The good news keeps rolling in for Southend. Just this week I received some more good news from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. I am pleased to announce that Southend Council has been awarded £127,000 by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government toward developing housing in Southend.
This funding comes from the Ministry’s Planning Delivery Fund, which assessed bids submitted by councils and awarded money to those which were of ‘high quality’. Southend was awarded money from the ‘promoting innovation’ fund, demonstrating that this scheme was innovative and effective.
In addition, a further £871,000 has been awarded from the joint working fund for a plan to deliver housing which was submitted together with other local authorities, including Thurrock, Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point and Rochford. This funding will allow the local councils work together to more effectively meet South Essex’s housing needs.
In the spirit of continual good news, this week I was fortunate enough to cut the ribbon and help open Southend’s very own Starbucks drive-thru on the Greyhound estate. The drive-thru will be open Monday to Friday between 06:30- 21:00pm, Saturday 07:30- 21:00pm and on Sunday between the hours of 08:30-20:00pm. The drive-thru also has relaxing indoor seating areas and free Wi-Fi for those who don’t want to make a quick stop. The store currently employs 22 people with the capacity of 25, I was very glad to hear that most of the staff were local.
Whilst at the opening it was great to know that the store will be supporting a local charity, the Isaiah Project. For those who do not know, The Isaiah Project, which is part of the Southend Christian Fellowship, came into being in September 2008.they provide ongoing support, in areas such as drug and alcohol abuse, debt counselling, and budgeting. At present the Isaiah Project houses 33 adults and 18 children. Their ‘befrienders’ see tenants on a weekly basis, visiting everyone in their own home, taking people to appointments with the doctor, shopping and anything else needing support. They are a great bunch of people and if you do not already support them I encourage you visit their many projects in around Southend.
As ever, if you wish to contact me regarding any issues raised in this article please do not hesitate to contact me on 01702 616 135 or email me at [email protected]