The SKIPP Committee understands that the Independent group on Southend Borough Council will not be forming a coalition between different parties. Instead they will form an administration by selecting councillors based on ability not party political affiliation.

The SKIPP Committee

Patsy Link

Sheena Walker

Mark Sharp

SKIPP Press Release (04/05/2012) Our Voice, Our Choice...

As the dust settles after the local elections the new political landscape of our town will be being discussed and decided by heated negotiations between the parties in back rooms. What the outcome of these political deals will be, as yet we do not know, however, what we do know is that there must be change and it must be change for the better.

SKIPP was there at the count watching and listening and we will be ever present, no matter what shape the new administration takes, standing up for the people of our town and pushing for change that benefits the people and not the political and business elite.

As always we will be pushing for the scrapping of previous administration’s ludicrous £50m plus seafront museum pipe dream and instead for the adoption of the affordable and financially realistic SKIPP proposal for a Saxon King Museum and education centre in Priory Park. We will continue to call for the conversion of the Central Library building into an arts and community centre befitting the Beecroft Collection. We will carry on fighting for our town’s small business and the introduction of a “Tesco Tax”. But most importantly, we will not stop the fighting for greater democracy and the scrapping of the dictatorial cabinet system.

Our Voice, Our Choice, Listen to the people...

To see SKIPP's video footage from the election count at Garon Park click on link bellow:

http://youtu.be/VknubqCtxAc

The SKIPP Committee

Patsy Link

Sheena Walker

Mark Sharp

SKIPP Press Release (19/04/2012) Tesco Tax

In these difficult economic times it is vitally important that local councils do all they can to support local business and through considerate policies maintain the commercial viability of High Streets for small business. With this in mind SKIPP would like to applaud Southend Borough Council for their decision to grant extra time for a number of struggling town centre businesses to pay their council tax.

However, we would go further and ask the council to think out of the box a little more and follow the lead of Northern Ireland where they have introduced the so called “Tesco Tax”. The concept is simple and well thought out; large multinationals such as Tesco can afford to pay a higher rate of tax and still remain profitable, however, small businesses are struggling with crippling overheads coupled with decreased profit margins, therefore, increase the tax levied on the likes of Tesco and use the extra revenue raised to reduce the tax on small businesses. This inspired policy would be a win-win situation for our town, as it would maintain the council’s revenue stream and at the same reduce the overheads of small businesses allowing them to better weather the economic storm.

So come on Southend Borough Council, support our local businesses and introduce the Tesco Tax in Southend.

The SKIPP Committee

Patsy Link

Sheena Walker

Mark Sharp

SKIPP Press Release (02/03/2012) Here we go again...

Here we go again; banner headlines and flashy front page pictures as Southend Borough Council once again attempts to convince the public that their seafront commercial centre masquerading as a Saxon King Museum has a chance of becoming a reality.

But where is the money coming from? As usual the council are skating around the fact that they have no funding for their ill-conceived inappropriate vanity project.

Additionally, they are persisting with their attempts to mislead the public as to the projected costs of their dream. The £35m figure which is constantly repeated in the press and in public is an inaccurate sum based upon a 4 year old estimate. If you take the time to consult the councils own business plan and statements made by architects AEW then you will discover a figure of £50m, and that does not include inflation or the millions already wasted on the project in the last five years.

Regardless of the cost implications, the commercial entertainment complex proposed by Southend Council is completely inappropriate for housing the amazing burial treasures of King Saebert.

The location is wrong on all counts; visitors to a seaside would have little interest in seeing archaeological artefacts. They want amusements, rides, candy floss and a pint. The location is subject to high risk of flooding, a risk which will increase as climate change and sea level rise takes effect. Furthermore, heritage experts are adamant that the location's distance from the burial site will drastically reduce the appeal to overseas visitors - the burial site itself would be the main attraction for these visitors.

The design concept is outdated and completely uninspiring; the idea of a glass and steel edifice with artefacts locked away in glass cases is not what people want, especially children. What is needed is an inspirational historical experience which would immerse visitors in Saxon times.

SKIPP has proposed a cost effective, culturally sensitive and educationally inspiring alternative to the Council's £50m plus commercial white elephant.

The concept is bold and at an estimated cost of around £10m, more financially realistic. The design envisions a Saxon Great Hall museum to house the artefacts, built on a Brownfield site within Priory Park. The site in question is currently occupied by an underused works depot and most importantly a stone’s throw from the burial site. Furthermore, the museum would be surrounded by a Saxon village, including authentic houses, operational workshop, a demonstration forge and much more.  The idea is simple, to create a real feel of Saxon times, the staff would be in Saxon dress, and visitors, especially school parties, would be encouraged to dress up and immerse themselves in the Saxon period (coach parties would operate on a booking system to avoid any parking problems).

When the ongoing work to restore the old Clunic Priory and its Victorian wing to its former glory is completed, the addition of the Saxon King experience adjacent to the Priory would elevate Priory Park to the status of a world class heritage attraction with over 1300 years of English history contained within the historic park. This would put Southend on the world tourist map, create a real sense of pride and create a constant revenue stream for our town.

So come on Southend Borough Council, stop wasting our public money on outdated and impossible pipedreams and instead lead the way in creating a unique heritage park that would be the envy of the world.

The SKIPP Committee

Patsy Link

Sheena Walker

Mark Sharp