BBrriiddggee Southend, Leigh, Shoebury PPaaiinnttwwoorrkk ✃ BBrriiddggee GGaarraaggee ccaallll 0011770022 229911 330000 ✃ EEXXPPEERRTTCCAARRRREEPPAAIIRREERRSS&&SSPPRRAAYYEERRSS PPrrooffeessssiioonnaall ffiinniisshh iinn aa sspprraayy bbooootthh wwiitthh aa lliiffeettiimmee gguuaarraanntteeee NessRoad,Shoeburyness,EssexSS39PG www.bridgepaintwork.co.uk WeekendingFridayJanuary22,2016 VVAALLUUAABBLLEE HHOOMMEESS WWIINN FFEEEEDD AARRTT OONN FFOORR TTOO SEE PAGE 4 SSHHOOWW SSAALLEE AATTTTRRAACCTT BBIIRRDDSS SEE PAGES 6-7 FROMPAGE21 Tourist trade programme to go ahead despite government cuts SEAFRONT A MULTI-MILLION pound spendingprogrammepromises to boost Southend’s tourist trade. Despiteabigfundingshort- fall from central government thisyear,thecouncilhastold SPENDING the YA it is crucial that it ploughs on with projects designedtoincreasevisitors. The first ambitious project onthecardswillseethecre- ationofalagoonmeaningthat swimmers can use the water allday. Council chiefs have ear- SPREE marked £600,000 for the lagoon atThree Shells Beach which will retain sea water evenwhenthetidegoesout. Determined leisure bosses want work to start on the BySuziMuston lagoon next month so it is readyintimeforthesummer. [email protected] Other seafront projects will include a £2m makeover for thefamouspier. Moneywillbefornon-structural makeovers with a £1.4m invest- pierworkandimprovementstoits ment. Council chiefs said they decking, lamp columns, electrics, wouldliketomeetthepublictoget sheltersandtoilets. theircommentsontheseafrontand Around£1.5mhasbeensetaside towncentrespendingplansattwo to progress the new museum pro- workshops, both at the seafront ject to move it to the technical hotel,TheParkInPalace. designphase. Councillor Mary Betson said: Atotalof£1.5mwillbespenton “Hopefully we can encourage the stabilising the picturesque Belton furtherdevelopmentoftheSealife Hillssteps,whichleaddowntoold Centre and more car parking for Leigh, following ground move- theseafrontfromthemuseumsite. ment. “Fundshavebeensetasideinthe Afurther£380,000hasbeenallo- budget for our world-renowned catedforvitalequipmenttomoni- pier.Thiswillbeapriority. torCliffsParadeandthecliffslip “The Estuary Festival will areatopreventagainstanyfurther encouragevisitorstoo.” movement. Cllr David Norman, executive Almost£300,000willbespenton councillor for housing, planning new play equipment for various and regulatory control, said the parksaroundthetowntokeepchil- authorityhadambitiousvisionsfor drenhappy. Southend to be a prosperous and Theatres,museums,sheltersand thrivingcitybythesea. HAVEYOURSAY:CllrMaryBetson,atspotearmarkedforthelagoon,said leisure centres will benefit from ●Turntopage14 councillorswanttomeetthepublictohearwhattheywantforthetown Visit your Yellow Advertiser online at: www.yellowad.co.uk 22 SouthendYellowAdvertiser,Weekending,Friday,January22,2016 TOADVERTISETELEPHONEBASILDON(01268)503400 TOADVERTISETELEPHONEBASILDON(01268)503400 SouthendYellowAdvertiser,Weekending,Friday,January22,2016 33 NEWS www.yellowad.co.uk Doctors defend strike Charity fraud pair jailed Southend Hospital staff claim cost of training would be ‘unaffordable’ TWOunemployedmenwhoinvented fake charities and donations so they could fraudulently reclaim over £500,000 in Gift Aid repayments, BySuziMuston havebothbeenjailedfor30months. Abdulshakour Juma, 43, of [email protected] Rayleigh Drive, Leigh-on-Sea and SOUTHEND’S junior doctors say Ashraf Salim Ali, 42, of Seabrooke changesintheircontractswouldmake Rise, Grays, claimed they were learningimpossible. trusteesoftheEastCoastofAfrican Juniordoctorsvotedforstrikeaction