It
is always pleasing to receive
correspondence (complimentary or otherwise) relating to articles that
have
appeared in The Resident. It shows that people read the newsletter, all
of it
not just the back page, also it provides an insight into the thoughts
of
readers.
Consider the correspondence in
recent issues of The Resident. The Association has been exhorted to
“get back
to basics”, to do what “the Association did”. The editor has been
described as
“a failed editor” and the newsletter referred to as “an advertising
funded joke
sheet”, however there have been more letters of support and those in
which the
writer has expressed satisfaction with the content of The Resident. Nevertheless these
comments have made me
think. What does getting back to basics mean? What did the Association
do? Has
the content changed, if so why?
The Billericay Residents’
Association was formed in 1926 to further the interests of the people
of
Billericay and soon afterwards persuaded the local Parish Council to
acquire
After the war Mr Ray Gunter became
MP for Billericay and attended many meetings of the Association to
explain some
of the controversial legislation of the government. Plans to build an
industrial estate north of the railway caused consternation and united residents of
the town behind the
Association; people living in Buttsbury were also concerned about the
proposed
development and formed the Sunnyville Residents’ Association, later to
become
the Buttsbury Residents’ Association.
The rapid development which was
taking place in Billericay convinced the two associations that it was
necessary
to have representations on the District Council, subsequently in May
1961 the
first RA councillor was elected to Basildon District Council. Further
successes
followed with four more RA candidates being elected in consecutive
elections.
Subsequently the Associations wrote
letters to local authorities, councillors and the MP expressing concern
at the
manner in which locals service were being overstretched by the rapidly
developing town. Schools were overcrowded and children were being
taught in
demountable classrooms, road surfaces were in need of repair and street
lighting left much to be desired. Many other facilities were considered
unsatisfactory, for example, footpaths, car parks, school swimming
pools,
childrens’ play areas, water supply pipes and pressure, fluctuating
electricity
voltage, lack of telephone boxes and residential lines, overcrowded and
late
running trains. Additionally the publication of the County of Essex
Plan First
Review 1964 brought cries of protest from the residents of the town
since it
included a plan to build a Billericay Relief Road. The proposal was
defeated after two
public enquiries at
which the Associations’ views were heard. Other proposals were
monitored by the
Associations and their councillors including that to develop
The Government’s Boundaries
Commission made drastic changes in many of the country’s electoral
boundaries
which came into force in 1979. Thus Buttsbury Ward ceased to exist and
three
new County Council wards were formed : Billericay East, Billericay West
and
Ramsden. However in anticipation of the changes the two Residents’
Associations
decided to merge to form one to represent the whole of Billericay.
Thus
the Billericay District
Residents’ Association was formed on Friday 3 March 1978 by the
amalgamation of
the two Residents’ Associations: the Buttsbury Residents’ Association
(formerly
the Sunnyville Residents’ Association) and the Billericay Residents’
Association. The town was divided into three areas: Billericay West,
Billericay
East and Burstead, each having its own committee and nominating two
members to
sit on the Executive Committee which was to be responsible for
formulating
policy. On 1 May 1978 the new association launched its own newsletter -
The
Resident - which was, and still is circulated to all members.
Whilst recognising that between 1960
and 1980 Essex was the fastest growing county in the country and
Billericay was
one of the fastest growing towns in
The Association was represented at
many of the inquiries relating to major developments such as Norsey
Meadows,
land at
So this, in brief, is what the
Residents’ Association did. Mostly planning matters, but it was also
represented on outside bodies, for example: Billericay Area Committee,
Billericay Crime Prevention Panel, Billericay Building Preservation
Trust, The
Health Needs of the People of Billericay and Wickford and the
Billericay Town
Council Steering Committee. The question is can the “Association now do
what it
did”? Probably not. The town is over developed, although it is highly
likely
space for more houses will eventually have to be found but not on the
scale of
previous years, consequently the possibility of controversial
developments is
not high. The birth of the Town Council and its ever increasing
involvement in
the community calls into question the role of the Association and in
what
capacity its resources can most effectively be utilised. There are
other
organisations, e.g. the Basildon District Neighbourhood Action Panels,
whose
involvement in the community is similar to that of the Association but
have the
active participation of the police and consequently the authority of
the
police. However what the Association needs most
is new members, people who are
prepared to work for the community and give the their time for no
financial
gain. If we have sufficient enthusiastic
members then we can determine how best
we can utilise our resources for the benefit of the community. If you
are
interested contact: Trevor Stansfield, 01277 623519, tremar@aol.com. Or
the chairman
John Buchanan