From 31 August, Southend Airport will offer passengers twice weekly direct flights with Widerøe to Bergen, known as one of the happiest places in the world.

Bergen is Norway’s second largest city and offers an adventurous retreat with the feeling of a small town. It has much to offer, from hiking in the hillsides, stunning fjords and mountains to exploring the cobbled streets and colourful buildings, seafood markets, art exhibits, museums and more.
 
Passengers can fly to Bergen via the new Embraer 190-E2 jet, which is the market's most modern and environmentally friendly jet in this class and has a seat configuration of two + two allowing 144 passengers. The 1 hour 50-minute flight will offer passengers a fast connection to Norway.
 
Christian Skaug, Commercial Director Widerøe, said: “We are strengthening our focus on Bergen as a hub for traffic throughout the country. With this new route we continue to build on the network Widerøe has developed in and around Bergen and Western Norway in recent years. We start cautiously, but if we see that the offer is well received, we will consider adding more weekly departures.”
 
Glyn Jones, CEO of Stobart Aviation, “We are pleased to offer this new route to one of Europe’s most stunning cities. A further 8 connections also become available from this destination, allowing easy connectivity across Norway. London Southend Airport is extremely accessible, boasts excellent customer service and has been ranked London’s best airport by consumer group Which?”
 
www.wideroe.no  
 
https://www.visitnorway.com/places-to-go/fjord-norway/bergen/

After the Government announced multi-million pound funding for infection and prevention control measures in care homes, Southend Council has outlined how the money will be spent.

A total of £2,734,683 has been allocated to Southend and 75% of the cash will go directly to the 95 care homes in the Borough. The council has decided the remaining £683,670 will be used to support the whole care sector in Southend.
 
10% (£273,468) will be distributed to home care providers, and a further £196,950 will help support people in supported living placements and the remaining money will be used to fund additional infection prevention control advisors for Southend care providers and to provide out of hours escalation support.
 
Cllr Trevor Harp, cabinet member for health and adult social care, said: “There’s no doubt that this funding is welcome relief for local care providers. I am impressed with the ways in which our local providers have worked with us to continue to provide good care to their residents during this pandemic.
 
“This latest round of funding will support this work, whilst also allowing for future planning regarding infection prevention control, a key defence tool in the battle against Coronavirus.”
 
The funding will be distributed in two tranches and providers who are registered with the council and agree to comply with the Government’s spending and audit requirements, will have already received their first payment.
 
A daily review of the care market is in place, and the NHS capacity tracker has been used to identify providers (care home and home care providers) who need additional support.
 
Since the beginning of Coronavirus, the council has set up 13 isolation beds as an alternative provision for symptomatic and asymptomatic patients being discharged from hospital. Over 40% over Southend care homes have consistently paid staff their full wages.
 
Working with Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT), training has been supplied carers via the Care Home Education Team. Carers have not been allowed to transfer between homes to limit contact, and there has been training around Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
 
Cllr Harp, said: “We know those over the age of 70 and those with underlying health conditions are more vulnerable to coronavirus. I think it is admirable how everyone has pulled together to do everything possible to protect our older and more vulnerable residents from Coronavirus.”

Over 2,400 potholes were repaired across the Borough between April and June as the council’s highways contractor worked tirelessly throughout the Coronavirus lockdown.

With people staying home following the Coronavirus pandemic, the council’s contractor, Marlborough, took to the streets to repair reported defects through the Find and Fix programme.

The programme involved a team of spotters going out and actively finding and marking up potholes. They worked up to a week ahead of the maintenance crews, who followed up and repaired the approved defects.

The council defined intervention levels for potholes but we actively encouraged that this programme included any adjacent defects or those that were close to intervention levels so that the process became proactive rather than just reactive.

All spotted potholes were documented and the evidence (log sheets and images) were passed back to council staff for approval. A system within WhatsApp was developed to deliver the spotted defects, with associated locations references within the images for easy tracking.

In total, 2,430 defects were repaired between 2 April and 4 June 2020, more than the whole of last year (2,057). The repairs were also carried out at a cheaper cost compared to previous years, and lower than the national average cost.

Cllr Ron Woodley, cabinet member for transport, inward and capital investment, said: “The Find and Fix programme has proven to be a resounding success. With the greatly reduced traffic during the lockdown, the crews were able to work quickly and efficiently, without causing major disruption to motorists and residents.

“We are delighted to see the repair rate figure so high, and at a cheaper rate comparative to last year, benefitting the taxpayer. The programme has also eased the current burden on our highways inspection team who have seen a 50% reduction in recorded potholes on the carriageway.”

If you spot a road defect, please report this at MySouthend.

A shop local, shop safe campaign has been launched ahead of the wider reopening of shops on Monday 15 June.

