Summertime is upon us and with it comes masses of opportunities to enjoy Southend-on-Sea at its very best. We are such an attractive destination with more than seven million visitors every year and 10,000 people employed in tourism, so the summer months are hugely important for our city.
This summer we have the fabulous spectacle of Waddle-on- Sea to attract the crowds. Our public spaces, waterfront and shopping streets are adorned with these cute figures decorated in every style imaginable. I enjoyed picking out a few, as well as meeting some of the local artists who have contributed to the long-standing Leigh Art Trail. It now features more than 60 local artists, supporting local creatives and drawing visitors from across Essex.
It’s just one of the highlights of a packed summer programme in our city, with music festivals, food and drink celebrations and family days out on offer. Of course, all events need to be safe and secure and we have 11 new neighbourhood police officers to help with visible policing on the city’s streets this summer. We have great beaches, our world-famous pier and the beautiful old town in Leigh, plus bus fares frozen at £3, so you can get around easily.
Southend Summer
- Art Trail
- Bus fares frozen at £3
- 11 neighbourhood police officers
- Increased monitoring of bathing water quality
- Seafront fireworks
Enhancing the visitor experience and increasing tourist numbers, is the aim and we are set fair, like the weather so far this summer, to achieve that.
In the autumn when the children return to school, they will benefit from the rollout of our free breakfast clubs, up to 4,000 more children in Southend West and Leigh will receive free school meals and many youngsters will gain from the introduction of Best Start centres.
I am very happy to see that we are one of the lucky areas to receive special funding to plan the launch of the new generation of Best Start Centres. I am already liaising with the council over initial proposals and will keep you informed of their progress. But first we have the long hot days of summer to enjoy on our wonderful coast.
Have fun!
by David Burton-Sampson
MP for Southend West & Leigh
david.burtonsampson.mp@parliament.uk