My contribution:
I am writing to support the development of Southend Airport.
We are an international software house, based in the UK but with offices all over the world. A great deal of our travel is by light aircraft, which provide us with the flexibility to travel widely and make effective use of our time. We judge the economic viability of a city by the proximity of a GA airport.
Southend is one of the two finest GA airfields in the South East, arguably in the country (the other being Biggin Hill) and the only one in the SE which is available 24 hours a day.
It is a gem of a resource, and a major contributor to flight safety.
It is much easier to drive an existing airport to closure than to open a new one, and if Southend Council fail to support the airfield they will risk reducing the economic standing and status of the area irreversibly.