Anna Waite criticises single mothers along with alcohol dependents, the unemployed and drug addicts for living too near to the town centre, and having an effect on the willingness of chain stores to trade in Southend.

Apparently, it seems stores in Southend rely on these citizens alone to keep them in profit.

Single mums not spending enough money? Single or not, mums do nothing but spend money on growing children – even the bare essentials are expensive these days.

It’s also possible those in receipt of multiple benefits have more cash to spare than others working for an average wage, who don’t receive help with council tax or enjoy free prescriptions and eye tests.

The fact is that during a recession, everyone stops doing what shops rely on and encourage us to do: impulse buy and waste money.

We leave credit cards at home and stop deluding ourselves that we have more money than we really do.

I would have thought the real issue is what the politicians are actually planning to do to help and improve the circumstances of the aforementioned individuals, who are living on the margins of society, if not the margins of the town.

Vivien Brock
W alsingham Road
Southend

...Anna Waite states the need to have Southend High Street smartened up, and this might include such cosmetic matters as new bins, pavements and lighting.

I think we could start with selling off that ridiculous £65,000 statue erected at the Victoria Gateway roundabout. Money well spent I think not.

More importantly, we have to accommodate the spending budgets of all classes of society.

This is what I would call the pyramid of social decay, possibly at the very top, banks who won’t lend to small businesses, as a result small businesses can’t recruit more staff, as a result, the unemployed population haven’t the money to spend, hence the need for pound shops and the like.

N Vince
Rocheway
Rochford

Anna Waite is a former Southend councillor and now a member of the public.

Her views, therefore, are no more or less important than mine or my neighbours.

The Echo should stop giving Ms Waite, who is not even a resident of the town, a status that she does not have.

Louise Wilcox
High Street
Shoebury

...Status and privilege should not be a passport to our community.

If we believe in the motto “live and let live” then the High Street should not be a barrier because of one’s appearance.

I am a working-class Tory yet and although my reward is not monetary, I gain tremendous satisfaction from learning to share my life space with other people regardless of position in society, appearance, race, religion, nationality, gender, disability, sexual orientation or age.

I know of three conservative MPs who talk openly about being raised by a single mother. Another Tory MP is a single parent.

I would therefore like to think that the modern image of David Cameron's Conservatives is more akin to those people I represent in multicultural Kursaal ward who are fearless in adversity, hard working, caring, selfless and community orientated. These people know about what it means to make do on little and support great children.

We are all on a journey in life so let’s help one another.

Anna Waite is a good person.

I like her and it is shame the headline of the article portrayed her negatively.

Blaine Robin
Councillor, Kursaal Ward
Tankerville Drive
Leigh