Southend-on-Sea City Council met on 11 September 2025, and addressed a number of issues including changes to political group representation on committees, and several notices of motion. Councillors agreed to changes to the allocation of committee seats to reflect changes in political group membership, and also agreed to send letters to the Home Secretary regarding the use of the Skylark Hotel for asylum seeker accommodation and to challenge the withdrawal of funding for the Lifstan Boys & Girls Club and Southend Amateur Boxing Club.

Notices of Motion

The council debated and voted on four notices of motion:

Safeguarding Southend from illegal migration

Councillor Owen Cartey proposed a motion, seconded by Councillor James Courtenay, regarding safeguarding Southend-on-Sea from the impact of illegal migration. The motion aimed to prevent the housing of migrants in temporary accommodation, such as hotels, within the city.

The council resolved to:

• Request the Chief Executive to prepare a policy that would allow the council to quickly seek a resolution, such as an injunction, to prevent the use of local hotels for migrant accommodation.
• Write to the Home Office expressing the council's concerns about the potential use of hotels in the area for migrant accommodation and to request full consultation on any future decisions.
• Call on the government to develop a sustainable, properly planned, and community-consulted approach to housing migrants.

Asylum Seekers in Southend and the use of the Skylark Hotel

Councillor Tony Cox proposed a motion, seconded by Councillor Judith McMahon, concerning asylum seekers in Southend and the use of the Skylark Hotel as accommodation for asylum seekers. The motion raised concerns about the number of asylum seekers being housed in the city and the impact on local services.

The council resolved to:

• Request that the administration writes to the Home Secretary to stop the Skylark Hotel being used as accommodation to house asylum seekers due to its impact on local services provided by the council.
• Request that the administration writes to the Home Secretary to ask that members of the council are informed of the rolling number of asylum seekers in Southend and the council of details and whereabouts of all asylum seekers being housed within the city by Clearsprings Ready Homes.
• Request that the administration supports Rochford District Council should they decide to use all legal avenues to stop housing asylum seekers at the Skylark Hotel.

Lifstan Boys & Girls Club and Southend Amateur Boxing Club

Councillor D Nelson proposed a motion, seconded by Councillor Colin Campbell, regarding action to secure the future of Lifstan Boys & Girls Club and Southend Amateur Boxing Club. The motion addressed the withdrawal of a £1.2 million Youth Investment Fund (YIF) grant allocated for a new facility shared by the two clubs.

The council resolved to:

• Request that the Leader of the Council writes to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) challenging the withdrawal of the £1.2 million YIF grant and seeks an extension of the funding deadline to allow completion of the redesigned project by March 2026.
• Request that the Cabinet produces a paper to provide support to commit to supporting Lifstan Boys & Girls Club and Southend Amateur Boxing Club to preserve these historic and invaluable community assets for the benefit of current and future generations of Southend's youth through use of previous grants allocated to support groups preventing ASB¹ in Southend.

Adjustments following changes to Political Groups

Following changes to political group memberships, the council agreed to amend the allocation of seats on various committees to maintain political proportionality. Two councillors had joined the Reform UK group, having previously been members of the Conservative group, which necessitated the adjustments. Councillor Jack Warren was appointed as the Vice Chairman of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The changes affected the Conservative and Reform UK groups, with the latter gaining seats on the Policy and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Audit and Governance Committee, and the General Purposes Committee. The report of Executive Director Strategy and Change details the adjustments.

E-Petition: Secure burial plots for Christians and Muslims

Councillor Stuart Allen presented an e-petition, containing 115 signatures from residents requesting the release of underutilised parts of resident parking zone SH from 6-9pm to support local business.

An e-petition was submitted, containing 533 signatures, expressing concern regarding the availability of Christian and Muslim burial plots within the community. The petitioners called on the council to take action to increase the availability of these plots, emphasising that:

The provision of adequate burial facilities is a matter of fundamental respect and human dignity. I implore you to address this issue with the urgency it demands.

The e-petition was referred to the Cabinet for consideration.

Feed and Food Service Plan 2025/2026

The council approved the official Feed and Food Control Service Plan for 2025/26, as recommended by the Cabinet on 21 July 2025. The plan is essential for complying with the Food Standards Agency Framework Agreement and addressing findings from the Food Standards Agency audit. The Cabinet noted achievements against the previous plan for 2024-25.