Southend and Rochford Matters: April Edition
Hello and welcome to my April newsletter. I’ll be sending this out each month, and also posting it as a standalone blog. Please do forward onto other people, and encourage friends and neighbours to sign up!
Below is more about what I’ve been up to. Thanks for reading, and if there is anything I can help with directly please email me at bayo.alaba.mp@parliament.uk.
Thank you!
Bayo
This month, I hosted my “Meet your MP,” event in Rochford. These events allow for residents to get together and discuss the issues affecting them, as well as to hold me to account as their representative in Parliament.
We discussed housing developments, local government reform and the regeneration of Rochford town centre.
I really look forward to these events and value hearing from the local community.
My May ‘Meet your MP’ event will be in Westcliff, you can find the details here.
This month, it’s been great to witness what is being done to renew and regenerate the area and to play my part too.
I convened a meeting with Market Place business owners and Southend City Council, to discuss plans for the Market Place area. I’d like to pass on my thanks on to the Terrace Bar and Restaurant, for hosting the conversation.
If you haven’t been around Market Place lately, I’d recommend you give it a visit. New businesses have led a quiet revolution, turning Market Place into a vibrant hub.
I will continue to work with the council and local businesses to help regenerate our retail offer, both in Market Place, and across the constituency.
I truly believe that better times are ahead for Southend and Rochford. Not least because our future depends on our young people, and I trust that we are in good hands!
Also this month, I had the pleasure of visiting Stambridge Primary School, where I shown around by the Head Boy and Head Girl. Then, the students asked me questions. I was impressed by their thoughtful questions about the role of an MP. I was also grateful for the hard work the staff are doing in the school.
But these visits are also about ensuring that the school is supported and seeing if there is anything I can do to help them.
On this occasion, I was made aware of ongoing issues with parking on site and I am committed to working with the school leadership to resolve this to ensure that our young people are safe.
It’s a pleasure to meet all the people who make our community such a wonderful place.
I can’t wait to meet more of you next month!
April was a busy month in Parliament!
Parliament was recalled during recess to vote to save the steel industry. This showed clear and decisive action to protect British industry and jobs and I was proud to vote for it.
The Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act allows the government to intervene and safeguard the future of steelmaking. It ensures jobs, national security and supply chains are protected.
I also welcomed Joan Whelan to Westminster to meet with the Minister of State for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention. Joan tragically lost her husband Dave Peck in 2022, when he was killed with a crossbow in a Westcliff pub. Joan has been advocating for the strengthening of restrictions around crossbow purchase and ownership and I’m behind her all the way.
At the meeting, we discussed what we can do to prevent what happened to Dave ever happening again, including a licencing framework, identification and the banning of crossbow sales online.
Then, in the chamber during urgent questions following the Headingley attack, I raised the tragic murder of Dave Peck, to echo the risk of the lack of regulation around crossbows. I also asked the Minister to join me in thanking Joan for sharing her story and for her tireless campaigning.
As your MP, I will work hard to make sure that Southend and Rochford are safe places to live, where our communities can thrive.
A big part of an MP’s role is about taking on cases from constituents. I can’t solve everything, but I can escalate issues, speak to agencies, and try to break the deadlock where an individual case is stuck in the system. Where I can’t help directly myself, I can try and signpost to someone who might be able to.
Since my election, I have been holding regular advice ‘surgeries’ for residents to discuss their issues. I’m also holding online surgeries, to ensure that everyone is able to access an appointment at their convenience.
I’m working hard to meet as many residents as possible. If I haven’t met you yet, I hope to in the coming months! To attend one of these just drop my team an email at bayo.alaba.mp@parliament.uk and we will offer you a slot. A lot of casework can be addressed outside of surgeries too, so if you don’t have time to meet then we can still help.
This month of April has been a busy one with the top recurring themes being: housing, agriculture and health services.
Housing topped the list, with residents reaching out for assistance with everything from urgent repairs to navigating the complexities of housing applications. My team and I work closely with local authorities and housing associations to get timely responses for constituents and to ensure that everyone has access to safe accommodation.
Health services and medicine also remain a vital area of casework. A number of constituents have reached out this month for support with hospital appointments, GP access and prescriptions.
I will always do whatever I can to support residents, whether it is writing to a Secretary of State or Minister, raising issues in Parliament or with the local council.
No issue is too large or too small, if it is affecting you please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
During a doorknocking session over in Victoria ward recently, I asked local residents about the local and national issues affecting them. On Glenhurst Road, the undergrowth from trees on the street was out of control and a number of residents told me about the damage to their cars. It was also becoming a hazard to those walking past. I reported this to the council, and I am pleased that they are taking action and will be clearing the roots as a priority within 10 working days. This is a hyper-local issue, but I’m glad that I was able to do my bit and work on behalf of residents to resolve it.
It is always valuable to hear directly from you about the challenges you are facing, whether it’s individual or community-wide.
Ensuring that you feel supported and listened to remains my top priority as the MP for Southend East and Rochford.