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Southend faces increased housing demand and must balance sustainable growth with protecting the Green Belt. The article advocates infrastructure-led planning and prioritising brownfield sites for genuinely affordable housing across a constrained coastal city.

Southend faces infrastructure pressure from plans for 2,000 new homes at Bournes Green. Congestion, overcrowded schools, and stretched services highlight the need for infrastructure-led growth to sustain the city’s future.

Whether you already use the bus, are thinking about using it more often or have questions about local services, Southend-on-Sea City Council is inviting you to a free High Street event where you can speak directly to local operators and transport representatives.

The campaign to protect Southend’s Green Belt has forced a pause on the draft Local Plan. After a contentious planning application was rejected, community pressure and cross-party support continue the fight to safeguard this vital green space.

A significant bitumen spill in the River Thames at Gravesend resulted in sticky black tar deposits on beaches from Canvey to Clacton, highlighting issues of pollution travel, transparency, and calls for independent water testing.

A Southend family faced an 11-month wait for a dementia care reassessment, during which care needs increased significantly but funding did not keep pace, exposing serious issues with unpaid carers and a failing support system.

The article explores how new government planning reforms could impact South East Essex’s Green Belt, stressing sustainable development, infrastructure pressures, prioritising brownfield sites, and addressing traveller accommodation needs.

Eligible Essex residents who have missed cervical screening will be offered free HPV self-testing kits to use at home, as the NHS works to remove barriers to screening and help prevent cervical cancer.

Southend-on-Sea City Council’s latest financial performance report shows that increasing pressures within statutory social care continue to drive the council’s forecast financial position for 2026/27.

Southend-on-Sea City Council, working with the Environment Agency and partner agencies, cleared, secured and restored land on Progress Road that had been used as an alleged illegal waste site. The site was secured, monitored and cleared in July 2026 following months of enforcement; a prosecution has commenced and the alleged occupier and its director are due at Southend Magistrates’ Court on 17 December 2026.