Councilbust

Rochford and Southend East Conservative MP James Duddridge has asked for information about the reoffending rates amongst young people who have committed crimes.

 Mr Duddridge wrote to the Justice Secretary asking: “what steps [the Justice] Department has taken to reduce reoffending rates of young offenders in the last 12 months.”

 Mr Duddridge received a written reply from Maria Eagle, the Parliamentary Secretary for the Government Equalities Office.

 Ms Eagle wrote: “the latest statistics show a 23.6 per cent reduction in the frequency rate of juvenile reoffending between 2000 and 2007.

 “The Government’s approach to reducing reoffending is detailed in the Youth Crime Action Plan, published last summer.

 “This sets out the triple-track approach of enforcement, non-negotiable support and prevention.”

A new social networking site has been launched for supporters of the expansion of Southend Airport to exchange views and information.

Contrary to reports that the airport expansion plans are wildly unpopular, the networking site, www.planes2009.ning.com, has attracted 38 members since its creation in June 2009.

The site was set up by local Leigh resident Keith Terry. Mr Terry works for a company based at Southend Airport, and claims to have grown up in the flight path.

He has written an introductory explanation of his reasons for setting up the site, which reads:

“Since the mid 1960’s the airport has been under-used and now the chance for this to change has at long last arrived.

“I feel that the residents of Southend should endorse these exciting developments and this is the reason why I have set up this social network site.

“I believe that the Southend Airport extension is a good thing for the town.

“I feel that the vast majority of Southend residents are in favour of the airport expansion but unlike the opponents to the scheme, do little or nothing to support and promote this view.”

The Liberal Democrat spokesman on education, MP David Laws, made a visit to Southend on Monday 15^th June.

Mr Laws was welcomed at Blenheim Primary School by the two Liberal Democrat candidates for Southend, Peter Welch and Councillor Graham Longley, as well as three local head teachers. He also gave a speech on Liberal Democrat education policies.

Mr Laws said that the Liberal Democrats believe that too many children leave school with a record of underachievement, and that Labour policy of “constant testing and micro-management of schools” had failed to tackle this.

Mr Laws went on to say that within Southend, the education system is struggling with the Borough Council has introduced single-status schools, which, he claims, leaves many schools with difficult decisions on staffing.

Liberal Democrat policy, Mr Laws said, was to provide more funding for schools to take pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, whilst giving schools the freedom to use these funds as they saw fit.