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Top story Cliffs Pavilion Revamp: Council Pays Builder £581,000 Late Southend council approved £581,041 owed to the Cliffs Pavilion builder after it took the late payment to adjudication. Certified work has reached £5.82m. · 5 min read

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Southend Council Southend Council Leader Faces No-Confidence Vote on 17 Nov Councillors will vote on removing leader Daniel Cowan at 6.30pm on Tuesday 17 November. Conservative and Reform UK councillors called the meeting over the Local Plan. · 4 min read SEND Southend SEND Strategy: Have Your Say by 30 November Parents of children with SEND can comment on Southend's new strategy until 30 November, online or at five drop-ins. A new three-year action plan sets no numerical targets. · 4 min read Leigh-on-Sea Southend's 'trendier sister' Leigh-on-Sea named among UK's best places to live Leigh-on-Sea has been named among the UK's best places to live for 2027, one of eight Essex places on the list. · 6 min read Business Southend Vape Shop Owner Challenges Rates Relief Cut Vape shops lose business rates relief from April 2027. Vapour Central, with shops in Westcliff, Leigh and Rayleigh, has asked the Treasury for its evidence. · 6 min read Health Southend Hospital Children's Ward First in Essex to Win Sophie's Legacy Award Neptune ward now offers meals for parents, play specialists seven days a week and a children's menu. It is the sixth hospital in the country with the charity's status. · 3 min read Transport Lamppost EV Chargers for 26 Leigh and Milton Streets: Say by 18 November Southend Council wants views on 26 lamppost chargers in Leigh and Milton wards, most with an EV-only bay beside them. The consultation closes on 18 November. · 3 min read News update Remembrance Ashingdon Scouts Build a WW1 Trench Memorial in Ravens Wood 1st Ashingdon Scouts have built a First World War trench memorial in Ravens Wood, inspired by a charity shop book. Families see it on 11 November 2026. · 2 min read Volunteering Kindness Kitchen and Shoebury Men's Shed Among Southend's Volunteer Award Winners Ten volunteers and teams won the Southend Volunteer Awards on 22 October, from the Kindness Kitchen Team to Shoebury Men's Shed. See every winner and finalist. · 5 min read Crime Southend Crime in September: Shoplifting Up by Half Police.uk logged 959 crimes within a mile of central Southend in September, up 10% on a year earlier. Shoplifting rose from 86 reports to 129. · 5 min read Council Greater Essex Growth Plan: Southend Asked to Start Work Cabinet is asked on 16 November to start a plan setting how many homes go where across Greater Essex. Southend may have to find up to £250,000 towards it. · 4 min read Elections Leigh Ward By-Election on 10 December: Key Dates to Vote Leigh ward votes for one city councillor on Thursday 10 December. Register by midnight on 24 November and apply for a postal vote by 5pm on 25 November. · 4 min read Seafront Three Shells Lagoon: Officers Recommend £800,000 Removal Officers want Three Shells Lagoon taken out and the beach restored, at about £800,000. Cabinet decides on 16 November, and work could start in spring 2027. · 5 min read Schools Leigh North Street School Pool: Council Cannot Step In Only the school's governors can reopen the pool, the council tells the 2,547-name petition, and it will not fund it. Cabinet notes the reply on 16 November. · 3 min read Council Southend Council Overspend Forecast Falls to £12m The council now expects to overspend by £11.96m this year, down from £13.29m in July. Children's and adult social care account for all of it. · 4 min read Council Southend Council Hits 19 of 31 Targets as Anti-Social Behaviour Complaints Jump Southend Council met 19 of its 31 performance targets from July to September and missed seven. Anti-social behaviour complaints rose to 252, from 174. · 6 min read Planning Rochford Local Plan Consultation Could Run Over Christmas