Southend and Rochford Matters: January Edition
Hello and welcome to my January newsletter.
I hope you all had a restful start to the new year.
Here’s what I’ve been up to at the start of 2025. Thanks for reading, and if there is anything I can help with directly please email me on bayo.alaba.mp@parliament.uk.
Thank you!
Bayo
PS. Please do forward this email onto other people and encourage friends and neighbours to sign up!
It’s been a pleasure to meet more groups in the local community this month. Including:
Members of the Hasidic community, who kindly showed me around a local Synagogue and school.
The team at Badgers Den and the Making Care Fair campaign, who explained the difficulties facing those with Learning Difficulties.
St George and the Martyrs Church in Shoebury (pictured below), who invited me to their warm hub where they provide warm food and a social space.
Southend City Council’s Chief Executive and Director of Environment and Place. We walked around the High Street, met local businesses, and discussed what can be done to regenerate the area.
Friends and Places Together; a fantastic charity that help vulnerable, young people meet with their friends and form new friendships outside of educational settings.
Rochford District Council and the Rochford Residents’ Steering Group to discuss the future of the Freight House.
Also this month, I attended a community safety meeting at the Queensway Estate, hosted by local councillors, police and Community Safety Officers. It was a chance to listen to residents about their concerns and work to tackle anti-social behaviour.
There are so many amazing charities, communities, and businesses in Southend East and Rochford; getting to know them all is a pleasure. As an MP, I think one of the most important parts of my role is to be our constituency’s biggest advocate and to really talk up the area. The calibre of fantastic local organisations makes this a privilege.
I spoke in parliament this month about the fantastic work being done by local organisations. But I also reflected upon the loss of grassroots sport and leisure facilities in Southend over the past few years. The closure of Hamstel Infant and Junior schools’ pool was really disheartening. The financial burden is high and it shines a light on the serious issue we face in Southend: ensuring that all our young people, no matter their backgrounds, have access to sport and leisure facilities.
I invited the Leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell MP, to come and visit Sharon and the team at The One Love Project. For the One Love team to offer the services they do (hot food, clothes washing facilities, hot showers) on a non-referral basis is fantastic and means that those who can fall through the gaps are supported. But I know that this comes at a price and that they need more support.
A lot of the changes going through Westminster at the moment are things I believe will really benefit Southend East and Rochford. I particularly welcome that the Water (Special Measures) Bill has now cleared the Lords and Commons and now moves to Consideration of Amendments before gaining Royal Assent.
Other January highlights include:
Securing a Westminster Hall debate on ‘The Cultural Heritage of Market Towns’. Market towns like Rochford have been overlooked for far too long and their cultural heritage will be central to achieving the Government’s ambition of welcoming 50 million international visitors per year by 2030.
Meeting with C2C and Network Rail to discuss the accessibility of train stations and the prospect of later trains to boost the night-time economy. I look forward to working with both providers and continuing these discussions. Investment into infrastructure such as better trains and buses is a step towards Southend and Rochford’s regeneration.
Meeting with Steve Maguire, the Chair of Rochford Hundred Rugby Club and Mike and Chris from the Shrimpers Board Trust. Rochford Hundred and SUFC are the pride of our communities and I will have a close relationship with both clubs.
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 when an individual gets stuck in the system.
To this end, I’m holding two surgeries a month where constituents can raise issues with me directly. To attend one of these just drop my team an email on 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 my team can still help.
The pie chart above shows the topics raised: with housing, planning and healthcare the most prominent in January. It is always valuable to hear directly from you about the challenges you’re facing.
One key issue has been the ANIMA booking system that has been adopted by local GP surgeries. To address this, I will be meeting with local practitioners and digital staff to discuss the next steps. I am keen to make sure health services in the area are easily accessible for all!
Flooding has also been a concern within our community, particularly in the Thorpe Hall Avenue area, where I know many residents have been impacted. I have written to the Minister for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to highlight the effect it is has had. I will also be holding the next Water Summit to bring together local leaders and organisations to work on practical, long-term solutions that prevent further flooding and secure reliable water infrastructure.
But I understand that not every resident has urgent casework, and they should still have access to their local MP.
For this reason, I’m beginning a programme of monthly residents’ meetings. I’ll be providing residents with an update about what I’ve been up to as well as taking questions and suggestions.
I will be rotating these meetings around the constituency to ensure that everyone who wants to attend is able to. The first will be in Thorpe Bay, on Friday 7th February.
Please RSVP if you can make it!