Hello and welcome to my March 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
Before the election, I promised to be a hardworking and accessible local MP.
That means being accessible to everyone in the constituency, including those in more rural areas, such as Paglesham, Stambridge, and Canewdon.
To this end, I hosted a “meet your MP,” event in Canewdon this month. These events allow for residents to get together and discuss the issues affecting them.
At the Canewdon event we covered a lot of ground: discussing everything from SEND provision to farming.
I really enjoy the conversational “town hall,” style of these events, and I’m looking forward to hosting my next one in Rochford. The event will be held at the Women’s Institute, from 7pm-9pm on April 4th. You can RSVP here.
When I’m out and about, I also enjoy meeting local organisations and charities.
I’ve met some great groups this month, including the Song School on Alexandra Street in Southend. They’re a fantastic local organisation offering music-making programmes for children and young people.
Louisa and the team are doing a great job at widening participation in the arts. They offer a weekly timetable, including instruments, vocals, song writing, production and music performance.
The benefits for young people are immense: increasing confidence and self-esteem as well as academic and professional aspirations.
You can check them out here.
Another great local charity is the Southend Community Foundation.
I met them at Roots Hall with my colleague, David Burton-Sampson MP. They do valuable work in Southend and beyond, using football as a vehicle to support young people.
On reflection, it has been a big footballing month! I trained with the Trinity FC under-7s team, who really put me through my paces and blew me away with their skills!
I also joined Southend Manor FC, for their nailbiter 3-3 draw against Cannons Wood. Teams across the pyramid play a vital role in this community, and it’s always a pleasure to see them in action.
Another big event in the constituency this month was the Youth Summit. I set up the Summit as I can see how much our young people need a voice and forum to discuss their concerns, as well as their aspirations for the local area.
We were hosted by Belle Vue Baptist Church and key youth organisations were invited, as well as all local secondary schools.
Attendees were invited to discuss their concerns about the local area, as well as their hopes for the future. There was also a section for discussion about how young people would like to spend their leisure time, with access to sports facilities, bike lanes and debating clubs all being discussed.
One of the things this Youth Summit has made abundantly clear is the fantastic organisations we have here in the local area. Bringing these voices together and connecting young people to these services was an immense privilege.
This Youth Summit is the first of many, to ensure that our young people are listened to and that we make the changes they want to see. I will also be feeding our discussions into the National Youth Strategy survey, which is designed to ensure that young people are at the heart of policy, where they should be.
All in all, it’s been another great month in the constituency. I’m always moved by the good work so many people are doing locally and I know that our collective efforts will help Southend and Rochford thrive.
This month, I took part in a debate on knife crime amongst young people, which has been an ongoing issue in Southend. As a young boy, I myself was a victim of knife crime. It broke my mum's heart that she couldn't protect me every time I walked out of the house. I know what these families are going through and I want to support them. I welcome the Government’s ambition to half knife crime over the decade, as well as the ban on the buying and selling of ninja swords, which is expected to come into effect this summer. I also urged the Minister to have a strategy of prevention, to make kitchen knives safer, and to address the unique challenges that coastal communities face.
I was also pleased to represent the concerns of the Chair and President of the Rochford Hundred Club in a Westminster Hall debate considering the Governance of the RFU. I asked the Minister to assess the structure of the RFU, and its support for grassroots rugby which is so integral to our community.
Discussing an issue close to home, I took part in the debate on the responsibility of water companies in new developments. I asked Minister Matthew Pennycook about how the Government is ensuring that water companies are front and centre in planning and infrastructure to ensure that existing communities aren’t affected by new developments.
I also held a debate on the cultural heritage of market towns, outlining the need for long-term support for revitalising the cultural heritage of market towns, particularly Rochford.
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 introducing 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.
Over the past month, I have been working hard on a range of issues raised by constituents, with housing, anti-social behaviour and transport being the top concerns.
I know that a number of residents have been in contact to express their worries about anti-social behaviour in Southchurch Park. It is essential that all residents feel safe while using our community spaces. I am monitoring this issue closely and working with local authorities.
In response to several concerns about parking on Roche Close, I held a meeting with representatives from the British Parking Association and Agena Group (who are the parent company of the managing parking company, CPM) to discuss possible solutions that better serve residents. I invited local councillors as it’s important to me that we work as a team on the issues that are affecting residents, regardless of political affiliation. We are stronger together and we all want to improve our community.
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.