Welcome to Leigh Ward

Your local Liberal Democrat Councillors

Alan Crystall - 01702 747047 - cllrcrystall@southend.gov.uk

Barry Godwin - 01702 589318 - cllrgodwin@southend.gov.uk

Peter Wexham - 01702 715981 - cllrwexham@southend.gov.uk

Issues in Leigh & West Leigh

Traffic Calming for Pall Mall?

A local firm, KeyMed, have again come to the rescue of Leigh's traffic problems. They are allocating money to continue the "safer routes to schools" programme around North Street Schools. This will mean slowing traffic along Pall Mall and perhaps the surrounding roads to stop speeding. Council officers are drawing up a plan which will then go to public consultation to

get local residents' views before anything is done.

Cllr Peter Wexham says "I have been working closely with KeyMed for several years to improve road safety. Through their generosity we have pedestrian crossings, traffic islands and traffic flow schemes in Leigh that would still be on the drawing board if we had waited for the Council to find the cash".

Airport Development

Airport Tower

Southend and Rochford Councils have drawn up three alternative plans for develoing Southend Airport and the land around it. One scheme is for a massive expansion of the Airport so as to carry 2 million passengers a year with a longer runway and a lot more aircraft flying over our heads. No wonder some local residents are getting concerned. Cllr Peter Wexham says "In my view the environment always comes first. I agree with residents who oppose any scheme that would involve a big increase in aircraft noise. Let's keep Leigh the way we like it - a great place to live."

The "Badgers" of Cliff Parade

Mr and Mrs Badger and family, enjoying the comfort of spacious accommodation under Cliff Parade, are likely to be there for some time yet, reports Cllr Alan Crystall.

Badger licences come under two different Government departments, and with lack of interdepartmental communication, holidays and sickness and days off for we know not what, a licence to start to put in some one way gates to enable them to leave and not return has not yet been granted.

The inconvenience and cost of six months delay to thousands of Southend residents remains with a handful of Whitehall bureaucrats for a family of Badgers that no one has seen and may or may not be in residence. There was certainly a paw print, but no finger of suspicion. The clues tail off. Have we uncovered "Badgergate"?

Is there a conspiracy to house homeless badgers.?

Southend-on-Sea council want to support the slipping road, the Gas Board wants to put in a new gas main, yet through the world banking crisis, global warming and international recession, the badgers of Cliff Parade sleep on, undisturbed.

Perhaps, Cllr Crystall suggests, they have been gassed by a leaking ancient gas main that needs replacing.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BUILDING SOCIETY AND A BETTING SHOP?

None at all, according to planning law. Any closed building society premises, such as 57 the Broadway, the former WOOLWICH, soon to be a betting shop, needs no permission from Southend Council. There is no possible objection, no action your councillor can take on your behalf.

"There is one way", says cllr Alan Crystall, that is for the public not to use it, walk past it, save your money, after all, we are in a "credit crunch".

"If we can persuade the public not to use it, it will go away"

Please support Alan's "GO AWAY" campaign.

Speed reduction needed urgently in Pall Mall.

Cllr Alan Crystall had just finished delivering the latest FOCUS report from the Leigh Councillors in Pall Mall when bang!, two more cars collided at the junction of Pall Mall and Leigham Court Drive.

The headline on the Focus report, "Traffic calming for Pall Mall ?",

Key Med are to come up with money to make the area around the North Street Schools safer. This will mean slowing and calming traffic along Pall Mall and the surrounding roads, if there is sufficient public support following a consultation.

Cllr Crystall urges the residents in this area to support the speed reduction and traffic calming measures that are to be proposed for that area.

It is a convenient local through route, but safety for the children and the prevention of accidents must be the priority, and the generosity of Southend based Key Med, who produce specialist medical equipment, will make it possible.

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