Rochford's Local Plan has been frozen by ministers since October. The leader says its final consultation may now run over Christmas unless the deadline moves. · 5 min read Remembrance Southend Veteran Andrew Bracey to March at the Cenotaph Andrew Bracey, a former Royal Artillery reservist paralysed in 2005, joins Blesma at the Cenotaph on Sunday 8 November. He won eight Invictus Games medals. · 2 min read Community Southend Reform Synagogue Marks 80 Years With Both MPs Southend and District Reform Synagogue marked 80 years with a Shabbat service attended by both Southend MPs and the council leader. It was founded in 1946. · 1 min read Better Queensway Better Queensway: Quantock Tower Kept, 934 Homes, £330m Quantock Tower would be refitted, not demolished, in new Better Queensway plans: 934 homes for about £330m. The Range's lease ends in 2028. Cabinet: 16 Nov. · 6 min read Shoeburyness Shoeburyness Bellway Homes: Affordable Cut From 65 to 21 Officers back cutting affordable homes at Bellway's Shoeburyness site from 65 to 21. Councillors refused cuts twice, but Bellway can now appeal. Vote: 11 Nov. · 4 min read Southend Hospital Southend Hospital Waiting List: When Patients Are Removed The trust running Southend Hospital is asking patients if they still need treatment. Here is what can get you removed, and the two-week letter to watch for. · 3 min read NHS Essex NHS Winter Plan Rated Moderate: 8,000 More GP Slots NHS Essex gives its winter plan moderate delivery confidence. It adds 8,000 GP appointments a month to February, and names hospital occupancy as a risk. · 3 min read Health Essex Powerlifter Wins Commonwealth Gold With New Pacemaker Nicky Solis, 64, from Bicknacre won gold in Canada months after getting a leadless pacemaker. The trust behind Southend Hospital chose it so she could lift. · 3 min read Rayleigh Rochford Sports Awards 2026: All the Winners Heidi Nevin was named Sports Personality of the Year at The Mill in Rayleigh, and Graham Gooch helped present the 2026 awards. Updated November 2026. · 2 min read Southend Hospital £25,000 Dandelion Gift Transforms Five Broomfield Rooms Friends at Broomfield Hospital and Chelmsford Round Table gave £25,000 to the Dandelion Appeal, the fund also paying for end-of-life rooms at Southend Hospital. · 2 min read Local Plan Southend Local Plan: Comments Open to 21 December Cabinet agreed the draft plan unanimously, and comments are open until 5pm on 21 December. It allocates 14,700 homes to 2045, 4,900 of them at Bournes Green. · 5 min read Airport Southend to Belfast Flights Start: Mon, Fri and Sun easyJet's first London Southend to Belfast City flight left on Monday 2 November. It flies Mondays, Fridays and Sundays, one of 26 easyJet routes from Southend. · 3 min read Council Southend Council Reorganisation: No Change Before April 2029 Southend council cannot now be replaced before 1 April 2029, ministers say, with a decision on Greater Essex by early 2027. What the 29 October letter means. · 4 min read Heritage Southchurch Hall Closes 1 November for £423,105 Repairs Southchurch Hall shuts to visitors from 1 November until mid-2027 while a £423,105 Arts Council grant pays for roof, window and masonry repairs to the medieval manor. · 2 min read Rayleigh Equal People Ball: Rayleigh MP Backs Inclusive Arts Charity Mark Francois MP joined the Equal People Performing Arts annual ball at Saxon Hall, Rochford, backing the charity behind Rayleigh's Mushroom Theatre Company. · 1 min read Rayleigh Rawreth Pavilion, Rayleigh: Clubs Can Bid to Run It by 14 Nov Clubs and charities have until 14 November to register interest in running Rawreth Lane's pavilion and 15-acre ground on a lease of up to 25 years. · 3 min read Planning Rochford Planning Call-Ins End: 21-Day Gateway Instead From 31 October Rochford councillors cannot call in planning applications. Instead they, or a parish council, get 21 days to ask for a gateway assessment. · 3 min read Trains c2c Barking Derailment Disruption