Westminster Report - Leigh-on-Sea

Share this story!

Leigh On Sea News: Westminster Report – BY David Burton-Sampson MP for Southend West & Leigh.

Westminster Report – BY David Burton-Sampson MP for Southend West & Leigh.

BY David Burton-Sampson MP for Southend West & Leigh.

It’s been a good month for the people of Southend with announcements on buses, water and devolution.

I was really pleased to hear that north to south bus services are returning to Leigh with the help of government money, to restart the 23A and 23B services.

The aim is to get the new routes up and running by the summer, from the Holiday Inn at London Southend Airport and Southend Airport Business Park to Leigh Station. It is fantastic news.

There were more positive plans announced at our MPs’ Water Summit at Thorpe Bay Yacht Club. Work is finally underway, from this April, on works to prevent flooding in the city.

Anglian Water told 50 stakeholders, residents’ groups, councillors and campaigners that surface water management measures, including pocket parks, would begin in a few weeks’ time to help keep stop storm overflows from polluting the waters of our estuary.

We held a super surgery in Leigh addressing people’s concerns about everything from housing to anti-social behaviour.

Our partners from the police, Citizens Advice, the Department for Work and Pensions and Southend City Council were kept busy with inquiries. It is always a privilege to meet people face to face and be able to help solve their problems.

I have been busy in the constituency visiting two schools recently where I was delighted to meet Year 6 pupils at Prince Avenue Academy and Nursery, who fired questions at me relentlessly! Meanwhile, at Chase High School, the Junior Leadership team spoke to me before sixth formers gave me another grilling.

In Parliament, I have been busy speaking in the chamber. I made a speech about financial education as part of a debate on this important issue. I am on a parliamentary group for financial education and it’s something I really care about.

What we want to see is a world where everybody can understand their finances and manage them properly to invest, save and manage debt.

The Leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, pledged that the government will bring forward new laws on e-scooters and e-bikes after I asked her a question in the House. I called for more regulation because, although they are environmentally friendly, e-scooters can be a menace. I was delighted to hear that the government is taking positive steps.

I heard about the challenges and opportunities facing businesses at a meeting with members of the Chamber of Commerce, which I hosted with my fellow Southend MP, Bayo Alaba and Colchester’s Pam Cox. Most of the businesses were from Southend and we were happy to listen to what they had to say.

I was also pleased to see that Southend is to join the Devolution Priority programme with a Mayor to be elected in 2026.

Devolution will give us more powers over housing and planning, over transport and skills and training. I asked the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, in the Chamber for assurances that we will not lose our identity.

We want to move power out of Westminster and back to those who know their areas best, by reforming England’s two-tier council system. It will create simpler, more efficient and clearer structures, with fewer senior managers and politicians and more money for frontline public services.

It will give local people unprecedented powers, putting us on a fast track to deliver

growth. The new Mayor will take a more direct role than ever before, equipped with a range of new powers across strategic planning, housing, transport and skills.

Everything that makes Southend Special is to be celebrated in the forthcoming City Day on March 1st. The city will come alive with a celebration of our city’s heritage, culture, and community spirit.

This is the first City day, it’s being held on the anniversary of the city being awarded its status in 2022 and I look forward to all the community events across the weekend.

about author

Editor