Here at Longpier.com, we're delighted to welcome Rachel Charman editor of Councilbust - a site for independent reporting of politics in the Southend borough. Rachel will write a number of opinion pieces for Longpier.com, and her knowledge of the workings of Civic Centre will be crucial in the lead up to the local and national elections.

Conservatives in Southend have released two new computer generated images of the proposed new development at Cuckoo Corner, suggesting protest groups are "scaremongering" over the multi-million pound development.
Protestors are currently camped out near the roundabout, campaigning against the removal of trees, to make way for the development.

It's been confirmed that protestors at Camp Cuckoo in Southend have left the site. The decision came just hours after a judge at the High Court ruled the group had no legal rights to be at the junction of Priory Crescent and Victoria Avenue.
Saxon King in Priory Park spokeswoman Patsy Link confirmed to longpier.

Tree felling began at Cuckoo Corner in Southend overnight. These pictures were captured at 11.30am on Saturday (20th March). The threatened trees will all be pulled down this weekend and Priory Crescent road will be shut to traffic. You can read the full story here.

In what's likely to be the final chapter of the story at Cuckoo Corner, Southend Council has stated the many of the trees which were chopped down on Saturday were diseased.
Several of the trees, which had all been removed by noon, were found to be very badly infected with the giant polypore fungus, which - the council says - made them potentially unsafe.