Over recent weeks Southend Business Improvement District (BID), councillors and officers from Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, Leigh Town Council, the seafront traders association, Essex Chambers of Commerce and other local businesses have been working together to deal with the Government’s relaxation of lockdown measures and ensure that the Borough is a safe place to visit and shop.
 
The group is working hard to help our local economy bounce back stronger than ever and help businesses to reopen safely and keep residents safe too.
 
Local businesses have been provided with signage, poster templates and guidance, and hundreds of public signs are also being put up in shopping areas across the Borough.
 
In central Southend, welcome hosts and sanitisation stations will be available for shoppers and people will be encouraged to keep left.
 
In Leigh-on-Sea, there will be a small number of parking bays suspended in Broadway West outside the bakers, butchers and greengrocers, on Elm Road outside the fishmongers and fish and chip shop and on Rectory Grove outside the bakers and health food shop. These have been identified as potential ‘pinch points’ for queues and this will create more space for people to safely queue.
 
Other areas will be monitored carefully and any necessary measures to help keep people safe will be brought in if necessary.
 
Shoppers are also being asked to ‘stay safe, stay apart’, and respect measures and staff in place working to keep people safe. The group is also asking people to shop local and to expect a different shopping experience for the time being.
 
Cllr Martin Terry, the council’s cabinet member for community safety and chair of the relaxation measures stakeholder group, says: “As shops reopen it is important that local people take responsibility to stay safe and stay apart from people they don’t live with. Please do your bit both to stop the spread of coronavirus and to support your local businesses.”
 
Denise Rossiter, chief executive of Essex Chambers of Commerce, says: “Our collective message is to shop local and shop safe. As a group we have worked really hard together to get plans in place across the Borough as the Government has eased its lockdown measures. We will continue to review plans regularly and I just urge people to visit and support your local businesses. They need it more than ever.”
 
Cllr Kevin Robinson, the council’s cabinet member for business, leisure and tourism, says: “The group has been working very hard to help our local economy bounce back and I want to thank everyone for their efforts. With wider reopening next week, this is the ideal time to encourage people to shop local and shop safe.”
 
Suzanne Gloyne, Southend BID manager, says: “We are pleased to say we are back open and we are pleased to welcome shoppers back to the Borough. We want people to shop local and we have worked collectively so that shoppers can be confident of a safe environment. We also ask everyone to do their bit too by keeping your distance, not blocking pavements and respecting the staff and new measures that are there to keep you safe.”
 
A guide for businesses that has been put together to help guide them through reopening is available at: https://www.southendbid.com/retailrecovery

Southend Airport has updated its careers page with some new vacancies and are looking for talented individuals to support the team as part of its preparations to welcome passengers back. 
 
The airport offers excellent career opportunities within the growing local airport, whilst COVID-19 has impacted operations the team are looking to invest tens of millions over the coming years to put in place an enhanced passenger experience to deliver customer confidence in a post-COVID world.
 
The Airport has already been named one of the safest in the UK and the only airport in London that is on the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) list, meaning its passengers will find an easier experience travelling to countries such as Greece.
 
Glyn Jones, CEO of London Southend Airport said: “We are working hard preparing to welcome passengers back to the airport. Lots of work is going on and new protocols being introduced to create a safe biosphere within the terminal to enable passengers to have confidence when flying from London Southend Airport
 
“Employing talented individuals is key to completing the airport family whilst supporting the local economy. It is a challenging time but we hope to offer new employment opportunities to maximise peoples potential”.
 
Visit www.southendairport.com to view vacancies on the careers page, applications should be sent to lsahr@southendairport.com  

Summer came early for Southend and its traders this Easter with soaring temperatures and the return of the Southend Shakedown motorcycle event making it the busiest in recent memory.
 
After temperatures reached the mid 20’s, tens of thousands of tourists and residents flocked to the town’s sun-soaked beaches to enjoy traditional fish and chips, soak up the sun, and admire over 3,500 motorbikes that had roared their way to the seafront on Bank Holiday Monday.
 
A total of 18,461 sun-seekers visited the pier over the weekend – more than the whole of March. The Pier saw a fun Easter Egg hunt along with the opening of the new tearoom where Jamie and Jimmy’s TV show is filmed.
 
Meanwhile, the hidden historical gem of Prittlewell Priory attracted 5,442 visitors to its popular Teddy Bear Hunt – compared to 538 in Easter last year.

In anticipation of the busy weekend, significant extra resources were drafted in, including parking marshals to coordinate car park flow and BID rangers to welcome visitors and help reunite lost children with parents.

An extra 25 Veolia waste staff were drafted in to remove waste, with crews removing over 11 tonnes of rubbish from the seafront - from both bins and litter-picks - and clocking up a total of 320 working hours between them.
 
