SKIPP demands independent agent for planning consultations
Following Southend Council’s cabinet reshuffle, the pressure group Saxon King In Priory Park (SKIPP) has made demands on Cllr Anna Waite’s successor.
Cllr Mark Flewitt (left), formerly the executive councillor for Adult Social Care, Health and Housing, is now in charge of Transport and Planning.
Cllr Waite became unpopular with pressure groups, particularly SKIPP, during the reconstruction of Cuckoo Corner and Victoria Circus. SKIPP has mounted various protests calling for the halting of these projects, and Cllr Waite’s resignation.
Now that Cllr Waite has exchanged departments with Cllr Flewitt, SKIPP has made its wishes clear. In an open letter to Cllr Flewitt, SKIPP said:
“We welcome your recent appointment as portfolio holder for transport and Planning.
“Given the entrenched and destructive attitude of your predecessor, we also welcome your comments about listening to the people of Southend; however, we have little trust in political rhetoric.
“It will be your actions, not your words that the town will judge you on, please avoid repeating the mistakes of the previous incumbent.
“Our town deserves a fairer deal when it comes to all future planning and transport issues.
“In the future we believe a policy of comprehensive public consultation should be implemented across the board.
“By comprehensive we mean: consultation across the whole Borough, not just a few selected streets; consultation that is structured in such a way as to offer real and credible alternatives to the Councils preferred option, rather than being deliberately designed to deliver the response the Council desires; and finally, consultations where all responses are in the public domain and easily accessible by the public.
“We believe the only way to achieve this fairer system is to remove political meddling from the consultation process by appointing an independent outside agent to oversee, and report on all future consultations.
“This would be a justified use of public money for a tangible democratic gain.”
Cllr Flewitt is currently preparing a detailed response to these issues, due for release next week, but today he told Councilbust.com:
“I will be listening, and paying special attention to minority pressure groups.
“To consider appointing independent people on consultation costs money, and in the current climate I don’t see how I could justify that to the taxpayer of the town.
“SKIPP members are dedicated to a cause and I see that, but they are dedicated to something that has already been through the process, so I don’t see that I can deliver what they want, which is the museum in another place.”
On SKIPP’s comments on Cllr Waite, Cllr Flewitt said: “I don’t do personalities; I do the best for my town. I’m not going to comment on the personality of my predecessor.”
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Who are SKIPP to demand anything? Like SAEN they are not elected by us the residence, and I certainly don’t want more of ‘our’ money wasted on procrastination.
These groups are only interested in a ’cause’ and are made up of a handful of serial protestors (16-20 people turned up out of 5 protest groups at the last bank holiday). That ’cause’ will change to a new one once their original ’cause’ has failed.
SKIPP and their committee have already wasted enough tax payers money through their illegal camps.
Let the council elected by us get on with the job we voted for them to do.
Skipp want independent consultation this costs money, like James said they have never been elected so why should we change for them, if they stand for election and get in yes possibly listen to what thay have to say but until then… They are just a protest group who want things their own way.
Did people not moan and wine on about the council employing independent consultation as a waste of money.
Now we have Skipp demanding that the council go and employ more spending more money that could be far better spent on the Cliffs museum.
The current consultation process as employed by Southend Borough Council amounts to no more than box ticking in order to allow the Council to claim they have consulted with the public.
The whole process is loaded in such a way as to ensure the responses will inevitably favour the Councils preferred option. Where this loading does not work, such as in the case of the expansion of Southend Airport, the negative responses are simply buried in the bureaucratic system, and ignored.
The classic example of this flawed and bias system in action was the consultation for the Saxon King museum. This offered no alternative to the Councils pipe dream of a hugely expensive seafront museum and was therefore always going to deliver the positive response the council desired. If however, a real and credible alternative had been offered then the outcome may well have been in opposition to the Councils preferred option.
The appointment of an independent body to oversee, and report on public consultation is essential in order to ensure that in future ,public consultations are balanced and allow the public to truly express their opinions and shape the future development of our town. Rather than being a waste of money as suggested by some individuals, it would in actual fact save money in the long term by ensuring that the Council is not permitted to waste money on ill-conceived and unpopular schemes.
For example, if a fair and honest consultation has taken place, it is hard to believe that the seafront traders have agreed to the Seafront being dug up just prior to the tourist season? Additionally there’s the issue of the new cycle lane, where the lack of separation between the carriageway and cycle lane has lead to an extremely dangerous situation where motorists parking beside the lane are forced to open their doors into the path of cyclists.
The SKIPP Committee
Whos going to pay for this independent consultation group you want set up…
I will a council tax payer,
I do not want to see my council tax put up to fund another quango that will for a lot of the time be siting on its arse doing nothing.
You cant expect them to deliberate every planning aplication from the large “capital” projects to Joe Bloggs next door wanting to add a dormer window in his roof.
These capital projects are few and far between so there is no point having a special independent consultation group on the books drawing funds when there is no money in the kitty.
So what happend with the staff in the current planning department, sack em all, re-deploy them have them as the independent consultation group separate from the council.
Another question who pays them, if it the council then people will just say that they are not separate they are not independent from the council.
To be truley independent they would need to be funded by an outside body or central government.
“in the case of the expansion of Southend Airport, the negative responses are simply buried in the bureaucratic system, and ignored.”
Have you actually read the Section106 agreement?
“public consultations are balanced and allow the public to truly express their opinions and shape the future development of our town”
But your comment above suggests that you don’t believe public consultations work because the negative responses are simply buried? Which is it?
The airport consulation was fair and honest. You and your friends at SAEN just don’t want to accept its what people want.
“Additionally there’s the issue of the new cycle lane, where the lack of separation between the carriageway and cycle lane has lead to an extremely dangerous situation where motorists parking beside the lane are forced to open their doors into the path of cyclists.”
In your opinion. Alot of cycle lanes pass alongside parking areas or the edge of a busy road.. I have used the new cycle lanes on the seafront many times and think its great.
I know there are parked cars and ensure that I ride with the appropriate care. Its still safer than being on the road itself. The biggest problem at the moment is the missing cycle lane between the Kursal and Adventure island.
Your ‘Committee; shouted about knocking the Council out during the election and a big revolution. It’s become clear that in fact people are largely pleased with whats happening around Southend at the moment.
If you had nothing to protest about you would protest about that.
Well said James
Skipp think the majority of people back their views clearly the way the elections went they do not, the party that are actually bringing changes GOOD changes to Southend re-gained control with an INCREASED MAJORITY.
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