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 was astonished to see how popular the new, free breakfast club at a Leigh Primary School is proving to be.

Families are delighted with the excellent new provisions at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary and more than 130 children are now attending every morning.

It is a great example of Labour policy in action, making a real difference to people’s lives.

The primary school is part of the first set of new free breakfast clubs announced the government last month, before a wider rollout across England.

With tasty food options available and childcare from 08.15 in the morning, it’s no wonder it’s a real hit with the community.

I cannot praise the school enough for having achieved this in record time getting our children school ready and potentially saving parents up to £450 a year. It shows what a difference this government is making.

I met with CEO Denise Nygate and Trustee Ian Jones at Friends and Places Together on a recent visit to the charity’s base at the Victoria Centre in Southend.

The organisation focuses on helping young people build and maintain friendships outside of school and college, providing safe spaces where they can meet and connect.

The charity operates from the top floor of the Victoria Centre and is dedicated to creating inclusive environments that combat isolation and loneliness.

This charity does amazing work across the city helping vulnerable young people see their friends or make new friendships outside school and college in safe spaces and it was great to hear about their work.

The Salvation Army is another charity doing great work in our city. I was pleased to visit them in Leigh where I saw the mother and toddler group, a nursery school session and joined a coffee morning. I am so impressed with all that they achieve here and thank everyone involved. The children were extremely well behaved when I read them a story!

This month has seen another of my special SOS surgeries, when we meet with partnership organisations including the Citizens Advice bureau, Southend Healthwatch and the charity for families with children who have additional needs or disabilities, SNAP.

It was extremely well attended, with appointments for all the different organisations throughout the whole afternoon and it was good to meet you all. Our next special surgery will be in the summer, but I will be holding my regular monthly surgeries in between.

In Westminster I have been busy examining the Crime and Policing Bill and told MPs that mobile phone theft was the scourge of modern life and I supported the new measures to allow police officers to access properties without a warrant if a stolen phone has been tracked to that address.

I also spoke about the growing menace of electronic devices that help thieves steal valuable cars. With this new Bill we are cracking down on crime to make our streets safer.

The Football Governance Bill is another piece of legislation making its way through parliament. Sport Secretary, Lisa Nandy, discussed with me putting fans back at the heart of the game as part of the Bill.

I told parliament that no one wants that more than the Shrimpers Trust, run by passionate Southend United supporters. We know that football clubs command a singular place in the heart of their community and in the hearts of their fans and nowhere more so than in our own club of Southend United.

The Sports Minister, Stephanie Peacock, chose Roots Hall to launch the government’s new rules on governing the game. She told me then how pleased she was to introduce the Bill and how it would prevent other clubs going through the financial crises that Southend went through.

Football is the lifeblood flowing through the veins of millions of people who are passionate about the sport. This game it delivers a sense of community, of excitement, and belonging – like frankly, nothing else does. It is our national obsession and we are, through this bill putting it on a sounder footing for future generations of Shrimpers fans!

As well as bringing a huge economic benefit, the club’s continued success is key to the city’s identity and community. And what fantastic news we have had, securing the final place in the National League play-offs – something richly deserved.

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