Community and the Bongo two weeks ago in response to new CommunityAssociationcharities. contractsfordoctors-in-training. They told HM Revenue and Junior doctor Sheneen Meghi, 31, Customs (HMRC) and the Charity told the YA she was extremely con- Commission they were supporting cerned. the East African community in Shesaid:“Thegovernmentwantto Southend. amendourcontractstoincludework- The pair submitted claims for Gift ingonaSaturday,meaningwewould Aid repayments based on donations getonedayoffintheweek. madetotheircharities. “However, we get crucial training However, an HMRC investigation onedayaweekfromahighlyquali- revealedtheyhadlied,makingupthe fiedsurgeonwhohasverylittletime donationssotheycouldfalselyclaim and can only teach us through the repaymentsthatweren’tdue. week. Jumawassentencedto30monthsin “Thesurgeonswouldnotliketobe prison on December 21, 2015. Ali in a situation where they wouldn’t failedtoappearatthehearing. knowoneweektothenextwhethera He was jailed for 30 months on studentwillbeabletoattendclassor MondayJanuary11,2016. not.” Working with the Charity Sheneensaidtrainingwasexpensive Commission and Essex Police, too.Shesaid:“Withthenewcontract HMRCofficersarrestedJumaandAli itwouldmeanIam£6,000downeach attheirhomeaddressesinJune2013. year. Sentencing Juma, His Honour “Wehavetofundourownexamina- JudgeGraham,said:“Yousubmitted tionsandin2015,Ipaidthreelotsof totallyfictitiousclaimsandtherepay- £800forexamfees. mentsweresyphonedoffbyyouand “Iwouldnotbeabletoaffordtodo your co-accused. If all claims had thiswiththeproposedpaycutinthe UNHAPPY:JuniordoctorsoutsideSouthendHospitalsaytheirtrainingwillbeaffected PhotobyMartinDalton beenpaid,morethan£500,000would newcontract.” there were any changes to their He said: “The Government has homefromwork,andhaven’tseenmy havebeenthebenefitofthisfraud. Juniordoctorswilltakestrikeaction appointments. repeatedlydraggeditsfeetthroughout childrenforthreedays. “Thisisafraudonthepublicpurse again for 48 hours from 8am on Headded:“Wearecurrentlyreview- this process, initially rejecting our “Politicians and quangos fail to anditmakeslifemuchmoredifficult Tuesday January 26, until 8am ingouroutpatientservicesandhopeto offeroftalksandfailingtomakesig- understandwhattheNHSisabout,I forpeoplemakinggenuineclaims.” Thursday January 28, during which runasmanyaspossible. nificantmovementinnegotiations.” work with people who do not care On sentencing Ali, His Honour onlyemergencycarewillbeavailable. “However,thereislikelytobesome Allemergencyservicesforpatients aboutprofits,ormoney,orthebetter- JudgeGraham,said:“Usingacharity A full walk-out is planned for impact to routine inpatient elective along with other urgent care such as ingofonescareertoobtainirrelevant asameanstocommitfraudispartic- Wednesday February 10, from 8am procedures, such as planned opera- cancer,maternityservicesanddialysis titles. ularlyrepellent.” until5pm. tionsandsomeoutpatientclinics.” willcontinue. “Theironepriorityisthepatientin MikeO’Grady,assistantdirectorat The trust said is has detailed plans DrMarkPorter,theBritishMedical JuniordoctorTomLivingstonefrom frontofthem. the Fraud Investigation Service, plansinplaceinabidtominimisedis- Association’s council chairman, said Londonfinisheda100-hourweekon “ThisiswhattheNHSisallabout: HMRC,said:“Thefactthatthispair ruptiontothehospital’sservices. he deeply regretted the disruption Friday,workingeighthoursunpaid. caring for patients whatever their wouldstoopsolowastouseacharity Medical director at Southend industrial action may cause but felt He said: “I am emotionally and background, whatever their illness, as