Reform UK Southend and Rochford

17/07/2026

17/07/2026

Protecting Our Neighbourhoods from HMO Over Development

On Thursday 16th July, Reform councillors brought forward a motion calling for an Article 4 Direction across Southend, proposed by Cllr John Corrigan and seconded by Cllr Judith McMahon.

Right now, a family home can be converted into a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) for up to six unrelated tenants without any planning permission at all. That means no say for the council, and no say for residents, on the impact to parking, local services or the character of our streets.

With over 2,300 HMO bed spaces already in the city, and more appearing all the time, this unchecked spread brings real impacts locally, from added pressure on parking to strain on services and the loss of family homes.

An Article 4 Direction would aim to close that loophole. It would require a proper planning application for these conversions, giving the council the power to assess them and, where appropriate, refuse them.

Our motion now sits with the Labour run Cabinet. We hope they will back it and give residents the protection they deserve.

Our Reform councillors are working for residents.

11/07/2026

Into the final four of the FIFA World Cup. GET IN THERE! 💪

11/07/2026

Reform in Southend working for you!

One of the things I hear from residents is about HMOs appearing on their street with no warning and no way to object.

We’ve just had exactly that on Neil Armstrong Way, a 6-bed HMO that, under current national planning rules, needs no planning permission and comes with no consultation at all.

Applications like this are usually a Lawful Development Certificate, not a planning application. A planning application asks the council to weigh up the pros and cons and decide whether something should go ahead, which is where objections matter. A Lawful Development Certificate just confirms a legal fact, that the conversion is already allowed under national permitted development rights. There’s no vote, no consultation, and no discretion for the council to refuse it.

That’s not a decision Southend Council makes, it’s a loophole in national planning law. But it’s exactly the gap my Reform group is trying to close.

At Full Council on 16 July, we’re proposing a city-wide Article 4 Direction that would remove this automatic right and require full planning permission, with proper consultation, for these conversions across the city.

It won’t undo cases already in the pipeline, but it will stop the next street facing the same situation with zero say in the future.

11/07/2026

A touching tribute.

10/07/2026

Very sad news. Ann was a dedicated public servant. May she rest in peace.

If anyone can be said to have changed politics for good it was Ann Widdecombe.

She was the most significant woman in British politics since Margaret Thatcher.

Rest in Peace, Ann.