For Stephen Castle to attack a member of our community for objecting to the Tory plan to demolish the beach pool on Canvey is a disgrace (April 23).

Liz Swann was right, Castle Point Tories have done nothing but squander millions of pounds of our money on consultants and the mess they made on the Canvey seafront regeneration.

Who would believe a million pounds was spent?

The people of Castle Point should not trust these local Tories with their secret meetings, destroying green belt, demolishing our paddling pool and giving themselves big pay rises.

Dave Blackwell
Canvey Independent Party
Munsterberg Road
Canvey

...Stephen Castle asks what has Labour ever delivered for Castle Point?

(April 23).

Without Labour in Castle Point, Waterside Farm would have been mothballed.

We wouldn’t have added 650 council homes rescued from failed builders, nor acquired many land assets, such as that at the rear of Woodside Park.

In Labour’s eight years from 1995 to 2003, apart from immediately halving the hospitality budget, saving £35,000, and setting the lowest councillors’ allowances, Labour doubled the reserves, stopped the Canvey council offices knock down sale, enabling the health centre there, started Canvey 2000 seafront regeneration.

It introduced kerbside green waste and other recycling, established the local plan to protect our green belt and refurbished our public conveniences.

If Labour had received the funding this Government has given the Conservatives, they could have done so much more.

Joan Cooke
Moreland Avenue
Benfleet

...Liz Swann misses the point about the role Conservatives have played in bringing investment to Castle Point.

It was public funds from the East of England Development Agency that funded the seafront developments, but if it wasn’t for the hard lobbying by Conservative councillors, those funds would have been spent elsewhere in the East of England.

So-called independent groups and MPs can do little to influence spending by others or deliver by themselves.

Decisions in local and national government are made by collective groups, and in reality it is only by being part of a larger political coalition or party that elected representatives can make a difference.

For the record, my family goes back over 100 years on the island. I run a successful business on Canvey.

Please don’t assume that Canvey Independents have a monopoly on understanding what’s good for the island.

Stephen Castle
Daws Heath Road
Hadleigh