Cleared on 11 November National Rail cleared the Barking derailment disruption at 12.12pm on 11 November, after 19 days. How Southend c2c passengers can still claim for delays. · 3 min read Police Westcliff Cyclist Steve Ames, 72, Dies: Family Tribute Cyclist Steve Ames, 72, died on 22 October, two weeks after a collision with a pedestrian in West Road, Westcliff. His family remember a man who loved boats. · 2 min read Trains Woodgrange Close Level Crossing Gets Red and Green Lights The Woodgrange Close footpath crossing between Southend East and Thorpe Bay now has red and green lights and an alarm. Until now, users had no warning at all. · 2 min read Christmas Southend Toy Drive 2026: Where to Drop Gifts by 15 December Southend's Toy Drive runs until Tuesday 15 December. Drop new, unwrapped gifts at the Civic Centre, the Forum or the Leisure and Tennis Centre; teens need most. · 2 min read Southend Hospital Nigel Folkard Raises £30,181 for Southend End-of-Life Care Former Mayor Nigel Folkard gave £30,181.49 to the Dandelion Appeal for end-of-life care at Southend Hospital, raised by a tap dance, a triathlon and more. · 2 min read Southend Hospital Southend Concert Raises Nearly £12,000 for Prostate Cancer The Music of the World Concert at the Palace Theatre raised almost £12,000 for prostate cancer research at Southend Hospital, run by an oncologist who sang. · 2 min read Schools Southend Early Years Results: 74.8%, Best in the East Official figures put Southend at 74.8% of Reception children reaching a good level of development, top of 11 East of England councils and above England's 72.3%. · 4 min read Better Queensway Better Queensway Planting: Beth Chatto Scheme From November Beth Chatto Gardens has designed 5,500 sq m of planting for Better Queensway. First beds: Southchurch Road, Sutton Road and Lancaster Gardens, by mid-November. · 2 min read Local Plan Southend Local Plan: Minister Orders Consultation by 6 Nov The housing minister has ordered Southend to publish its draft Local Plan, site BG1 included, by 6 November and submit it by March 2027. The council is taking legal advice. · 5 min read Housing Southend Landlord Licensing Ends 30 Nov: New Scheme Plan Southend's landlord licensing scheme ends on 30 November. A replacement covering 5,685 rented homes could start in April 2027; consultation closes 31 December. · 3 min read Planning KFC Greyhound Way Gets 3am Drive-Thru, for 9 Months Only Councillors approved KFC's 3am drive-thru on Greyhound Way as a nine-month trial. A licence bid for the same hours is open to objections until 18 November. · 3 min read Canvey Island Canvey Island Pink Night Raises £568 for Breast Cancer A Pink Night at Essence Aesthetics on Furtherwick Road raised £568 with a raffle, cake sale and prizes from local firms, organised by two Canvey practitioners. · 3 min read Southend Council Greater Essex Mayor: Southend Devolution Meeting 18 Nov An extraordinary Southend Council meeting on devolution is listed for 18 November, after the 21 October consent vote was called off. No agenda yet. · 6 min read Thames Estuary Richard Montgomery Masts Removed: All Three Now at Chatham All three masts are off the SS Richard Montgomery and at Chatham, the government told MPs on 19 October. The job beat its schedule; the exclusion zone stays. · 3 min read Halloween Shoeburyness Halloween House Packed From Lounge to Kitchen Anita's Shoeburyness home is packed with Halloween decorations, lounge to kitchen, and her niece says hundreds of children have come in for spooky stories. · 4 min read Housing Southend Tower Blocks: Regulator Refuses 7 Safety Cases The Building Safety Regulator refused safety cases for seven council tower blocks. Deadlines for the fire and structural work fall this month and next. · 5 min read Parks East Beach Playground Opens: £671,000 Inclusive Play Park Shoeburyness's new inclusive playground at East Beach is open in time for half-term, with wheelchair-accessible equipment and a submarine to climb. · 