Scott Dolling, Director of Culture, Tourism and Property, said the success of the weekend showed that the extensive planning between the Council, emergency services and local police as part of Operation Heatwave had paid off.

He said: “This was the busiest Easter we can recall for many years with huge numbers visiting the breadth of our seafront and award-winning parks. The sunshine certainly helped, but the huge numbers clearly show the continued appeal of Southend as a visitor destination.

“I, like many, was delighted to see the return of the Southend Shakedown and congratulate the organising committee on such a well-attended, safe and enjoyable event.

“As one of the key agencies involved in ensuring the event ran smoothly, we will be attending a debrief and taking on board feedback from attendees, traders and residents.

“In particular, I would like to thank our Veolia waste crews for their fantastic work - many local residents and businesses have also told us what a fantastic jobs they did. They worked long hours, raking the beaches early in the morning, regularly empty bins throughout the day, then picking up litter in the evenings.

“It’s clear that our joint preparations have helped ensure were welcomed, had a fantastic time and will want to return again and again.”

Traders also saw a boom in trade. Joan Tiney, chair of Southend Seafront Traders Association, said: “We had live music on at The Borough and the atmosphere was great with no trouble just people having a great day out. I have not seen the seafront so packed in a long time and the organisers are to be complimented on all their hard work.”
​
Jacqui Dallimore, chair of Southend Tourism Partnership, said: “The Roslin Hotel, like much of the Borough, has been exceptionally busy over the Bank Holiday especially on our large terraces and it’s been great to see the whole area buzzing with the glorious weather.
“There really is no better place to be when the sun is shining but of course Southend’s offer is increasingly all-year round with such a diverse and wonderful events programme.”

​Record numbers of visitors are coming to Southend’s shores and they are staying here for longer, the town’s tourism leaders have heard.
 
Businesses, volunteers and council partners were told the welcome news at Southend’s fourth Annual Tourism Conference, where representatives of Visit Essex also stated that Southend was experiencing an increase in overnight stays – the only borough in the county to do so.
 
The conference, held on Southend Pier last week, saw attendees sharing ideas for the upcoming season and reviewing the town’s progress against its ambitious tourism strategy, Destination Southend-on-Sea, which aims to propel the town to being “England’s number one coastal destination.”
 
Delivering excellent customer service was a key theme of the conference, following on from the ‘Make Southend Sparkle’ campaign, which sees residents and businesses join forces to spruce up the borough’s streets with litter picks, beach cleans and planting.
 
Place branding and developing better communications were also key themes that delegates were keen to highlight.
 
Scott Dolling, Director of Culture, Tourism and Property, said: “News that more people are visiting Southend and that they are staying longer is a real boon for the town and shows that businesses, volunteers and the council are working well together to deliver against our ambitious tourism strategy.
 
“That this news comes before the Easter Holidays – which typically sees the year’s first large surge of visitors and will this year welcome the Southend Shakedown Resurrection – is especially welcome.
 
“This conference, now in its fourth year, helps bring like-minded, positive businesses and organisations together to see how we can work better together for the benefit of the town and its economy.
 
Jacqui Dallimore, chair of the Southend Tourism Partnership, said: “Southend welcomes 7.5 million visitors a year, with tourism supporting 9,500 people through direct employment and bringing £440m into the local economy. It’s vital that Southend’s visitor offer continues to grow and evolve and the Annual Tourism Conference is crucial in setting the tone and establishing the priorities for the visitor season ahead.”

Southend Council has agreed to spend an additional £730,000 for one-off schemes and projects across the borough.
 
The biggest spend is an additional £250,000 to carry out a programme of major patch repairs on roads across Southend. This involves repairing sections of roads that have a number of potholes, but don’t need complete resurfacing.
 
An additional surfacing gang from Marlborough, the council’s main contractor will be put in place to deliver the work. They will also focus on repairing pot holes and carriageway damage, plus repainting yellow and white lines on the roads to enhance the local streets and residential areas across the borough.
 
The £250,000 was raised as an additional item at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting and is over and above the major £800,000 programme of highways capital maintenance works for 2019/20 which will see a number of roads fully resurfaced from 1 April 2019.
 
Cllr Andrew Moring, cabinet member for infrastructure, said: “The quality of our highways is something that rightly comes under scrutiny by our residents and it is important that we do all we can to continue to bring our roads and pavements up to the standard expected. I am pleased this extra money is available due to the diligent budgeting of our officers and I am even more pleased that we are able to use it to further improve the highways in our borough, and on top of our planned investment programme.”
 
