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.

A call to limit new vape shops, barbers and mobile phone repair shops in Southend goes before the full council on Wednesday 7 October. Councillors will not debate it or vote on it. Under the council’s rules it is passed straight to the Cabinet.

The motion also asks the Cabinet to consider refusing leases to all three kinds of business in property the council owns. It was proposed by Cllr John Corrigan and seconded by Cllr James O’Rourke (notice of motion).

A second motion on the same agenda asks the Cabinet to consider an order that would ban overnight camping on public open spaces without the council’s written permission. It follows the occupation of Seaway car park by travellers.

What the high street motion asks for

The motion says residents have “increasingly raised concerns” about the number of vape retailers, phone repair shops and barbershops in “some of our cities High Streets and local shopping areas”. It accepts that the businesses “have a legitimate place on our high streets”. Its case is that some areas are “becoming oversaturated, reducing choice, variety and the character of our town centres”.

It makes a point about the council’s own role. The council owns commercial premises in parts of the city, and the motion says those “are public assets and should reflect the wishes and priorities of local residents”.

It asks the Cabinet to consider two things:

  • how premises whose main use would be a vape shop, barbershop or phone repair shop “can be managed/minimised” within an area
  • restrictions on issuing leases to vape shops, barbershops or phone repair shops “on all council owned commercial property”

The motion does not name a street, give a count of shops, or say how many council-owned units are let to these trades. It asks the Cabinet to consider the options, not to adopt a policy.

Why there will be no vote on Wednesday

The council’s constitution sends any motion about an executive function straight to the Cabinet, without debate. The agenda for Wednesday’s meeting says so against this motion and four others (agenda).

That rule is itself on the agenda. A separate motion from Cllr O’Rourke, seconded by Cllr Alex Moyies, says it “seems to be out of step with many Councils, and restricts democracy in Southend”. It asks for the Standards Committee to draw up a change, so that the full council could debate executive motions and vote on whether to recommend them to the Cabinet (notice of motion). Because it concerns the council’s own procedures, that motion can be debated and decided on Wednesday.

The encampments motion

Cllr Oscar Wood’s motion, seconded by Cllr Craig Watt, refers to “the illegal occupation of Seaway Car Park” and to unauthorised encampments on “public open spaces, parks and other areas within the city” (notice of motion).

It accepts that the open nature of these spaces makes it hard to keep encampments out “without also restricting legitimate access for residents”. It asks the Cabinet to consider whether a Public Spaces Protection Order would be appropriate. As worded, the order would prohibit “any person from camping or sleeping overnight, with or without a tent, or using a motor vehicle, caravan or any other mobile or static structure, without the express prior written consent of the Council”.

That wording is not limited to traveller groups. The motion does not list which places the order would cover. It asks the Cabinet to report progress back to the full council.

What happens to everything else on Wednesday’s agenda

Wednesday’s meeting is the second half of the council meeting adjourned on 14 September. It has 3 hours and 37 minutes left to finish its business, the agenda says. Several items have changed since September:

Item What happens on Wednesday
Vape shops, barbers and phone repair shops (Cllr Corrigan) Referred to Cabinet, no debate
Encampments on public open spaces (Cllr Wood) Referred to Cabinet, no debate
Council tax exemption for terminally ill residents (Cllr Poulton) Referred to Cabinet, no debate
Water quality and sewage capacity (Cllr Mitchell) Referred to Cabinet, no debate
A care system that works (Cllr Richardson) Referred to Cabinet, no debate
Allow debate on executive motions (Cllr O’Rourke) Can be debated and decided
Scrutiny and committee meeting times (Cllr Darryl Jones) Can be debated and decided
Declaring a pothole emergency (Cllr Moyies) Not considered: the wrong version was published
Charter Trustees to keep city status Withdrawn by the Cabinet Member
South Essex Councils Joint Committee Withdrawn by the Cabinet Member
Local government reorganisation Added as an urgent item

The pothole motion is off because “due to an administrative oversight, an incorrect version of this motion was published in the agenda”, the council says. We set out what it asked for, and the state of the city’s roads, in a quarter of Southend’s residential roads rated red.

The withdrawal of the city status item matters. That was the plan to set up Charter Trustees so Southend keeps its mayor and its city status if the council is abolished. Cabinet recommended it in July, as we reported in Southend city status: cannot be regained if it lapses. The agenda gives no reason for withdrawing it. The government withdrew the decision to merge Southend with Castle Point and Rochford on 7 September (our report), which removes the 2028 deadline the plan was built around.

Cllr Poulton’s council tax motion asks the Cabinet to look at exempting terminally ill residents through the council’s discretionary relief policy. It cites Manchester City Council, which changed its policy in June 2025 with the support of Marie Curie (notice of motion). Our council tax bands page has this year’s charges.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes for shops yet. The high street motion asks the Cabinet to look at options. No lease is being refused and no planning rule is changing on Wednesday.
  • If you have a view, write to your councillor or the Cabinet Member before the Cabinet takes the motion up. No date has been set for that.
  • You can watch the meeting. It starts at 6.30pm on Wednesday 7 October in the Council Chamber at the Civic Centre on Victoria Avenue.
  • Businesses in council-owned units whose lease is coming up should watch for the Cabinet’s response, because the lease restriction is the part with the most direct effect.

Sources