Southend Council has announced its budget plans, including how it plans to spend tax payers cash.

A new multi-storey car park and two health centres will be built in Southend.

Southend Council has agreed to build a car park in Tylers Avenue.

The council has also agreed to borrow £7.5million for two new health centres.

The council passed the budget during a meeting at the Civic Centre where councillors agreed to amend earlier budget proposals to include three suggestions put forward by the Labour Group in co-operation with other opposition councillors.

The changes will see £7.5million borrowed to fund two health centres, one in Shoebury and another at a yet to be identified site to the west of the borough.

They also agreed to a multi-storey car park on Tylers Avenue, but did not confirm how much this would cost.

The changes will merge with the previously announced investment programme that includes £18million going to the Southend Pier, £2million on upgrading CCTV and £5.7million to child and adult services.

The money for the pier will be spent on new trains and a new pavilion, among other items.

Residents will be asked to find an average of £60 extra this year as a result of a council tax rise designed to protect services and make up for Government funding cuts.

This increase will be in addition to the police rise of £24, which means tax bill go up in total by more than £80.

Council leader Tory John Lamb said: “For the first time that most of us can remember, this is a growth budget.

“A lot of that is going into adult and children’s social, care but we need that and even afterwards we still have growth of over £2.5million, which we haven’t had for many years.”

While rival councillors voting to approve the budget, there was some criticism.

Independent Councillor Ron Woodley cast doubt on the council’s record of delivering on investment projects, claiming they have failed to to deliver “decent homes, infrastructure, looking after the elderly and disabled and job creation”.

Labour councillors called the budget “devoid of ambition” but said the amendments helped create a budget that councillors could agree on.

Other amendments Labour suggested, including £11million on a new care, £16,000 on street lighting and £20,000 on the reintroduction of free swimming on Wednesday mornings for older residents were rejected.

The budget is for the year from April with funding for the bigger projects spread over the next few years.

Plans to knock down flats and build 1,600 homes in Southend town centre have been given a major boost.

A massive £500million redevelopment of the Queensway Estate has won support from councillors, clearing the way for a partnership to be formed between the council and Swan Housing Association.

The partnership will collaborate to deliver up to 1,600 new homes including many that the council claim will be “genuinely affordable”.

If approved the site will replace the existing 441 homes.

Councillor James Courtenay said: “This is a major regeneration scheme and a catalyst for the whole town, it is going to have a transformational impact on the town centre.”

Councillor Ian Gilbert, leader of the Labour Group, said: “As a ward councillor I have been in the blocks, spoken to residents and had residents in surgery in tears at one point saying that within those blocks change is necessary - residents have been waiting a long time.

“There is no doubt major change is necessary and this is a big opportunity both for residents and for the town.”

But questions remain about the exact number of affordable homes included in Swan’s proposal. These detailed have been restricted from public scrutiny.

Independent Councillor Ron Woodley claimed the scheme is an attempt to completely remove social housing from Southend town centre. Mr Gilbert added that if this was the case he would not support it.

Making money from arms dealers and tobacco firms is perfectly acceptable, according to the man in charge of investments in Southend.

The Essex Pension Fund, one of the largest local government pension schemes in the UK, has millions of pounds invested in companies that have been tied to “unethical” practices.

At a council meeting held on Thursday night Tory Councillor Andrew Moring, who is the council’s representative for the pension fund, was asked by Labour councillor Matt Dent if he agrees with the investments.

Mr Moring said if the councillor is asking whether the pension fund should invest in arms companies that sell military equipment to “protect us” then the answer is yes.

He added that it is also not illegal to invest in a tobacco company. “I do agree we should invest in them if that’s the best return we can get for our money as the idea is to make sure our pensioners are well off in their old age,” he added.

The comments come despite the investments being criticised by the human rights group Amnesty International, which has said the fund needs to “get up to speed” and question whether the investments are sustainable in the long-term.

Calls have been made for Southend to be turned into a “police state” to combat crime.

Independent councillor Martin Terry claimed violence on the streets is so bad, major changes are needed.

Cabinet member for public protection on Southend Council, Mark Flewitt, told the full council meeting he was “delighted” the county would be getting more police officers and was waiting to see how many Southend would get.

Mr Terry responded: “What we are going to get is two or three police officers in Southend, which is not enough.

“A member of the public responded to one of the members of your administration saying we should get all 150 officers in Southend and one of your colleagues asked do you want a police state in Southend? Well actually, yes I do.

“We need a police state in Southend because at the moment it is out of control.”

A police state is and area controlled by a political police force monitoring residents.

Mr Flewitt rejected the notion and “excuses” from criminals.

He said: “I don’t take the argument it’s because they are poor, I simply don’t believe that.”

Southend's community safety team will be extended.

The town centre patrol squad was set up with £250,000 of taxpayers’ cash to fund six community team members to patrol High Street and other problem areas.

On Thursday night another £100,000 was agreed for another three people to join the team.

Councillors across the chamber backed the suggestion for a one year boost.

Councillor Mark Flewitt, cabinet member for public protection, said last month the council had received “positive feedback” about the team since they began their patrols.

However, the scheme has faced criticism as the team with no powers of arrest are on salaries similar to police officers and a security team was hired to patrol the streets while people were found for the positions.

Plans for a £50million cinema and leisure development in Southend will go ahead with a councillor claiming develop Turnstone has “one more chance” following delays.

The plan to redevelop the Seaway car park into a major new leisure complex has been engulfed in controversy with the council being accused of undervaluing the site and making deals that will result in a poor return for the public, something which is strenuously denied. By a majority the council agreed to extend the contract for a year after the developer did not get an application approved in the four years since plans were put in place. Councillor Ian Gilbert, leader of the Labour Group, said he felt “reluctant” to agree to the extension but some of the delays to the project had been caused by the council and Turnstone should get “one more chance”.