ASB.  There maybe some valid arguments from landlords and the main thing is, that we the council and the landlords work in tandem to deliver an effective policy that reduces ASB and helps improve the community for all our residents.

 The behaviour of the people who are looting and causing havoc is completely unpredictable. We simply do not know what will happen next; how they will react. As a result, our friends and family who live in London and other parts of the country, have been at times, completely frightened.

 People have lost their homes and had their livelihoods taken away from them, with some people just having a bag of clothes to their name. 

 The question is, what lies behind criminality?  Why have we got so many criminals?   In my opinion it boils down to responsibility.  We have a whole raft of people in this country who have no sense of responsibility, who are not playing their part in society and in the last four days have grabbed an opportunity for excitement and fun. These people have been continually told what their rights are, but have never been informed that they also have responsibilities.  These were not protesters, this was thuggish behaviour pure and simple.

 Responsibility is a learned form of behaviour.  These people who were rioting and looting have parents that are not there for their children.  Boys need male role models, who they can look up to and see what being responsible looks like.  The result of these broken families are that these boys find solace in gangs and groups and then often the first people to say no to them, are the police.  They can’t cope when the police stand up to them and they then go mad at the police.

 The big issues now are what we do in these areas?  We must accept that there are damaged people in the aftermath of the riots.  I do not believe that it is just down to deprivation.  In the 1930s, when there were ‘protests’, there was no violence of this kind. Arguably there was a sense of morality.  Therefore you cannot just blame the riots on austerity, it is not just cuts that cause this.  We need to address the motivations and grievances of those participating in these riots.

 The government spends over half our national income, yet in the last four days, were not able to properly protect our citizens, those tax payers who fund this government spending.  It has to be one of the first priorities of our government to keep us safe; yet on Monday and Tuesday night people were frightened, they had their homes taken away from them. 

 We had 16,000 police officers on duty inLondonon Tuesday evening, but this is not sustainable all the time.   As Douglas Carswell writes ‘Any debate about “broken Britain” must look not only at social breakdown, but at the broken levers of control that allow official Britain to set its own priorities without full regard to the concerns of striving Britain’.

 Right now, the causes of the rioting can be put to one side. For now, our government needs to restore faith in the ability to protect us. I believe we need elected sheriffs, who have the authority to make decisions, which would have led to a more robust response from the police right from the start.

In May 2010 I submitted a dog fouling petition to full council.  My petition was submitted because, when knocking on doors and walking the streets of my ward in Kursaal, it became clear there was an issue with dog fouling.  Parents were informing me of how their children were stepping out of their homes and immediately stepping in the mess.  It then became clear, when speaking to people in the wider community that there was a problem in different parts of the town too.  As a result, my petition called upon action to be taken in Kursaal and across the town: more signage, more bins.

 The petition was considered at Cabinet and I am delighted to say that our administration took on board the views of residents. As a result, more signage and bins were obtained for the ward, but the problem still goes on and arguably is a very difficult to solve.

 When, in July another petition was submitted for another ward in Southend on Sea, on this very same issue, it came before the Economic and Environment Scrutiny Committee, on which I sit. The petition put forward that the issue of dog fouling be looked at in the specific ward. During the course of the meeting it was felt that action should be taken across the whole town, and so was sent back to Cabinet for further discussion. 

 This is an issue I have campaigned on for a while now. Personally, as well as sanctions against unscrupulous dog owners, I would like to see free dog poo bags made available to residents. This is seen in Castle Point Borough Council, where bags can be collected from libraries and council offices and cashiers.

 I said the following:

 I am utterly enthusiastic and supportive of this report.  My fundamental reason for this is, in the ward I represent of Kursaal, there are many depressed people and so it is wonderful to have a vibrant, energetic town, which is looking to the future.  That is helpful, I believe, for people who are depressed.

My second point is a plea.  Often, cities, towns and urban scenes have poverty existing alongside wealth and it is because I represent the needy and vulnerable in our town that I ask you to ensure that the regeneration of our town takes into account these people and bears them in mind.

 We are not just here to look great, though that is very important.  Our job is to seek help for all our residents and especially those in need.

 The residents were concerned about the negative behaviour which they are having to endure, at times through out the night.  The main issue was youths playing football against the steel wall in the middle of the park.  The impact of the ball against the steel wall makes a very loud noise, which when late at night wakes the residents up.  They are sworn at when they address the youths about the problem. They told me this had been a problem for years.

 I asked officers if there was anything that could be done to make the park free from such yobbish behaviour in the evening/night time hours?  It seems to me that this space was intended for young people, but the residents claim that hardly any children use the play facilities and the area is being abused. 
 
I put to officers that given the trouble it causes, was it feasible to remove the steel wall/ goal post in the middle of the park.

 Result:  A meeting on site with officers and hopefully residents.  Looking to see if the post could be removed.

There is a film out called Africa United, in this film three young people travel from Rwanda unbeknown to their mother.  They travel the length of Africa through many dangers and adventures to get to the 2010 world cup inSouth Africa.  So it is, that in every poverty stricken lives, football is seen to be an inspiration and a vision for great achievements.

I represent on the council a very deprived area of Southend on Sea, Kursaal ward.  We have many areas of deprivation and you will realise that there are many young people in Kursaal in the present situation where there is a great struggle for employment for young people, where there is not much hope.

Where there is poverty, football can provide a vision of how things could be better and that is why I am committed to the aims of CASA Juniors, because I see it as helping the young people, whom I represent to have some aim in their lives.

In the film I mentioned, the two boys make it to Cape Townand the young girl on the way decides not to go the full distance, because they come across a mission school, in which she sees the possibility that she could become a doctor.

I am sure you get the point.  For deprived kids, football is more than just a game; it is an inspiration for big things for achievement of all kinds, self discipline and self fulfilment.

 As people strolled past the open air service people stopped to listen, whilst children played in the fountains and the beach got busier from the day trippers, it really was a great atmosphere.

 I believe that the residents need to come first and this area has been regenerated into a vibrant, uplifting area that can now used for so many different things. 

 Councillor Robin and I have spent time at the Civic offices speaking about various safety issues, raising residents questions as we are keen to make sure that this area is used to its full potential.

This week I attended a parking consultation at the ‘Kursaal’.  It was fantastic that so many residents turned up to view the plans.  It is the resident’s opportunity to voice their opinions one way or the other about plans which will be affecting where they live.

 I am really pleased that residents will now hopefully have an easier time at finding some where to park.  Residents have to come first.

In particular, Rowan Williams speaks about ‘The Big Society’ as being ‘painfully stale’.  The Archbishop also launches a sustained attack on the government’s welfare reforms, complaining of a “quiet resurgence of the seductive language of “deserving” and “undeserving” poor.”

This political intervention from the Church of England has not been seen for some years and as such, has been with met with mixture of opinions.  ‘He should stick to running the church’ are just some of the comments seen and heard today.  I personally feel a mixture of feelings.  I do not agree with what the Archbishop has said, and  I think that David Cameron has reacted well by saying that he ‘welcomes the debate’.  I also think that everyone is entitled to an opinion, but arguably how can you criticise politicians who are elected to make decisions on such matters.  The coalition government gained 17 million votes.

All being said,  the comments generate debate and that must be a good thing for democracy.