a front to extort money from the Hospital, Neil Rothnie, said patients junior doctors were left with no physicallyexhaustedandwasdanger- whatevertheirstatusinsociety,what- taxpayerisshameful.” wouldbecontactedbythehospitalif option. ously tired on my 45-minute drive evertheirincome.” Whatdoyouthink?WritetoYellowAdvertiser,AcornHouse,GreatOaks,Basildon,Essex,SS141AH,[email protected] 44 SouthendYellowAdvertiser,Weekending,Friday,January22,2016 TOADVERTISETELEPHONEBASILDON(01268)503400 COMPETITION CONTACT US Twitter:@SouthendYA Chemists Win £60 of feed and LondonWeeklyNewspapers attract garden birds Ltd, AcornHouse,GreatOaks, Basildon,EssexSS141AH Theofficeisopenbetween8.30am- 5.30pmfromMondaytoThursdayanduntil 5pmonFriday. 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Tue: 0140 5.78 1403 5.82 LikeusonFacebook: To buy photos visit www.yellowad.co.uk and click on ‘Buy Photos’ Wed: 0215 5.77 1441 5.76 www.facebook.com/YellowAdvertiser TOADVERTISETELEPHONEBASILDON(01268)503400 SouthendYellowAdvertiser,Weekending,Friday,January22,2016 55 NEWS www.yellowad.co.uk CURRENT:DartfordCrossing PhotobyMartinDalton AIDENKIRK (ByFerry)Thursday/SaturdayPricesfrom£35 (ByTrain)Tuesday&Wednesday Pricesfrom£35 BRUGGE / OSTEND 14thFebruaryfrom£35 01268 591 833 Call fordetailsorvisitwww.toursrus.uk.com HHHHaaaavvvveeee yyyyoooouuuurrrr ssssaaaayyyy oooonnnn bbbbiiiidddd ffffoooorrrr aaaa nnnneeeewwww TTTThhhhaaaammmmeeeessss ccccrrrroooossssssssiiiinnnngggg RESIDENTS in south Essex – airpollution.” authority does not buckle under unanimously voted for no new including those in Southend and Thecrossingislikelytobebuilt pressure.” crossingsintheborough,butneed- Basildon–arebeingurgedtoattend inThurrockandcouncilleaderCllr Hebelievesthatthemostpopular edlocalpeopletoshowtheysup- crucialtalksonthelikelihoodofa John Kent said it was crucial as option of the three will be from portthisstand. newlowerThamescrossing. manypeopleaspossibleturnedup TilburytoGravesend. Cllr Ron Woodley, leader of Expertsfeartoxicexhaustfumes to the meeting which will be He added: “There are also Southendcouncil,saidhewantsto generatedbyvehiclesusinganew chaired by BBC radio presenter options to link with the Dock see data about the environmental crossingwillaffectresidentshealth JamesWhale. ApproachRoadorA13,tojointhe impact and air quality a crossing inSouthendandBasildon. Headded:“Weareexpectingthe M25betweenJunctions30and29, maybring. Council leaders are calling resi- government, in the form of ortoparalleltheA128totheA127 Hesaid:“Itistooearlytosaywhat dents toarms and are desperate to Highways England, to announce andjointhemotorwayatjunction the implications of the crossing seethemataconsultationoutlining theirlatestproposalsinthenextfew 29. mightbeandwewillneedtimeto the proposals on Monday, January days. “Forthoseofuslivingandwork- carefully consider our position and 25. “Weanticipatethey’llbetalkingof inghere,allthreeeasterlyoptions lookattheevidence,andsoweawait SimonBirkett,founderanddirec- oneoptionclosetothecurrentcross- willbearecipeforchaosandthe theconsultationwithinterest.” torofCleanAirLondon,saidany ingandthreefurthertotheeast. one between Dartford and West ThemeetingonMondaystartsat new river crossing will “increase “Althoughdetailsaboutthepro- Thurrockwouldbenobetter.” 7pmatOrsettHall,PrinceCharles volumeoftrafficandcarcinogenic posalarestillsparse,it’scrucialthe Cllr Kent said Thurrock has Avenue,Orsett. 