Traders have insisted zero-hour contracts help young people gain employment and contribute to the thriving Southend seafront, contradicting a local councillor's claims of unpredictability.

At the People Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday night, Labour councillor Jane Norman addressed the "micro job situation on the seafront".

She claimed that "a lot of the seafront jobs are zero-hour contracts," branding it as "unhealthy".

However, Martin Richardson, owner of the Happidrome Arcade, has hit back on the claims, and highlighted how it gets youngsters into work.

He said: "In the real world, the seafront is the biggest employers of school leavers.

"We give them a chance to get used to working and having some responsibility.

"We can be very weather related, and very seasonal related. But, it is about giving kids a start in life even whilst they are still in education."

Philip Miller MBE, the owner of Adventure Island, added: "For seasonal and weather dependant business the flexibility of seasonal contracts works for the benefit of both the employer and employee.

"We employ nearly 1,200 team members.

"Most young people much prefer to work in this unrestricted way."

This comes after the new Labour administration introduced seafront charges from 6pm to 9pm, while reducing parking by 11.14 per cent elsewhere in the city.

Tony Cox, the leader of the Conservative group, was furious by the "attack on the seafront".

He added: "I am still staggered. It has degraded the whole seafront.

"It also demonises people who want to do seasonal works whilst in studies, and it makes a general assumption that they are unhealthy.

"It is disgusting and yet another assault on the seafront."

Councillor Norman still supported a ban on zero hour contracts.

She added: "The Labour Party policy on zero hour contracts is to ban them altogether.

"They provide uncertain and unpredictable working hours, which leads to instability and insecurity and I believe that this ensures the most vulnerable of our society gets exploited.

"Zero hours, I feel never works for those who carry out the work, but allows the employer to almost hire and fire at will.

"We need employers to deliver fair working conditions and guaranteed work.

"Angela Rayners pledge of introducing registration to end zero contracts should be welcomed by all those currently suffering from this unfair system."