When I became your MP, I pledged to continue Sir David’s legacy which was one of care for the people of Southend West. I have worked hard to build on his wonderful example of what a good constituency MP should look like and deliver for local people in Southend West.
I am so proud of our City and all that we have achieved. I am looking forward to highlighting the work I have done on your behalf and continuing my positive vision to create a city of opportunity for everyone.
Here are my key achievements in just two years as your MP:
Safer
• In the past few days my Private Members Bill to criminalise pet abduction has passed into law. I see this very much as continuing Sir David’s crusade to improve animal welfare.
• Our children need protection from spending too much time online. I’ve led the charge to ban mobile phones in schools to help keep our children safe and improve their wellbeing and learning outcomes, and overall life chances.
• I’ve made it my priority to get knives off our streets. Working with local police, I’ve secured two state-of-the-art knife arches which are being deployed at crime hotspots to detect offensive weapons before they can be used. I’ve succeeded in persuading the government to close a loophole in the law to ban ‘zombie knives’. I’ve arranged for the ‘Knife Angel’ statue to come to Southend for the month of July to help young people understand the very serious consequences of carrying a knife.
• Nitrous Oxide is mistakenly perceived by some as being a ‘harmless high’ – but it isn’t. I pushed ministers to ban this dangerous drug to keep our young people safe and to drive out anti-social behaviour.
Healthier
• I’ve secured £118m for our local NHS, including an upgraded A&E providing more space for patients and speeding up ambulance handover times. This additional funding will also provide a LINAC machine for improved cancer care, expanded surgical facilities, 48 more beds and a modern endoscopy unit, cutting waiting times for surgery with over 5,000 extra operations being carried out a year.
• My ground-breaking ‘sewage summits’ have resulted in Anglian Water committing to reducing the use of storm overflows, five years ahead of government targets, and investing £104m in better surface water management to make our bathing water and beaches safer. As a direct result of my lobbying, bathing water in Southend is now being tested all year round and information on discharges is available online in real time.
• I’ve helped schools like Kingsdown and Blenheim Primary to obtain funding for rebuilding programmes, providing a healthier and safer environment for children in which to learn.
Wealthier
• I’ve supported the expansion of apprenticeships to encourage young people to make a career in key areas of the local economy.
• To make our city even more attractive for residents, investors and visitors, I helped secure a multi-million pound levelling up investment. This will improve Leigh Port, speed up the refurbishment of Cliffs Pavilion and the greening of the seafront. It will create jobs and boost local businesses.
• The first new fishery in the Thames Estuary in centuries is now in the pipeline following my successful lobbying of Ministers. Trial harvesting of Manila clams will start this year to source these highly valuable shellfish. Jobs in our fishing industry will be safeguarded and local restaurants and businesses will benefit.
• Local transport is crucial to many in Southend West & Leigh so I held a ‘transport summit’ with bus companies, user groups and the Local Transport Minister. I’m delighted that as a result, the 21A bus has been reinstated and the No.3 bus rerouted. Along with new trains on both Greater Anglia and c2c, contactless and planned new lifts at Chalkwell Station, our city will be better connected for residents and visitors.
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