Browsing: Council News & Politics

ForwardMotion supported Eastwood Primary School’s Cycle to School Week, delivering Bikeability training to pupils in Years 4 and 6. The sessions taught practical safety skills, enabling some children to ride for the first time while preparing others for independent travel to secondary school. Council Leader Cllr Daniel Cowan praised the initiative for building “confidence, independence, and healthy habits.”

Southend-on-Sea is set to install over 3,000 new public EV charging spaces from early next year, backed by Government funding and major investment from Zest, making clean, accessible travel easier for communities across the city.

Southend-on-Sea City Council is offering free festive parking every Sunday in December, plus all-day free parking on Small Business Saturday, to encourage residents and visitors to shop locally and support small businesses during the Christmas season.

Southend-on-Sea City Council is pleased to announce that Better Queensway highway works will begin on Monday 8 December 2025, delivered in partnership with Taylor Woodrow. These improvements will make Queensway safer, easier to get around, and ready for new homes.

Poppies on the Pier has been extended until Sunday 23 November after attracting more than 17,000 visitors in its first week. The installation of 110,000 hand-knitted poppies continues to draw huge crowds, with the Royal British Legion stall remaining on the pier throughout the extended run.

Southend will unite this November to mark Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day with a city-wide display of civic pride, parades, and solemn reflection.

Southend Pier has been transformed into a sea of red as more than 110,000 handmade poppies form the UK’s largest Remembrance art installation, honouring those who served and celebrating the unity of a global community effort.

Concerns are growing across Rochford District as residents react to the scale of proposed housing developments that could see large areas of Green Belt released for construction. With missing evidence and mounting pressure from government, communities are calling for transparency and a balanced, evidence-based approach to planning.

Cllr Julie Gooding explains why Rochford District Council cannot deliver infrastructure before development and calls on agencies like the NHS to unlock over £1 million in held funds to support vital community services.

Anna Firth, former MP for Southend West, calls for an end to animal experimentation in the UK, highlighting that over 2.7 million animals are still used annually. She argues that animal-free research not only spares suffering but offers better human outcomes and economic growth.