Basildon Essex
Posts tagged Politics
New college given the go-ahead
Jan 31st
A NEW college for Basildon town centre has been given the green light by councillors.
Residents and councillors packed out the council meeting on Tuesday evening to discuss the plans to build the £30million South Essex College in the town.
The plans had been earmarked for approval and now conditional planning permission has been granted.
But the proposals met with fierce opposition from campaigners who said an agreement would likely mean the old college in Nethermayne will be sold off to allow a major housing development of up to 850 homes on land, including the neighbouring Dry Street wildlife haven.
via New college for Basildon given the go-ahead (From Echo). / via BBC News – South Essex College gets new Basildon campus permission.
Dale Farm eviction notices served
Jul 5th
Eviction notices have been served on families living illegally at England’s largest travellers’ site.
Basildon Council has given people living on 51 unauthorised pitches at Dale Farm, Essex, until the end of August to leave.
More than 400 travellers currently live at the former scrapyard.
About half of the 100 pitches do not have planning permission. Travellers began to set up pitches illegally on the greenbelt land in 2001.
The notice requires them to vacate the land or the council will enter and dismantle the camp.
Policing the clearance of what is thought to be the largest traveller site in Europe could cost up to £9.5m.
Anger at plan to switch off the lights
Dec 7th
SEVENTY per cent of street lights in Basildon could be switched off between midnight and 5am as Essex County Council tries to save £10million.
County Hall bosses have approached Basildon councillors about the blackout proposals after running successful trials in Maldon and Saffron Walden.
The county council now wants to roll out proposals across the rest of Essex within the next 18 months to two years, with Basildon among one of the first boroughs to be approached.
Under the plans only around 30 per cent of lights will remain on throughout the night, along main roads, at roundabouts, in subways and alleyways leading to estates and in areas of high use such as sports centres.
Mr Hume defended the scheme and said there would be a “full and proper” consultation and nothing was imminent.
He said: “In the pilot areas, the two main fears were it would lead to more traffic accidents and crime. However, we found there were no personal injury accidents in the areas and crime actually fell.”
Residents Asked Their Views On Sex Establishments
Oct 26th
Basildon District residents have now been given the opportunity to have a say about how lap dancing clubs will be licensed.
A draft policy on how the Council will go about licensing sex establishments was presented at last night’s Licensing Committee meeting (21 October 2010).
The Policing and Crime Act 2009 introduced a new category of sex establishment called a “sexual entertainment venue”. The change in the law will allow local authorities to better regulate lap dancing and similar activities, requiring operators of premises where it takes place to apply for a Sex Establishment Licence.
The Council will have more powers of scrutiny over new applications and residents and businesses will be allowed to raise objections.
Extra sewage to give power to the district
Sep 23rd
SEWAGE from Rayleigh and Canvey could power homes in Basildon if plans are approved.
Anglian Water wants to increase the size of its sewage works in Courtauld Road, Basildon, by 7.4 acres to accommodate the growth of the town.
It also wants to bring in more sludge from Rayleigh – where an old treatment plant will close – and Canvey.
The company wants to build an anaerobic digester at the site, where sludge would be processed to produce biogas. This would then be converted into 7,000 megawatts of electricity a year – enough to power 1,589 homes.
Queen gives Basildon borough status
Sep 15th
Basildon is to have its first mayor after after the Queen gave approval for the area to become a borough instead of a district.
Cllr Mo Larkin, who is currently chairman of Basildon Council, will become the area’s first mayor when the authority officially receives the charter in late October.
Council leader Tony Ball said:
“Becoming a borough is an important step forward for Basildon and it will assist the council in raising the status and attracting new investment to the area.”
Clamper threatens to block MP’s driveway
Jul 19th
A CLAMPING company is threatening to block an MP’s drive because of his opposition to their tactics.An employee of LBS Enforcement, based in Westcliff, has said they will target Rayleigh Tory MP Mark Francois and accused him and Rochford and Southend East MP James Duddridge of “condoning motorists who park where they like”.
Both MPs have spoken in the past against LBS, which has been clamping motorists across south Essex for more than 18 months.
The claims were made in comments beneath a story on the Echo website about the company using a VAT number belonging to Barclays Bank.
It is the first time LBS has broken its silence since the Echo revealed its had 19 outstanding county court judgements against it from drivers worth almost £14,000.
Check out the Echo comments for this article at the link above, entertaining read…
Rettendon killer gets £44,500 compensation
Jun 28th
A KILLER convicted of gunning down three drug dealers will get £44,500 in damages… after being left with a toothache.
The Home Office has been forced to fork out the cash to Michael Steele after negligent dental care left him in agony for years.
Steele, aged in his late sixties, was given three life sentences in 1998 for murdering Basildon drug dealers Pat Tate, Tony Tucker and Craig Rolfe.
Fish and chip shop would “ruin lives”
Jun 9th
COUNCILLORS have refused plans for a new fish and chip shop.
Basildon Council turned down proposals to open the takeaway in Hoover Drive, Laindon, amid fears it would ruin the lives of nearby residents.
Officers at the council & planning department had recommended the plans and said it would have offered residents in the area more choice, making the vacant building become the third takeaway in the area.
Former MP Angela Smith to become ‘Baroness Basildon’
May 28th
FORMER MP Angela Smith is to be made a member of the House of Lords.
The former Labour minister of state is to be made a life peer after being recommended by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown to the Queen.
Mrs Smith grew up in Basildon and is a former Pitsea Junior School and Chalvedon School pupil.
She served as Basildon’s MP from 1997 and worked closely with Mr Brown as a Parliamentary Private Secretary, until being ousted by Tory Stephen Metcalfe in this year’s general election.
via Echo
Basildon
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