The £730,000 budget has come from a predicted revenue underspend of £1.6m for 2018/19.  A further £480,000 has been allocated to boost existing projects and schemes, including:

• £130,000 for additional support for children and vulnerable adults as part of the county lines work
• £100,000 to support three secondary schools to reach good or outstanding in Ofsted inspections
• £100,000 for place marketing of the borough and wayfinding signs
• £100,00 to spruce up the High Street
• And £50,000 for additional, out-of-hours parking enforcement.

 
Speaking about the £730,000 investment, Cllr James Courtenay, deputy leader and cabinet member for growth, said: “While it would be irresponsible for us to spend all of the extra money available, it would also be a shame for residents to not feel the benefit of our sound financial management and the rapid improvement this cash injection allows. I’m very pleased we are able to put extra money in the pot to deliver more benefits for the people of Southend.”
 
The best way to report potholes and broken pavements is to visit MySouthend as it ensures all reports are recorded and commissioned directly to our contractors for repair.

Residents, businesses and community groups are invited to shape the development of Southend over the next 20 years.
 
Southend Council is hosting three local events to seek people’s views on a new Local Plan which sets out the council’s proposals to manage development of the borough and how it will assess planning applications for the area over the next 20 years.
 
Local Plans address needs and opportunities in relation to housing, the local economy, community facilities and infrastructure, such as roads and transport. They should safeguard the environment, enable adaptation to climate change and help secure high quality and accessible design.
 
Cllr John Lamb, Leader of Southend Council, said: “Having a good Local Plan in place is vital for the future of the town. It will determine where major developments take place across the borough over the next 20 years and will impact on where people will live, work and spend our leisure time.
 
“In Southend, we have a real challenge in providing the level of housing growth we need to meet future demand, so where and how we let residential development take place will be an important – but by no means the only – part of this consultation.
 
“Importantly, it will allow the town to grow in a sustainable way, so that we have sufficient roads, medical facilities and schools while protecting valuable green spaces.
 
“I feel passionate about Southend and I want the best possible future for its residents. I know this passion is shared by people I speak to across the town.
 
“Please share your views now to shape the sort of town you would wish future generations to grow up in.”
 
The draft Local Plan can be viewed and commented upon by visiting https://localplan.southend.gov.uk until 2 April 2019.
 
The three public events will be held at the following times and locations:
 

• Saturday 23rd February – The Forum, Southend Town Centre 09:30 – 17:00
• Wednesday 27th February – Thorpe Bay Yacht Club 13:00 – 18:00
• Wednesday 13th March – Leigh Community Centre 15:00 – 20:00

You can also buy hard copies of the document. Hard copies can also be viewed at the Civic Centre and all the local libraries within the borough.
Email: planningpolicy@southend.gov.uk

Post: Business Intelligence Officer, Performance & Business Support, Department of Place, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, PO Box 6, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6ER.

If you would like to be notified of future planning policy consultations, you can sign up to the council’s planning policy consultation database. Please contact planningpolicy@southend.gov.uk or telephone 01702 215408.

New planters, lighting columns and benches are being installed at the town centre end of London Road as part of a project to improve access and create a more attractive gateway to the town.
 
The work is part of the Southend Central Area Transport Scheme (S-CATS) and follows the reconfiguration of the highway and parking of London Road between Queensway and College Way as well as the introduction of new electric vehicle charging points.
 
A total of eight Corten steel lighting columns, which are designed to give a rust effect, were erected earlier this week together with seven complementary planters and seven benches. The planters will be planted with ivy within the next few weeks.
 
The landscaping scheme was the result of consultation with local businesses and marks the end of the first phase work along this stretch of London Road.
​
Later phases of the project will focus on improving the section of London Road (from College Way to Victoria Circus) and then improving the Victoria Circus public area itself.
 
Cllr Andrew Moring, cabinet member for infrastructure, said: “I’m pleased to see work progressing on the landscaping of this important gateway to the town. The clever design allows us to introduce greenery to an area where planting trees into the ground was not an option due to the large number of pipes and cables beneath the road, as well as introducing attractive new lighting and seating.
 
“I’d like to thank all the local businesses who fed into the final design by sharing their ideas.”
 
Southend Central Area Transport Scheme (S-CATS) is a £7m project is being fully funded by the Department for Transport’s Local Growth Fund through the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP).
 
The first phase of S-CATS was completed in 2017 with £1m worth junction improvements on Victoria Avenue (Great Eastern, Carnarvon Road and East Street/West Street).
 
Phase 2 (just completed) is a £2m public realm and streetscape improvement scheme along London Road (between Queensway and College Way through to Elmer Avenue) to make this an attractive gateway to Southend High Street.
 
Later phases of the project will focus on improving the section of London Road (from College Way to Victoria Circus) and then improving the Victoria Circus itself. A much wider stakeholder engagement process is planned to develop design options for these phases.