Renewed calls have been made for Canvey to break away from Castle Point – once and for all.

Residents and Canvey Independent councillors have expressed their frustration at decisions about Canvey being made by Castle Point Council – and councillors who live off the island.

The issue has been reignited on the back of the ongoing controversy around fears The Paddocks, in Long Road, Canvey, will be knocked down and replaced with a new community hall.

Castle Point councillors said it would cost £1.6million to refurbish the dilapidated building - but many feel that price is inflated so the council can build homes as part of a new deal.

One resident spoke up at a public meeting saying: “If you watch the webcast at the planning meetings between the independents and the Tories then you probably wonder why the independents from Canvey bother turning up at all.

“There seems to be a tit for tat between Benfleet and Canvey, anything that the independents vote against Benfleet vote for. Those that live in Canvey either vote or abstain.

“This recent application is rubber stamped regardless of anyone objecting to it.”

His statement was met with a roar of applause by Canvey residents.

Canvey Independent Party councillors have previously tried to get more representation on the council by changing the way the council is run, from a cabinet system to a committee system. However, they were defeated.

Canvey Island independent councillor, Dave Blackwell said after the meeting, attended by about 150 people, that it wasn’t fair there were more councillors sitting on Castle Point Council from the mainland than from Canvey. He said he would write to the Boundary Commission to ask for change.

He has now called on residents to start a petition for Canvey to break away.

He said: “I think it will happen as more and more power gets handed to town councils. If they had a referendum like they had in Catalonia about it breaking from Spain on Canvey, 100 per cent of people would vote to leave Castle Point.

“Canvey people don’t want to be told what to do by the mainland and don’t want to be part of Castle Point.”

He added that the Boundary Commission looking at the MP boundaries – which could see the boundary of Castle Point moved so that it no longer included Hadleigh Castle – would be an opportunity to look at local council boundaries too.