At a Glance:
- Community wins celebrated across Southend East and Rochford
- Funding restored for key local youth and sports clubs
- New flights from London Southend Airport boosting the local economy
- Local issues tackled with police, residents, and authorities
- Continued commitment heading into 2026
It’s been a remarkable year for our community. We’ve celebrated some big wins, from City Jam drawing international street artists and admirers to our shores, to the restoration of funding for homegrown talent at Lifstan Boys Club and Southend Amateur Boxing Club.
We’ve also seen the re-opening of the Freight House over in Rochford, and London Southend Airport taking off to new heights, if you’ll forgive the pun. With flights launching to Berlin and Malta, this expansion will boost our local economy no end. And of course, we have secured £20 million of funding for Shoebury through the Government’s Pride in Place programme. My focus is to encourage the community to be proud and feel good about itself. I will continue champion and shout loud and proud about the rich culture and heritage in the city.
Uplifting our community
This year, I’ve been able to uplift our community by bridging the local and national. I’ve held roundtables for local hospitality businesses and fed back to the government what is, and isn’t working for the industry. I’ve also had the privilege of inviting servicemen like Dave Walpole, the Area Manager for Preparedness and Resilience from Southend Fire Station, to Number 10, as well as John Roe, a local Veteran. I have hosted a parliamentary drop-in for local youth charity, ATF to highlight the fantastic work they are doing to build community cohesion and support families locally.
Following a surgery appointment with Mark Hughes, an incredible local campaigner, I arranged a meeting with the Minister for Social Security and Disability to discuss Mark’s recommendations for improving financial support for those with terminal illnesses.
In a similar vein, following the restoration of funding for Lifstan Boys Club, Southend Amateur Boxing Club and Essex Boys and Girls Club, I was able to invite them up to Parliament for a meeting with the Minister to discuss next steps and how we can future proof the club.
Action at a local level
Back on the ground here in Southend East and Rochford, I’ve been working with residents’ associations, the police and local authorities to tackle ingrained issues like anti-social behaviour and youth provision.
Over the course of 2025, I’ve held meetings for residents of the Garrison, as well as Westcliff and Rochford. These meetings create real, tangible change: from increased patrols and police attention; to repaired gates and additional waste provision. Improvements, however small they may be, do make a difference to us on the ground and I’m really proud of what we have achieved by working together.
2025 has been a hugely important year for our community, and I’m heading into 2026 very hopeful about the year ahead and committed to working as hard as ever for our community.
by Bayo Alaba
MP for Southend East and Rochford
01702 844754
bayo.alaba.mp@parliament.uk