2 min read Heritage Southend Kursaal Wins £540,000 to Restore Dome Entrance Historic England is putting £540,000 into the Kursaal to make it weather-tight and restore the dome entrance and ticket hall. There is still no reopening date. · 3 min read Schools Southend Grammar Places: Six Offers Withdrawn Over Address Six grammar school offers for this September were withdrawn after the council found the families did not live locally. Most were at WHSB and SHSB. · 5 min read Health Prittlewell Chase Crash: Two Ambulances, Three Crew Hurt Two ambulances collided on Prittlewell Chase by Southend Hospital on Thursday. Three crew went to hospital; the patient on board was unhurt, the trust said. · 2 min read RNLI Southend RNLI Hovercraft Frees Three From Mud at Two Tree Island Three people stuck in the mud off Two Tree Island on Saturday night lit up their phone torches so the Southend RNLI hovercraft could find them in the dark. · 3 min read Trading Standards Southend Illegal Vapes: Report Online, All Vapes Now 18+ Since 29 October it is illegal to sell any vape or nicotine pouch to under-18s. Southend residents can report underage or illegal sales anonymously online. · 4 min read Health Baby Loss Counselling in Essex: Free via Havens and Vilomah Bereaved Essex parents can get free baby loss counselling through Havens Hospices and Vilomah. A Havens counsellor explains what to say, and what not to. · 6 min read Police Southend Police Drop-Ins: 19 Let's Talk Dates to December Meet Southend's neighbourhood police at Tesco Westcliff on 13 October, the Odeon or Asda Shoebury on the 14th, and 16 more drop-ins to 7 December. Full list. · 4 min read Libraries Southend Reading Challenge: 1,847 Children, Down From 2,276 1,847 Southend children did the library reading challenge this summer, down from 2,276 in 2025. Borrowing passed 28,000 against almost 43,000 a year earlier. · 2 min read Community Southend Vulcan XL426: £20,000 Appeal for 64 Fuel Hoses The Vulcan Restoration Trust needs £20,000 to replace 64 fuel hoses on XL426's four Olympus engines. Fuel the Howl opens today: what it buys and how to help. · 5 min read Council Southend Public Toilets: New Marine Parade Block Proposed A new large toilet block on Marine Parade and a smaller one near Thorpe Bay Corner are proposed, with seasonal hours. Cabinet decides on 16 November. · 5 min read Flooding Thorpe Hall Avenue Flood Tank Due by End of October The tank meant to stop sewage surging up through manholes on Thorpe Hall Avenue should arrive by the end of October. Digging up to 4m deep now runs into winter. · 4 min read Police Warrior Square Southend: Man Held Over Imitation Handgun Essex Police reached Warrior Square two minutes after a 12.55pm 999 call on Friday 9 October. A man in his 40s was detained and an imitation handgun recovered. · 2 min read Council Southend council this week: toilets, KFC, a £500k CCTV deal Cabinet approved a £500,000-plus CCTV deal with Castle Point, KFC won a nine-month 3am trial and the £805,608 minibus call-in failed. What each meeting decided. · 7 min read Planning Southend Planning: 7-Bed HMO Above London Road Offices All eight applications validated in Southend in the week of 5 October: a seven-bed HMO over offices on London Road and a bungalow replaced on Tankerville Drive. · 3 min read Crime Southend Crime August: ASB Doubles, Shoplifting Halves Police.uk logged 1,173 crimes within a mile of central Southend in August, up 5% on a year earlier. Anti-social behaviour 112 to 217; shoplifting 188 to 100. · 5 min read Planning Woodgrange Drive HMO Wins Appeal After Councillors Say No Councillors have reversed their stance on the 8-bed HMO at 43 Woodgrange Drive after an inspector allowed it on appeal: on 14 October they said they would have granted it. · 6 min read Food Hygiene Southend Food Inspectors 1.73 Posts Short as Complaints Rise Southend's food team has 4.75 officers for work needing 6.48, and complaints rose to 276 last year. Cabinet backed the plan