If like me, you are one of those excluded from support from the Government, please send an email to our MP to support the #ForgottenLtd campaign calling for a rescue package for small businesses. Rescue Package – Open Letter from Gina to MPs/HoLSunday, 13 September 2020·#ForgottenLtd Rescue Package for Small Businesses The#ForgottenLtd campaign represents one […]
Yesterday, The Echo reports that the Vice Chair of Rochford District Council, described the Mill Hall Arts & Crafts centre as ‘dire’. To write-off, this community asset with such contempt astonishes me. If the Council had invested in this building then it would not be ‘dire’ (I don’t think it is) – I would argue […]
Not wanting to be a constant ‘negative nelly’, it’s good to report that since the easing of lockdown, we’ve eaten out a couple of times in Rayleigh and it’s been a really good experience. Our first visit was to Gambero D’oro with friends. We went on a Friday night and it was strangely quiet. In […]
In the space of a few months, fortunes have changed for many and it could be about to get a whole lot worse. I’ve been saying for some time that our Councils need to more proactive in helping and promoting our High Street before it’s too late. The reality is, High Streets are on the […]
Now that the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme has finished, will you still be eating out to help out? It crossed my mind what a significant difference in the cost of a meal it will mean for many. Today we paid for a full-price meal in Pizzahut and at £47.00 it was significantly more […]
Rayleigh has its fair share of cafes, bars and restaurants, so struggling business owners may well welcome the news that applications for ‘pavement licences’ will be temporarily fast tracked. The Business and Planning Act 2020 that came into force this week introduces a quick consent route to allow cafes, bars and restaurants to obtain a […]
I know it’s hot out there, but I think the heat has gone to the heads of the Executive Committee this week, when they’ve approved nearly £1/2m in funding to rescue the Fusion Leisure contract to reopen Clements Hall, Rayleigh Leisure Centre, The Mill Hall, Castle Rd Hall but not The Freight House (we all […]
A new application for the former Dairy Crest site in Rayleigh Town Centre has been submitted. Once again it is under siege from developers eager to build more housing. I’m not against building housing but is this the ‘right’ type of housing? Our car parks are inadequate, our roads are congested, air pollution, doctors full, […]
Today would’ve been a good day for our Councils to throw their weight behind the support for our local independent businesses and joining in with the #UKindieday campaign. Unfortunately, it just didn’t happen. This isn’t the first time and I’m sure it’s not the last. I can understand local businesses telling me that they lack […]
Sitting at the top of Crown Hill, lies an empty shell of a building formerly a public toilets. It’s a stark reminder to me in which the way a Council handles ‘investment’ projects. It should be remembered that the public toilet project which essentially a strategy constructed to shift the cost to local town and […]