Westminster Report

Westminster Report by Southend West MP Anna Firth. Championing Leigh as a cultural centre.

I AM so proud that we have an such an incredibly diverse and vibrant cultural offering here in Leigh, and I am delighted that we have so much to enjoy locally this summer.

We are a huge tourist destination, and I have been very pleased to see our beaches busy and our pubs and restaurants thriving as we enter the summer months. These tourists are a real boost to our economy, supporting our small and independent businesses.

Following on from a record-breaking year in 2022 when 400,000 people visited, Southend Pier has been welcoming record numbers of visitors this year. I am especially delighted that this year, Southend was given the prestigious ‘Pier of the Year’ award, recognising its rich history and heritage.

The pier continues to look for new ways to bring more people to our brilliant city, and last month it hosted the amazing tall-ship El Galeon – I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to see this incredible boat, and I can’t wait to see what other visiting attractions we will have over the coming months.

We are also lucky enough to have a unique musical culture in Leigh.

There are far too many to mention, but I especially loved my visit to the Shanty Festival, which drew people in from around the country. I am hugely excited about the return of the Leigh Folk Festival later this summer, and am looking forward to meeting as many of the acts and stalls as I can. I was also very pleased with the recent decision that the Jazz Centre is set to stay at the Beecroft Gallery, where it can continue to flourish.

And of course, it is not just music where we are national leaders. The Southend Film Festival is returning, and following on from the success of the Hares About Town trail in 2021, Havens Hospices will be teaming up once again with Wild in Art in 2023, and I am looking forward to seeing the ‘Herd in the City’ Elephant Trail across the city.

We also have some brilliant museums across our city, with the potential to create even more new and exciting attractions.

In the waters off Southend and Leigh lies the wreck of The London 1665 ship. This 17th century flagship played a significant role in British history, forming part of the convoy sent in 1660 to collect Charles II from the Netherlands and restore him to the throne.

The London sank in March 1665, following a gun powder explosion. Over 300 crew on board died, with only 24 survivors.

Sadly, with the increasing numbers of vessels in the Thames, causing stronger currents, the ship is eroding away at a quicker rate.

Our rich underwater cultural heritage has the power to revitalise and regenerate costal towns and cities, creating thousands of new jobs and contributing millions to the economy.

I have been working with the Nautical Archaeology Society and the Save The London organisation to ensure this incredible cultural asset is kept intact and protected. I am very supportive of plans to bring the London back to the surface, so it can be restored and appreciated by all on display. This could be a key cornerstone of my mission to level-up Leigh, enhancing our reputation as a cultural centre.

It is this brilliant culture that I want to celebrate and share with the rest of the country by applying to become UK City of Culture 2029. This would allow us to showcase everything that we do so brilliantly already, and provide a catalyst to develop new attractions, such as the London Shipwreck.

This application could lead directly to millions of pounds of investment and revenue, and many more jobs.

When Coventry was the UK City of Culture in 2021, they benefitted from an additional £172 million of additional revenue, and 102 jobs were directly created. In 2017 in Hull, 800 jobs were created in a variety of sectors, and employment in the cultural sector increased by 15%.

I am very hopeful that the Council will support my campaign for us to become the City of Culture 2029, so that we can make Southend and Leigh not just a tourist destination, but a real haven where culture flourishes and creativity thrives.

Picture: Chris Burls of the Endeavour Trust with Anna Firth at the recent Shanty Festival in Old Leigh.
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