66 SouthendYellowAdvertiser,Weekending,Friday,January22,2016 TOADVERTISETELEPHONEBASILDON(01268)503400 NEWS www.facebook.com/YellowAdvertiser The art of Essex on display ALLSMILES:ArtistJohnBulleyattendedthelaunch FORCHARITY: ArtistJonathanOliffandpoetOlmo Lazaruscontributedajointartworktotheexhibition ACOLLECTIONofvaluableartworks A launch event last Friday was specially commissioned and turned attended with her partner John “Everyone complimented the art- hasgoneondisplayinSouthend. attendedbyartistsandpatrons. into an artwork by Rayleigh artist Handley.Oneofthepaintings–Farm worksandthegreatspacetheBeecroft The Foundation for Essex Arts is Theeventalsomarkedthelaunchof Jonathan Oliff, also known as Jonny House Corner by Dylan Thomas Galleryoffers.” displaying the Basildon Arts Trust a new bursary scheme, which will Doodles. Waldren–usedtohanginhermayoral Abatchof25limitededition,hand- CollectionattheBeecroftArtGallery, allow Basildon artstudents toattend Liz Grant, trustee director for the office. printedcopiesofOlmoandJonathan’s VictoriaAvenue. the University of the Arts London foundation, said: “The poem is a bit She said: “We all had a great artworkwillbesoldfor£15each,to Thecollectionhasanestimatedvalue (UAL). edgy.It’sabitpolitical. evening.Itwasalovelyevent.Itwas raisemoneyforthefoundation. ofbetween£70,000and£100,000. The night featured live perfor- “It’saboutthepowerofarttochange just nice people enjoying the arts of They are available to buy at the Thepaintings,datingfromthe1950s mancesbyjazzmusicianJohnSeeley the world. After Olmo performed it Basildon.” gallery or by emailing foundationes- onwards,aremaintainedbythechari- and Basildon poet Olmo Lazarus, of there was enormous clapping and Liz Grant added: “The night went [email protected]. ty “on behalf of the people of theToryTownPoets. cheering.” reallywellandwasverywell-attend- The exhibition will run until Basildon”. Thepoem,titledOnwardsArt,was FormerBasildonmayorMoLarkin, ed. SaturdayMarch12. TOADVERTISETELEPHONEBASILDON(01268)503400 SouthendYellowAdvertiser,Weekending,Friday,January22,2016 77 NEWS www.yellowad.co.uk DELIGHTED: EDGY:Basildon Right, poetOlmoLazarus exhibition performedatthe organiserLiz exhibitionopening GrantandMark Crawley,from Universityof theArts London Photos by Mark Cleveland LOVELY EVENING: Left,former Basildon mayorMo Larkin,whose officeat Basildon Councilused tohouseone ofthe artworks, attendedwith herpartner JohnHandley Allpicturestakenbyouraward-winningphotographersareavailabletobuyonline. Visitwww.yellowad.co.uk,clickonthe‘BuyPhotos’linkandfollowtheinstructions. 88 SouthendYellowAdvertiser,Weekending,Friday,January22,2016 TOADVERTISETELEPHONEBASILDON(01268)503400 NEWS www.yellowad.co.uk Policewoman sacked for lying A POLICE officer has been by Assistant Chief Constable 2015 she requested a number sackedforlyingaboutwhyshe MauriceMason,foundtheoffi- of absences from work and tooktimeoffwork. cer had breached standards of liedaboutthereasonswhy.She EssexPolicedidnotnamethe behaviour in relation to hon- wasdismissedwithoutnotice.” officer, saying bosses thought esty,integrity,duties,responsi- MrMasonsaid:“Thisofficer thefemalePCmightappealthe bilitiesandconduct. hasbeenfoundtolackhonesty, decision and should remain A force spokesman said: integrity and confidentiality, anonymousinthemeantime. “Thepanelheardthatbetween which are fundamental values Amisconductpanel,chaired September 2014 and January policeofficersneed.” TOADVERTISETELEPHONEBASILDON(01268)503400 SouthendYellowAdvertiser,Weekending,Friday,January22,2016 99 NEWS www.yellowad.co.uk Council tax rise forced on us by the government Shortfall of £10m leaves councillors ‘no choice’ SOUTHEND Council has had economy, highways and park- little choice but to increase