Westminster Report

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

An historic win for Labour in Southend means the City now has two new Labour MPs and I know you will see the difference.
It is the honour of my life to be the first ever Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh. I am delighted to represent you and to be your voice in Parliament.
The country was crying out for change.  You have put your trust in us to deliver it and we will not let you down.
The Labour Party’s landslide victory rewrote the political map here in Southend and delivered a huge majority at Westminster.
We will not squander it, while also being mindful of the public purse because of the dire economic legacy we have inherited from the previous Government.
I have wasted no time in getting stuck into my role and I have already given my Maiden Speech to Parliament. I paid tribute to my predecessor, Anna Firth and of course, to Sir David Amess. He and I shared a passion for this community and the people we serve. His legacy lives on and it is commemorated in the City status we enjoy today.
I told the House that Southend West and Leigh has a wonderful, diverse community spirit, from Eastwood to St Laurence, Prittlewell to Westborough, Belfairs to Blenheim and in St Luke’s, which has just been welcomed into our constituency.
The area is home to some lovely seaside properties – it is a beautiful place – but there are still 12% of children living in poverty.
Grassroots organisations, such as the One Love Project, Trust Links and the now famous Music Man Project, do amazing work to help bridge the gap. I am pleased that, with this new Labour Government in the service of our Country, we will start the work of bridging the gap of opportunity for all.
In Southend, tourism is key. We are a magnet for day trippers enjoying a day on the beach, particularly in this hot weather.
It is vital to the prosperity of the town that we improve the quality of our bathing water to keep it sewage free and I am delighted that our government is bringing forward the Water (Special Measures) Bill.
As well as recruiting my new team who will work with me to assist you, I am in the process of finalising the lease on our new constituency office – more news on this soon.  I have also met with Essex Police, Southend Hospital Management Team, the Leader of Southend City Council and the Chair and Vice Chair of Leigh Town Council for initial introductory conversations.
I would like to take this opportunity to reassure residents that Southend and Leigh are both safe and open for business.
Within a few weeks of me taking office, violent scenes erupted on the seafront and eight people were arrested. Weapons were seized and video shared on social media appeared to show men brandishing machetes near the Adventure Island theme park.
I have been clear that this behaviour is totally unacceptable. Large crowds of young people were seen on the seafront, which had been busy during one of the hottest days of the year. Police believe many were party-goers who travelled to the City from elsewhere and a very small minority were bent on violence.
My thoughts are with those affected by the incident, I thank Essex Police for their fantastic work throughout the disturbances and I have nothing but praise for the response of our emergency services.
I am happy to report that this seems to have been an isolated occurrence, but once again, last weekend, police stood ready to ensure that peace was quickly restored if needed.
I am working on building co-operation between Police forces in future, to prevent hooligans coming to our city and wreaking havoc.
Recently I visited the Parkinson’s Support Group at The United Reform Church on Crowstone Road. I would like to thank the team there for raising my awareness of some of the major challenges people with Parkinson’s face, such as access to medication while in hospital and challenges applying for Blue Parking Badges. I shall be a champion for them in the future.
If you have a cause close to your heart or an issue you need help with, please get in touch with us either by email: [email protected] or by calling us on 0207 219 7745 and we will do our upmost to assist you.

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