What's Your Say Southend About

Please see the email below which has been sent to residents in Bristol.
Will Southend Council give Council Tax Payers the opportunity to comment on the way our money is spent? I have in mind weird minority themed events, free Firework shows, a month for this and a day for that or all year for some minorities; all organised at public expense.

From: Bristol City Council
Sent: 13 November 2024 18:20

Subject: Have your say on Council Tax bills next year


We want your views on the level of Council Tax and Social Care Precept for next year (2025/26).

Your views are important to help the council set a balanced and legal budget. This will set out how much we intend to spend in the coming year and how we propose to raise the income needed to meet these spending plans.

Please share your views in the Budget 2025-26 consultation by midnight on Thursday 19 December: www.ask.bristol.gov.uk/budget-2025-26

Best wishes,

Consultation and Engagement Team

Bristol City Council

The High Street is absolutely appalling. Southend Council should be ashamed of the rapid deterioration of this area. Tatty shops, grubby fast food restaurants, and plenty of places to get stolen phones unlocked! A total embarrassment.

One of the biggest failures of Southend Council has been to deal with street rubbish effectively for as long as I can remember. Why the council won't rummage through sacks to find who the culprits are then warn them, followed by fining them I don't know. There are also often obvious piles of smelly food-related rubbish outside some restaurants, takeaways and shops and it is surely not that difficult to identify who is responsible. Surely this should be classed as the anti-social behaviour which it is. Let's see how it all goes with the introduction of wheeled bins in our City full of flats and HMOs. in the meantime can the Council please do whatever they can to minimise the disgusting rubbish spoiling the street scene for all residents, not to mention the health and safety issues as rats scurry around getting fatter by the minute and foxes rip up rubbish sacks left out at incorrect times.

One of the biggest failures of Southend Council has been to deal with street rubbish effectively for as long as I can remember. Why the council won't rummage through sacks to find who the culprits are then warn them, followed by fining them I don't know. There are also often obvious piles of smelly food-related rubbish outside some restaurants, takeaways and shops and it is surely not that difficult to identify who is responsible. Surely this should be classed as the anti-social behaviour which it is. Let's see how it all goes with the introduction of wheeled bins in our City full of flats and HMOs. in the meantime can the Council please do whatever they can to minimise the disgusting rubbish spoiling the street scene for all residents, not to mention the health and safety issues as rats scurry around getting fatter by the minute and foxes rip up rubbish sacks left out at incorrect times.

On Friday 20 September 2024 in the afternoon I visited Southend with my dog and started walking from Prittlewell Gardens along the top of the cliffs towards Royal Terrace and the Pier. I stopped to take in the various views and took some photographs.
One photograph by the Cliff Lift (which again was out of order) features a notice requesting that animals in the area should not be fed as it is affecting the balance of wildlife in the gardens. I carried on walking, wondering what animals the Council would be referring to. When approaching Royal Terrace I moved down onto the walkway where there are benches that overlook what was once "Never, Never Land". Whilst observing the very overgrown and untidy cliffs two rats ran along the footpath in front of me. I was horrified and can only assume that the "animals" referred to in the Public Notice are Rats. I would add that I only stood there for a couple of minutes.
This area is obviously overrun with them and the Council should be doing something positive to erradicate them. For a Council that does not allow dogs on any of the beaches from May to September because of Health, Safety, Children etc., it is clearly OK for familes to sit on benches, admiring the view surrounded by vermin!
SPL

Driving around this town, I am seeing piles of black sacks, overflowing with rubbish and food, verges and hedges overgrown and causing obstructions. I’m embarrassed to invite friends to the area. We look like a third world town. Who ever runs highways needs to be fired.