I was looking at the Forum page when saw this council nonsense...read it...its so full of cow poo it hurts...I particularly like the councils ambition to be recognised as the cultural capital of the east of england...no chance boys...not with a bunch of risk averse corporate twinks in charge...best we can hope for is uber safe cardigan wearing non offensive blandness...which, of course, is precisely what weve got...wouldnt want to offend anybody would we...so by default weve got a great big bunch of very expensive nothing...just saying...the following is in their own words...I didnt make it up...honest jb x Southend-on-Sea Borough Council serves a population of 162,000 residents, spending £134m-a-year and employing 2,500 staff to provide a huge range services to meet the needs of local people. Despite financial constraints and the need to adapt to a new government agenda, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council continues to serve its communities well, providing high-quality services that meet their changing needs. The authority’s ambition for the town – to be recognised as the cultural capital of the East of England, to promote a thriving sustainable economy and to have first class services and flourishing, active communities – have not wavered in the face of this challenge, enabling it to deliver a programme of capital investment projects that will make a real difference to residents and businesses for years to come. Acting on its vision to ‘Create a Better Southend’ the Council continues to invest in building and sustaining community and business confidence in the Borough, encouraging further private investment in Southend, for example the expansion and development of London Southend Airport, which will generate jobs and build our tourism economy. An ambitious £25m programme of infrastructure projects at City Beach, Victoria Gateway, Cuckoo Corner and Progress Road was completed on time and on budget. Traffic is now flowing better, lighting columns and other improvements at City Beach are encouraging visitors to stay longer and access to the High Street has improved. The opening of the state-of-the-art, award winning Southend Swimming and Diving Centre, ready to be used by the British Olympic diving team, was a huge achievement. Arts Council awards to Metal Culture, Focal Point Gallery and indeed the Forum: Southend-on-Sea demonstrate that the town is now seen as a leading cultural centre and that national bodies have great confidence in the local authority. This ability to adapt to changing circumstances and constantly improve services whilst still driving out efficiencies led to the authority being voted Council of the Year 2012 at the recent Local Government Chronicle Awards in London. southend.gov.uk
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 12:41:15 +0000