A NEW tree should be planted for every single baby born in Southend to help improve the street scene, according to councillors.

Tory councillors Dan Nelson and Alan Dear are behind calls to plant a new sapling for every childbirth registered in the city and parents would be told where their child’s tree had been planted.

The motion, which will be discussed at Thursday’s full council, highlighted a wealth of positive impact trees could have on the city.

The idea has been welcomed by Richard Longstaff, Green Party councillor for Leigh ward.

He said: “I think that’s a brilliant idea. It will really make people feel connected to the city. It’s a wonderful idea. Personally I’d say plant a tree for every child under 16 in Southend.

“We need to plant thousands of trees and we need to know the location of where we can plant trees and that’s the big hurdle.

“We’re always being told no you can’t just plant a tree anywhere. Well we know that but give us the locations to plant.”

Mr Longstaff added: We need to get a move on. We haven’t got time to keep messing around and pontificating about it. We just need to get trees in the ground.”

The motion follows criticism of Southend Council for axing trees, with campaign group Once Upon A Tree set up to help protect trees - including “Chester” in Chichester Road.

The motion said: “Trees have a variety of positive impacts on our city. They can lower the temperature of city streets during extreme heat, increase flood defence, enable good mental health, reduce our carbon footprint, and of course improve the street scene of our city.

“However, for many years the city appears to have lost more trees than it has been able to plant and the “two for one” policy has historically been difficult to implement.

“This has meant that residents often feel that trees are not being replaced. Trees are often seen as a celebration of life and so the feeling from residents that their number is decreasing often brings distress.”