on 12 October; full council adopts it. · 5 min read Council Southend Vape and Barber Shop Curbs Go to Cabinet, No Vote A motion to limit new vape shops, barbers and phone repair shops, and bar them from council-owned units, goes to Cabinet on Wednesday without a council vote. · 6 min read Council Southend Council Reorganisation Cost: £239,346 Before Pause Southend council's net bill for the abandoned council merger reached £239,346 by 31 August, a new report shows. Consultants took £254,126 of the gross cost. · 4 min read Food & Drink Southend Food Hygiene: All 33 September Ratings Were a 5 All 33 Southend food businesses rated in September scored 5, including a Leigh cafe that was on 1 in February. The city's only zero has gone from the register. · 5 min read Local Plan Southend Local Plan: Minister Orders Draft Handed Over The housing minister has used legal powers to make Southend hand over the Local Plan it paused, citing a 2007 plan and a 20% housing delivery score. · 5 min read Southend Pier Southend Pier Trains: Still No Return Date, Two Years On Southend Pier's electric trains will not run until an investigation into the October 2024 buffer stop crash is complete. The council has given no return date. · 3 min read Seafront Three Shells Lagoon Could Be Removed and the Beach Restored Removing Three Shells Lagoon and putting the beach back is one option, the council says. Cabinet is due to decide on 16 November; the lagoon stays shut. · 3 min read Policing Southend Driver Reversed From Police Check, Held Over Drugs A driver who reversed away from a police check on London Road was found with 50+ deal bags of suspected drugs. Officers dealt with 95 offences that day. · 3 min read Chalkwell Chalkwell Beach Shellfish: 22kg Seized, Clams Undersized Council officers seized 22kg of mussels, clams and winkles from four gatherers on Chalkwell beach; more than half the clams were under the legal minimum size. · 4 min read Roadworks Southend Roadworks: North Road and Bournes Green Chase North Road, Westcliff, is shut for about two weeks of power repairs. Bournes Green Chase closes one way on weekday daytimes from 16 November to 18 December. · 17 min read Southend Pier Waverley at Southend Pier 2026: Season Ended 11 October Waverley's last 2026 call at Southend Pier was on 11 October. Every sailing this season, with departure times, return times and the pier train fare. · 4 min read Health Southend Hospital Keeps UNICEF Baby Friendly Gold Award Southend Hospital's maternity service has again been awarded UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Gold, the top level, after independent assessors spoke to parents and staff. · 3 min read News update Charity Gold Geese c2c Train Relaunched at Southend Central c2c has relaunched its Gold Geese train at Southend Central for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Look for unit 357010 in the charity's new design. · 2 min read Transport Southend 62A and 62B Airport Buses: Every 30 Min From 5.45am Weekdays, the first 62A/62B leaves Southend Travel Centre at 5.45am and the last at 7.45pm, every 30 minutes to the airport. Free week over, fares unpublished. · 5 min read Airport Southend Airport: easyJet Adds 4th Jet, Rhodes from 27 Apr easyJet will base a fourth A320neo at Southend from summer 2027 and fly to Rhodes twice a week from 27 April. The airport expects to pass a million passengers next year and employ more than 400 people. · 3 min read Schools Southend Early Years: Record 74.9% Reach a Good Level 74.9% of Southend's Reception children reached a good level of development in 2025/26, up from 68.4% a year earlier and 65.5% the year before. That is 0.2 points short of the council's 2028 target. · 3 min read What's On What's on in Southend this weekend, 25 to 27 September The seafront fireworks return on Saturday at 7.30pm, the Vulcan opens for its last visit day of 2026 on Sunday, Southend United host Barrow, and Sunday's c2c trains divert to Liverpool Street. · 4 min