Westminster Report - Leigh-on-Sea

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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.

I HAVE now seen a side to Southend that I have never seen before – from the inside of a police car! No, I hadn’t been arrested, but simply invited to patrol with the Southend Community Policing Team.

PC Danny Bell took the wheel while we patrolled the Stock Road Industrial Estate, Old Leigh and Two Tree Island. Sergeant Matthew Halls told me that any problems in Leigh were few and far between and he expressed how much they valued the help of the community.

We talked about the extra funding in the budget for more neighbourhood and police and community PCSO’s. Sergeant Halls told me that more officers are needed because they are routinely lost through retirement and because of our proximity to London, some are lost to the Met too. He appealed for volunteers to help out as special constables.

I thoroughly enjoyed my evening with the team, I really value what they do to keep our streets safe, and I thank them for their hard work.

I am absolutely delighted that Southend and Leigh is to receive a massive £2.5 million pounds for buses in the city. I will now be working with the council to ensure these funds are appropriately allocated as quickly as possible to improve reliability and increase bus routes to areas that do not have them at the moment.

Southend and Leigh will see unprecedented levels of funding to improve services. It has been neglected for too long. We promised to get things done and this proves we are doing just that.

The Transport Secretary has announced £1 billion to support, improve and protect crucial bus services across the country. The funding is particularly generous for Southend and Leigh because the amount reflects the need for improvement in areas like ours, that have been historically underserved.

People rely on a decent bus service. It’s really important that students can get to college on time, that people can get to work and to hospital appointments and go shopping by bus, quickly and easily.

The plans, including extending a cap on bus fares and speeding up delivery of the local control of bus services, are the biggest reform to England’s bus system in 40 years.

It was a privilege to join The Music Man Project’s rehearsal recently and they even got me up to do a solo!

This was off the back of the group being awarded The Kings Award for Voluntary Services and appearing on Good Morning Britain! The Music Man Project is an absolute credit to our city and all those who attend are amazing. Thank you to the wonderful leaders and volunteers who make The Music Man Project the success it is. A special thanks to David Stanley whom we know is the energy and passion behind making this such an amazing project.

November saw Parliament week, an opportunity for children to learn more about how things here work. 32 of our organisations and schools held events and I was excited to talk to some young people in Southend West and Leigh who were getting involved. I was impressed by their engagement, and they asked some very difficult questions!

After welcoming the Minister for Sport to Roots Hall a few weeks ago, I finally got to enjoy a game myself. Despite the result not being what we wanted, it was a great afternoon and it was good to catch up with the Shrimpers Trust too.

I am looking forward to my next game. The match started with a poignant tribute in advance of Remembrance Day commemorations, and I would like to thank everyone for attending services on the day at Southend Cenotaph, Eastwood Memorial Hall and St Clements Church in Leigh.

I have also visited Trust Links, the local independent charity working to improve mental health. I am so impressed with the work they do. I met with their CEO, Matt King and Head of Fundraising, Nicky Evans at their Southend site.

They do such wonderful work including running a toddler group on Friday and gardening, woodwork, cookery and counselling classes; all to support people with their mental well being and with most activities free of charge. Many of the team are volunteers. Well done to them all for the great work they do in the community.

I dusted off my black tie for the excellent St Vincent’s Centre Charity Fundraising Dinner. It was a great opportunity to hear more about the work St Vincent’s are doing in our city to support homeless and vulnerable people. They also launched their Doors of Hope campaign to keep St Vincent’s Southend open this Christmas.

Now I am wearing a White Ribbon to mark the action days at the end of November as part of the campaign to prevent violence and harassment against women. Southend City Council has become accredited for the first time this year and is promoting a number of upcoming events, so you too can get involved.

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