By Anna Firth Conservative Party

It has been the honour and privilege of my life to be your MP since early 2022 and I am proud of what we have achieved together, despite the tragic circumstances that led to my election.

Sir David Amess was a proud and popular public servant of the highest calibre – his life  tragically ended by an Islamist terror attack in the most horrific of ways.

I pledged to build on Sir David’s impressive legacy and that’s exactly what I’ve done: continuing his support for all things musical and cultural in our City, especially the Music Man Project, helping constituents face to face, championing the Children’s Parliament and much, much more.

I am particularly proud to have championed the Pet Abduction Act, an act that recognises the importance of cats, dogs and other domestic animals, and makes stealing them a recognised criminal offence with commensurate punishment. I am sure that Sir David would approve.

I was born in Leigh and many members of my family were treated at Southend Hospital, so I made it my mission to track down the missing £118 million which was stuck in the corridors of Whitehall, the majority of which is now coming to Southend Hospital for vital upgrades.

A fantastic new A&E ward has already been built and two new operating theatres, 48 more beds that will enable 5,600 extra operations a year are yet to come. Ambulances have been another big focus for me.

I was horrified to see many old and sick people waiting for hours and hours outside Southend Hospital. After a lot of my hard work, ambulance handover times have gone from being the worst in the region to the best. If re-elected, I am determined to see our hospital back to being “good” or “outstanding”.

Protecting our beautiful seafront was another priority, especially when nitrous oxide (laughing gas) provoked anti-social behaviour. Tackling knife crime was also a top priority of mine.

Working with the Home Secretary I changed the law to get zombie knives off our streets and have also made nitrous oxide a class C drug. Beach cafes now tell me that the seafront is once again safe and clean for everyone to enjoy. I’ve also helped ensure our Police have the right resources to detect knives, track criminals and catch them fast with state-of-the-art knife poles and new CCTV cameras in Old Leigh.

I’ve forced Anglian Water to attend four successful ‘clean water summits’. As a result they are now testing the water along all eight of Southend’s beaches and have committed £104 million to making our new City an international exemplar. We are the only place in the country where this is happening.

Many found my so-called ‘Brexit clams’ amusing, but let me tell you that the discovery of new, prolific clam beds in the estuary will transform our local fishing industry as will the £14.8 million of levelling-up money that I have secured for Old Leigh port.

One of my proudest achievements was securing the funding for the statue of Sir David in Chalkwell. Giving the Amess family a lasting and permanent tribute to their husband and father is incredibly important and I know that a lot of you also find solace in being able to go and ‘spend time’ alongside Sir David once more. When you come to choosing who is going to get your vote, I’d like to reassure you that while all the other candidates can make promises, I can show you a strong record of achievement. I have delivered for you here in Southend West and Leigh and if you give me your support, I will continue to do so.

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