Southend boosted by city status a year after death of Sir David Amess – MP

The city status granted to Southend in honour of murdered MP Sir David Amess has “given everyone a huge boost”, his successor said a year after his death, as she suggested Southend could bid for UK City of Culture in 2029.

Sir David was stabbed to death while meeting constituents at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, on October 15 2021.

The father of five had long campaigned for Southend to become a city and this was done after his death.

Anna Firth, who was elected as MP for Southend West in February, said that Southend becoming a city had “given everyone a huge boost”.

“Civic pride is important and it’s given everybody a focus because what we all want to do now is to make the city of Southend the city that he would have been proud of,” said the 56-year-old.

“We’re all coming together and working out ways in which we can take Southend forward.

“We missed out to Hull.

“So, what better legacy than for us to fulfil his dream and make us not only a city but a City of Culture.”

She said that bids begin in “two or three years’ time” but “to be bid-ready you want to completely up your game”.

She said there was a “fantastic inaugural city concert” earlier in the year as a tribute to Sir David.

John Lamb, chairman of the Southend West Conservative Association, said that Sir David would be “over the moon” that Southend has become a city and it has “brought a lot of pride”.

“You don’t see everything that’s actually come about through city status but in fact it is building,” said Mr Lamb, 74.

“We’ve seen multinational businesses who want to move into the town, bring the investment.”

He said that the “whole town is changing and for the good reasons”.

Mr Lamb said that, after achieving city status for Southend, Sir David would have been looking forward.

“Now he’d be working on ‘what’s the next thing that Southend needs? Let’s get that going’,” he said.

“He would be determined to move that forward for us.”