read Planning Southend Planning: 1,422 Solar Panels on the Short Street Depot All 19 applications registered in Southend in the fortnight to 25 September: 1,422 solar panels on the Short Street Post Office roof, fire-safety recladding at Hamlet Court Mews, a roof terrace on Eastern Esplanade. · 4 min read Community Princess of Wales at Garon Park: Southend's Recovery Garden The garden the Princess of Wales visited on Thursday is run from Garon Park for Southend's STARS drug and alcohol service. What it is, and how to use it. · 5 min read Southend Airport Southend Airport: Belfast, Budapest, Edinburgh Now Flying Edinburgh started on 25 October, Budapest on 26 October and Belfast City on 2 November. Rovaniemi, Lyon and Sharm El Sheikh follow; Lanzarote still has no published date. · 7 min read Licensing Southend Licensing: KFC Eastwood Bids to Serve Until 5am KFC on Stephenson Road wants to serve until 5am and objections close on 29 September. Five licence bids are open in Southend, with deadlines to 15 October. · 5 min read Sport Southend Runner Finishes Dragon's Back in 52hrs 13min Daniel Dublin covered 112.22 miles and 27,921ft across Wales in six days, eighth in the Hatchling, after an Achilles problem forced him to change the plan. · 14 min read Southend Airport Southend Airport Is the UK's Most Punctual, at 83.9% Southend ran 83.9% of flights on time from April to June, first of 25 UK airports. In June it beat Stansted by 20 points. We read the CAA's own tables. · 7 min read Heritage Southend Kursaal: Dome Repairs Start, No Reopening Date Scaffolding is up and specialist repairs to the Kursaal's dome have begun, 32 years after the listing inspector found most of the building derelict. · 4 min read Leigh-on-Sea Leigh Port Rebuild: £21.8m Contract Goes Without a Tender Cabinet approved the £21.8m Leigh Port contract as a direct award, not a competition, and the Levelling Up grant runs out in March 2028, before the work ends. · 7 min read House prices Southend House Prices Up £5,221 While Essex Falls Southend's average hit £328,383 in July, up £5,221 in a year, while Essex overall fell 0.3%. Flats were the only type to lose value. Every district ranked. · 6 min read Housing Southend Council Housing: £100m Plan, 7% Spent So Far The council will spend £100m on housing over five years. Its own July figures show £549,000 of an £8.4m new build budget spent, and four schemes delayed. · 7 min read Planning Bournes Green Chase: Refusal Reworded on Legal Advice Councillors refused 2,000 Green Belt homes on 27 August. Officers want the reason reworded on Counsel's advice, warning extra reasons risk a costs award. · 6 min read Council Southend Taxi Licensing Policy: Points In, Uber Not Banned Southend's first taxi policy brings a points system that can cost a driver their licence, and the council says it never banned Uber. Start date still blank. · 6 min read Council Southend City Status: Cannot Be Regained If It Lapses The council's report says city status would fall away and could never be won back. The fix is Charter Trustees, paid for through council tax bills. · 5 min read Roadworks Gallows Corner Shut in All Directions 18 to 21 September TfL shuts the whole Romford junction from 10pm on Friday 18 September to 5am on Monday, then plans to reopen the A127 pinch point fully by the end of the month. · 5 min read Thames Estuary SS Richard Montgomery Masts: All Three Now Removed All three Richard Montgomery masts are off the wreck and at Chatham, ministers said on 19 October. How the work ran, and why the exclusion zone stays. · 8 min read Southend seafront Southend Beach Rescue: PC's CPR Revived Drowning Man PC Tom Windeatt was dealing with an arrest when a teenager ran in shouting for help. Two minutes of CPR on Jubilee Beach, and the man started breathing again. · 8 min read Planning Southend Planning: Councillor Call-Ins End 31 October From 31 October no Southend councillor can force a planning application to a public committee. Two people