The following letter appeared in the Echo this week:

I have read the news item and Tory councillor Kevin Buck’s letter regarding the £382,000 loss of revenue due to the parking pass.

I believe there is one element which has not been considered here and that is that the parking pass would have brought people back to Southend who would not have otherwise done so.

Around four years ago my wife and I used to visit Southend town centre once a week to browse and buy at the various shops.

We would park just outside town for free and walk in.

But we were growing tired of the aggressive begging and then discovered the free Asda parking at Basildon so changed our weekly journey and spent a few hours in Eastgate.

Then the pandemic hit and of course everything stopped.

At the time the parking pass was introduced and everything started opening up again we decided to give Southend another try.

This meant we could park on the seafront for up to 3 hours and have a pleasant walk into Southend.

With the advantage of the pass we started going into Southend more often, sometimes just for a coffee or to meet friends other times shopping for a specific item.

My point being if the pass was not available we would rarely have visited Southend and supported the many businesses of the borough.

I find the convenience and affordability of the pass has changed our spending habits and I am sure the pass must have helped a lot of businesses recover from the pandemic.

John Payne

Cheltenham Drive, Leigh