THE trade union budget at Southend Council is set to be slashed in half. The proposed cut would mean neither Unison nor the GMB, which represent about half of council staff, will be able to fund a full-time officer. It is hoped the £45,000
VETERANS, the Royal British Legion and a former mayor have praised plans for a £120,000 restoration of Southend’s war memorials. Southend Council has set aside funds to repair and preserve the borough’s main cenotaphs in time for the centenary
A crash on the A127 caused tailbacks during rush hour. Just after 5pm the vehicles collided at Progress Road, Eastwood, causing jams back to the Fairglen interchange. The road has reopened.
A TEENAGER has been left too scared to go to school - after being bullied for having a disability. Wilson Fernandes,14, had a metal plate inserted in his head because it never fused together properly when he was a baby. He was left in a coma
A SOUTHEND gallery has been given just under £500,000 towards creating a new world-class exhibition space for the town. The Focal Point Gallery, currently based in Southend Central Library in Victoria Avenue, was awarded the Arts Council grant
IT’S been a frustrating time for us all because of the weather and I’m starting to think someone up there doesn’t really like me! It’s been great to have been back involved with the first team after recovering from my knee injury. But all three
Emergency services were called to deal with a two-car collision near Chalkwell Park. Essex Ambulance service report one man has sustained back injuries following the collision shortly after 3pm.
A community centre has continued its renaissance by offering couples a chance to get married there. The Leigh Community Centre, which was saved when town residents agreed £5 extra on their council tax this year so the town’s council could take
THE newly elected police and crime commissioner will be hosting his first meetings with the public in South Essex. Nick Alston will be holding the meetings in Southend and Basildon where he aims to talk to residents about how their community
STUART Bingham feels he’s the favourite to beat Anthony Hamilton in their opening round clash at the Snooker Shoot-Out tomorrow night, but admits all 64 players go into the exciting format knowing it’s a “lottery”. World number 10 Bingham gets
BILLERICAY ABC showed off 12 of their junior boxers – including the youngest fighter ever to represent the club – during a show in Basildon. More than 200 people watched the night of action at the Holiday Inn Hotel with former world champion Terry
EASYJET has said it expects lower half-year losses after a strong start to the ski season and record numbers of business travellers. The low cost carrier last month achieved the milestone of flying 10 million business passengers over the past year
DEVELOPERS are being sought to transform a dilapidated hall into a top leisure and community facility. The seventies-built Hadleigh Hall and surrounding John Burrows recreational area has been earmarked for a regeneration project to breathe new
A WOMAN was threatened with a gun in her own home during a terrifying raid. The woman was at her home in Dengayne, Basildon when the crooks burst in armed wtih a hand gun. It is thought the woman was not his intended victim, but he stole her
CALLOUS crooks broke into the home of a retired police officer on the day of his funeral. Norman Higgon, 90, died earlier this month following a battle with cancer. He served with Essex Police from 1950 to 1977. On the day of his funeral
RESIDENTS are being given the chance to nominate a Basildon Council worker who always goes above and beyond to help improve their lives. The worker - who could be anyone from a community warden who is always there to help, a parks officer who
INSPECTORS from the health watchdog the Care Quality Commission have descended on Basildon Hospital. The three-day inspection, which was unannounced, began at the hospital on Monday and follows recent concern about the care provided in the hospital's
GOLD medal-winning gymnast Josh Newman admitted top spot on the podium at a major international competition was beyond his wildest dreams. The 14-year-old from Noak Bridge captured first place in the synchronised trampoline competition at the Australian
KEVAN Hurst is fit and aiming to fire Southend United back to winning ways in front of a number of familiar faces at Chesterfield on Saturday. The 27-year-old winger has returned to full training after recovering from the back injury he suffered
A MUCH-LOVED community pub has mysteriously closed its doors. The Barge Inn pub on High Road, Vange has been at the heart of its area since first opening its doors more than 200 years ago. But now the doors are firmly shut with no signs of
GARY Sullivan OBE has been elected chairman of Active Essex following the resignation of David East. Mr Sullivan was chairman of the Essex Olympic Strategic Board and oversaw the delivery of activities such as the Olympic Torch Relay in the county
FAST-ACTING police officers attended fourteen robberies on Canvey within minutes despite extensive budget cuts. Businesses and islanders were gripped by fear last year following a spate of armed robberies which, at its worst, saw eight robberies
TWO sons whose mum committed suicide say the authorities have questions to answer about the way the case was handled. Christopher Rossiter, 31, and his younger brother Viktor Underwood, 23, have vowed to complain to the Independent Police Complaints
FIREFIGHTERS have stressed the importance of carbon monoxide detectors after an alarm saved the life of an elderly man. Norman Pearce, 93, was sitting by the gas fire in the living room of his home in Thundersley, when the detector started sounding
THE demolished facade of a 1913 cinema has been rebuilt as part of new Art Deco-style apartments. Scaffolding has been removed to reveal a new four-storey block on the site of the former Picture Palace Cinema in Ness Road, Shoebury. Workmen
RESIDENTS have voiced concerns over their increasingly congested road caused by school parents parking. Homeowners have criticised cars who are parking on Ilfracombe Avenue to collect their children from St Margaret’s Church of England Voluntary
THE majority of schools across south Essex re-opened after more freezing weather, while some chose to remain closed for health and safety reasons. Woodlands School in Takely End, Basildon, which is at the top of a hill just outside the town centre
A TOWER BLOCK airgun sniper has left a woman needing surgery after shooting her in the back of the head. The thug has been taking potshots at passers-by after setting up at the window of an apartment in Quantock flats, Chichester Road, Southend
COUPLES across South Essex, struggling to have a child, have been given fresh hope as a world famous fertility clinic opens its doors. The Bourn Hall Clinic - which pioneered IVF treatment and opened the world’s first fertility facility in
DEVASTATED owners of a bungalow destroyed in a ferocious fire have had a glimmer of hope, as a treasured pair of Judy Garland shoes survived the blaze. Homeowners Tom and Valerie Grant were left inconsolable when a lifetime of belongings were destroyed
Time-lapse footage of work to replace a 100-year-old railway bridge has been released. During Christmas 2012, Upper Cut Productions was commissioned by BAM Nuttall and Network Rail to film the replacement of the Ferry Road bridge in Benfleet.