will decide what gets heard. Council votes on Monday. · 4 min read Transport Southend Bus: New 62A and 62B Airport Routes Planned A new bus service will link Southend Travel Centre to the airport through the east of the city, paid for from a £10.4m grant. No start date has been published. · 5 min read Roads Southend Roads: 121 Named for Resurfacing by 2029 Nearly a quarter of Southend's residential roads are rated red in the council's own survey. Councillors debate a pothole emergency on Monday. Here is the list. · 6 min read Coastguard Ex-Lifeboat Aground Off Southend: Two Safe as Tide Fell 5.3m Six coastguards walked out across the mud to a former RNLI Tyne class lifeboat stuck 1km west of Southend Pier. The two aboard sat out a 5.30m ebb. · 6 min read Council Southend Council Merger Withdrawn: 2028 Abolition Is Off The government has withdrawn the decision to abolish Southend-on-Sea City Council in 2028 and merge it with Castle Point and Rochford. What happens now. · 7 min read Business Three Southend Firms Named Over £14,108 in Unpaid Wages Three employers with Southend addresses underpaid 100 workers by £14,108 between them, the government's naming list shows. One is now in liquidation. · 6 min read Food & Drink Southend Food Hygiene: All 22 New Ratings Scored a 5 Every one of the 22 Southend venues rated since 1 August scored 5 out of 5. Across the full register, 976 of 1,383 rated businesses hold top marks. · 5 min read Housing Fossetts Way: £53m Deal to Finish 221 Stalled Homes Guinness has awarded Lovell a £53.3m contract to build 221 affordable homes at Fossetts Way, three years after Ilke Homes collapsed. It runs to November 2028. · 5 min read Education Southend SEND Inspection: Same Verdict as Three Years Ago Ofsted and the CQC gave Southend's SEND partnership the same verdict as 2023: inconsistent outcomes. Children still wait too long for assessments. · 8 min read Community Six Southend Groups Share £12,000 From SUEZ Fund Grants of £1,000 to £3,000 have gone to a composting hub at Garon Park, a repair cafe, a bike refurbisher, a homelessness charity, Frostbite and a uniform swap. · 3 min read Shoeburyness Lost boxing plaque back at Shoeburyness Hotel after skip rumour A plaque to Bombardier Billy Wells and Georges Carpentier, who trained at the Shoeburyness Hotel, was recreated from one photograph and hung in the snug on 3 September. · 5 min read Libraries Southchurch Library Move: Survey Closed, No Decision Yet The survey on moving Southchurch Library closed on 8 October after an extension. No decision has been made, and campaigners dispute the £250,000 repair bill. · 7 min read Shoeburyness Shoeburyness £20m Board Named, Plan Due 30 November Eleven people will decide how up to £20m is spent in Shoeburyness. The council's own funding profile totals about £17.5m. The plan is due at MHCLG by 30 November. · 7 min read Community Southend RNLI Award After 22 Years and Two Boathouses Richard Offord received his 20-Year Long Service Award in August. He chaired the fundraising behind the new inshore boathouse and the Atlantic 85 refit. · 5 min read Environment Progress Road Waste Site Cleared, Court Case Set for December The council and Environment Agency spent nine months clearing an alleged illegal waste site on Progress Road, Eastwood. A prosecution reaches Southend Magistrates' Court on 17 December. · 6 min read Licensing Southend Pub Bids for 6am Alcohol Delivery: Object by 1 Sep The Blue Boar on Victoria Avenue wants to sell alcohol for delivery until 6am, and a Rayleigh Road petrol station has applied for 24-hour off-sales. Five applications are open, with deadlines from 1 to 24 September. · 7 min read Council Southend Council Faces £13.3m Overspend, 97% Social Care Southend Council now forecasts a £13.291m overspend for 2026/27, and 97% of it is children's and adult social care. Grants are paused and vacancies held. · 7 min read Council Southend Council Complaints Nearly Triple in Two Years Southend Council took 411 complaints between April and June, against 292 a year earlier and 148 in 2024. 