Southend residents are being urged to flock to their independent shops, restaurants and other local operators as part of a national initiative to boost small businesses.

Small Business Saturday, which will be held on December 5th, is an annual event that promotes small businesses by encouraging people to shop locally.

As part of the campaign, Southend Council is teaming up with the Genting Club in Westcliff to host a Best Festive Business competition, where prizes will be given to those businesses who have made a special effort to decorate their businesses and offer an incentive to their customers on the day.

A prize will be available for each of the following areas:
·         Eastwood
·         Leigh-on-Sea
·         Southchurch
·         Southend-on-Sea
·         Thorpe Bay/Shoeburyness
·         Westcliff-on-Sea
 
Also, as part of Small Business Saturday, there will be free all-day parking on offer at the following Council car parks:
 
·         Ilfracombe Avenue
·         North Road
·         Hamlet Court Road
·         Elm Road, Leigh
·         North Street
·         Ceylon Road
·         Thorpe Bay Broadway
 
Councillor Ian Gilbert, Deputy Leader of the Council, said: “We are very proud to be supporting Small Business Saturday UK for third year running. I urge as many residents and visitors to take up the offer of free parking to shop locally.
 
“This annual event is now gaining real momentum and I look forward to seeing as many local business as possible taking part in the Best Festive Business competition.”
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To enter into the competition, businesses should email  economicd@southend.gov.uk to register and then either send their photos to the same address or post their festive photo via @businessonsea on twitter using #XmasBizonSea.
 
Further information can be found at the Small Business Saturday official website at www.smallbusinessaturdayuk.com to sign up for a free pack of promotional material and get your day kick-started.

Hopes for a regular passenger service between Southend Airport and Carlisle have been given a ,major boost by the Government.

The Treasury has confirmed that proposed routes from Carlisle to Southend, Belfast and Dublin are among five to share a £7m subsidy for new services from regional airports.

Stobart Group, which owns Southend and Carlisle airports, applied to the Government’s Regional Air Connectivity Fund and had been waiting to hear if its bid had been successful.

Chief executive Andrew Tinkler said: “[The subsidy] is good news and a step towards getting fights. We’re certainly a lot closer now than we were this time yesterday. Summer 2016 isn’t out of the question for starting flights.”

He revealed that Stobart is in discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority about works to upgrade the runway and the installation of an instrument landing system at Carlisle. The company expects to spend between £3m and £4m on the project and the plan is then for Stobart Air to offer two return flights daily to Southend Airport.

Southend Airport has been named the ‘Best Airport in the UK’ (with under 3 million passengers, per year) at the Airport Operators Association (AOA) Annual Awards 2015.

This latest award comes hot on the heels of London Southend Airport scooping the title of ‘Best Airport in Britain’ from Which? magazine for the third year in a row.

The winners of this latest award were decided by a survey of airline members of The Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR UK) and the British Air Transport Association (BATA).

Glyn Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Stobart Aviation that owns London Southend Airport, said: “To win another ‘Best Airport in Britain’ is superb news and once again testament to all the hard work that the team at London Southend has put in.”
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He added “Our unique ‘Simply Easier’ promise to passengers that include short walking distances, outstanding customer service, a lack of queues compared to other London Airports, our own station with fast and frequent train services to the heart of London every 20-minutes,and car parks right next to the terminal, are all key factors in our success and why ever increasing numbers of passengers are repeatedly choosing London Southend Airport over all the others.”

House prices in Southend are almost nine times average earnings as demand for properties continues to outstrip supply.

A new report by the National Housing Federation shows that the average price of a house in Southend in 2014 was £233,874 (up from £216,864 the year before), while average earnings were £26,936.

An income of £53,457 would now be needed to get an 80% mortgage for a house in Southend.

The situation for renters is even more challenging, with average rents in Southend up 9.7% in just one year – the third fastest rate of increase in the whole country. The average rent in October 2015 was £759 a month.

Inadequate housing supply in Southend is compounded by the soaring demand from people who can no longer afford to live in London. Average house prices in the capital are more than double those in Southend, and Londoners are realising they can afford a large, family home by the sea for less than the price of a tiny flat within the M25.

The National Housing Federation report concluded: “There is an acute housing crisis in the East of England. Like many parts of the country, people in work are struggling to afford a home to rent or buy.
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“House prices are similar to the national average, yet this masks areas where homes are way out of reach for people on average wages. In parts of Essex, house prices are around nine times the average income.”

Southend Council’s cabinet will recommend to Full Council that a resolution made over three years ago to compulsory purchase land at Roots Hall is withdrawn.
 
The CPO resolution was agreed on 1st March 2012 but the order has never been made because Roots Hall Limited and Sainsbury’s have not entered into the required indemnity agreement or wanted the council to proceed.
 
Cllr Ron Woodley, Leader of the Council, says: “The council wholeheartedly backs the Football Club’s ambitions to move to a new stadium and this does not represent any change in that approach.  However three and half years have passed and circumstances have changed, so it is only right that we re-consider the Roots Hall CPO status.
 
“Unfortunately, little progress has been made on the original proposal for a new stadium scheme at Fossetts Farm, the original permission has expired and the section 106 agreement has not been completed some two years after the Development Control Committee last considered the matter.
 
“We also have to consider that the latest proposals announced by the Club for a new stadium at Fossetts Farm are apparently no longer dependent on the redevelopment of Roots Hall, at least for phase one.  Most importantly there is the potential for owners of properties affected by the CPO resolution to allege their properties are being blighted, and we must therefore take a reasonable approach to the matter.
 
“In light of all of these factors, there no longer seems to be a compelling case to justify the compulsory acquisition of the remaining properties in Victoria Avenue and the Prospects site in Fairfax Drive.
 
“However, if circumstances change, then of course, a report can be brought back for Cabinet to consider.”

War memorials across Southend are being renovated and repaired to make sure people who gave the ultimate sacrifice will always be remembered.
 
The project to repair and conserve these monuments was launched among other commemorations to mark the centenary of the start of the First World War.
 
This careful work is helping to restore the memorials to mint condition and make sure they last for many more generations too.
 
In some cases, such as at Southend Cenotaph, the Portland stone used to build the monuments was starting to suffer from erosion.
 
This has now been tackled, and in the green turf near the Cenotaph, the Council’s own in-house landscaping team has replaced the wording ‘Lest we Forget’ to keep this poignant message growing there permanently.
 
Meanwhile, decorative posts around the Cenotaph have been restored and repainted thanks to community volunteers.
 
As part of this ongoing project which has so far cost £30,000, the gates of the Victory Sports Ground have also been replaced.
 
Names which had started to fade away have been restored for all to see on a memorial plaque preserved from the now-demolished St Erkenwald’s Church and currently located at Sutton Road cemetery.
 
Other works have taken place at Chalkwell Park, where a plinth has been replaced in the memorial garden and the gates are now being inspected for further improvements.
 
Deputy Council Leader, Councillor Ian Gilbert said: “It is of the utmost importance for us always to remember the sons and daughters of Southend who have given their lives in the service of others.
 
“The least we can do to honour them is to make sure they have a lasting tribute, by protecting our war memorials for a very long time to come.
 
“These help to keep their names and the memories of their sacrifice permanently on view for everyone to see.”

Southend’s annual Remembrance Day commemoration takes place on Sunday 8th November at the Cenotaph on Clifftown Parade. For all the details visit Southend Council's website here.