ing.TheGovernmenthasvirtu- counciltax,sayseniorcouncil- allyobligatedalllocalauthori- lors. ties to raise a special two per TheauthoritymetonMonday centsocialcarepreceptraising todiscussproposalsonhowto £1.3mandthenwiththeother cope with funding cuts from handtook£1.1mawayfromthe centralgovernment. samebudget. Councilchiefssaidtheyhave “Therefore, the Government totryandplugthegapleftbya is simply transferring the cost £10million shortfall from toSouthendcounciltaxpayers. Governmentthisyear. “Themajorityoftheincrease IndependentCouncillorBrian incounciltaxthisyearisdue Ayling said Southend Council entirelytothegovernmentand was also short of £10m last ourneedtoretainthebasicser- year. viceswhichpeopleneed. He said the government had CONCERN:CllrBrianAyling “Althoughchallengingtimes made it impossible to protect suffer from inefficient gas, arewithus,weremainfocused frontline services and all the water, power and telecom on the future and investments other council activities people providers.Wearecertainlynot thatwillbringareturnandcre- expect. allinittogether.” atejobsinthelocaleconomy.” Hesaid:“Itseemsstrangeto Cllr Martin Terry, portfolio SouthendCouncilleaderCllr me that our government holder for public protection, RonWoodleysaidtherewasno increasesoverseasaidyetcuts said he was unhappy the alternative but to increase backonUKfunding. authorityhadbeenforcedinto counciltax. “Weareseeinglocalgovern- increasingcounciltaxbecause Headded:“Wedon’twantto ment,police,essentialservices ofgovernmentfundingcuts. do this but have been forced andallotherservicescut. Hesaid:“Thishashadtobe intoasituationwherewehave “However, the quangos con- donewhileensuringweinvest nochoice.” tinue with their highly paid intheSouthend’seconomyand ●Whatdoyouthink?Email staffwho,itseems,doverylit- infrastructure with significant your views to southend@ tle to protect the people who investmentstohelpthetourist yellowad.co.uk. 1100 SouthendYellowAdvertiser,Weekending,Friday,January22,2016 TOADVERTISETELEPHONEBASILDON(01268)503400 HISTORY ON YOUR DOORSTEP www.yellowad.co.uk HERITAGE:StowMariesAerodrome Early days of aerial combat TWOmillionvisitorstotheTowerofLondon’s alsousedtoouradvantageduringtheFirstWorld powerfuldisplayofceramicpoppies,highlighted War. Osea Island, sitting in the Blackwater the nation’s desire to not forget the sacrifice Estuary,wasusedasasecretbasebytheRoyal madebymenandwomeninconflictsspanning NavyforasquadronofMotorTorpedoBoats. thelastcentury–andEssexisacountyredolent These small, fast and highly manoeuvrable withhistoryrevolvingaroundstrugglesforfree- craftwereusedtohuntdownsubmarinesinthe domandpower. Baltic, or bases on enemy-occupied coasts StowMariesAerodrome,nearMaldon,isthe beforeswiftlyreturningbacktoEssex. lastsurvivingFirstWorldWarairfieldanywhere AsthehomecountyofradiointheUK,Essex intheworld,andwasoriginallycreatedtocom- was also at the forefront of developing radar batGermanZeppelinraidsandbombingattacks technologyduringtheSecondWorldWar. fromitsGothaaircraft. BeaconHillFort,Harwich,isafineexample Manyoftheoriginalbuildingsarestillinsitu ofhowancientbuildingswerecalledintoservice andseveralhavebeenfaithfullyrestoredtotheir inthe20thcentury,hundredsofyearsafterthey originalwartimecondition. were first constructed. Dating back to 1534, Theairfieldstillplayshosttovisitingaircraft BeaconHillbecamehometothecountry’sfirst fromtheeraandthemuseumgivesafascinating radartowerduringtheearly1940s. insightintothisimportantanduniqueaspectof Formoreinformationaboutalltheplacesmen- ourGreatWarheritage. tionedandotherplacesofhistoricalinterestin Ofcourse,thenaturaltopographyofEssexwas Essex,gotowww.visitessex.com.