85% were about environment and place services. · 5 min read Local Plan Southend Local Plan Paused Days Before Green Belt Vote Southend has paused its Local Plan and will ask government for more time past 31 December. It does not change Wednesday's decision on 2,000 Green Belt homes. · 8 min read House Prices Southend House Prices Slip £4,996 From February Peak The average Southend home was £325,586 in June, down £4,996 since February but still £11,568 up on the year. How that compares with Rochford and Castle Point. · 7 min read Planning Bournes Green Chase: Officers Back 2,000 Green Belt Homes Officers recommend granting 2,000 Green Belt homes at Bournes Green Chase on 26 August, two days after full council is asked to reaffirm the Green Belt. · 10 min read Jobs Southend Claimant Count: Kursaal 8.3%, West Leigh 1.3% Southend's July claimant count is 4,775, 4.2% of working-age residents. Kursaal is at 8.3% and West Leigh at 1.3%, a six-fold gap inside one city. · 7 min read Education Southend GCSE Results 2026: SHSG 72% at Grades 9 to 7 Southend High School for Girls published 72% of grades at 9 to 7 and 20% at grade 9, while the East of England slipped on both headline measures. · 6 min read Education Southend GCSE Results Day: 20 August, Times by School GCSE results land on Thursday 20 August. Westcliff Boys opens at 8am, Southend Boys 8.30am, Southend Girls 9am, and the sixth form entry bars are published. · 6 min read Education Southend High School for Girls A Levels: Half A* or A Southend High School for Girls says half its A level grades were A* or A this year, its best ever. The national figure was 28.3%, and 43.4% at grammar schools. · 4 min read Planning Southend Green Belt: Extraordinary Council Meets 24 August All 51 councillors sit at 6.30pm on Monday 24 August, two days before the planning committee and a week before the 2,000-home Bournes Green Chase outline is due a decision. What is on the table, and what is not. · 9 min read Community Music Man Project Hits £150,000: Broadway Date 7 October The Leigh-on-Sea charity's GoFundMe stands at £150,109 from 171 donations, enough to take 30 musicians with learning disabilities to The Town Hall, New York, on 7 October, in memory of Sir David Amess. · 5 min read Roadworks Southchurch Road and Sutton Road Reopen: What's Still Shut Sutton Road and Southchurch Road reopened on 13 August, the first stretch of Better Queensway handed back. The slip-road closures run on to late 2027. · 5 min read Bins & Recycling Southend Garden Waste: Check Your Direct Debit or Bins Stop Paid Veolia for Southend garden waste? That no longer counts. Check 12 months of statements for a council payment or SUEZ tags your bin. Cost and how to pay. · 6 min read Bins Southend Bins Out by 6am on Thursday and Friday This Week Put bins out by 6am on Thursday 13 and Friday 14 August: SUEZ crews start early in the amber heat alert. The normal 7am deadline returns Monday 17 August. · 3 min read Parking Southend EV Charging: Zest Chargers Live at Alexandra Street Zest EV chargers are now live at Alexandra Street Car Park, replacing the old Blink units, part of a 3,000-space Southend rollout backed by £1.4m of LEVI funding. · 3 min read Recycling Southend Fridge Disposal: Only Stock Road Tip Takes Them Leigh Marshes tip has stopped taking fridges and freezers and bulky bookings are suspended. Stock Road still takes them, and retailers must take yours back. · 5 min read Transport Southend Buses: 17 and 17A Funded for Another 12 Months The 17 and 17A are funded to July 2027, but still run weekdays only, 09:36 to 17:42. The 24 gains six months of evening buses, and kids ride free all August. · 4 min read Planning Southend Planning News: 14,700-Home Local Plan Due in Sept Southend's draft Local Plan proposes 14,700 homes to 2045, with public comments from September 2026. Plus Fossetts Farm's 805 homes and Queensway's latest. · 6 min read