Sir David Amess anniversary: Southend should go for City of Culture, says MP

The successor to murdered MP Sir David Amess says Southend should question City of Culture presumption successful his honour.

Sir David was stabbed to decease portion gathering constituents astatine Belfairs Methodist Church successful Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, connected October 15 2021.

Sir David's successor Anna Firth said she wanted to assistance marque "Southend the metropolis that helium would person been arrogant of".

Sir David, a father-of-five, had agelong campaigned for Southend to go a metropolis and this became a world aft his death.

The 69-year-old was posthumously made the metropolis of Southend's archetypal freeman astatine a ceremonial attended by the past Prince of Wales successful March.

"Civic pridefulness is important and it's fixed everybody a absorption due to the fact that what we each privation to bash present is to marque the metropolis of Southend the metropolis that helium would person been arrogant of," said the 56-year-old.

"We're each coming unneurotic and moving retired ways successful which we tin instrumentality Southend forward.

"Just 1 of the suggestions which I've travel up with is that we spell for UK City of Culture successful 2029 due to the fact that civilization was truly important to Sir David and helium led the complaint for Southend to beryllium UK City of Culture successful 2017, and we didn't get it.

"So, what amended bequest than for america to fulfil his imagination and marque america not lone a metropolis but a City of Culture."

John Lamb, president of the Southend West Conservative Association, said Sir David would beryllium "over the moon" that Southend had go a metropolis and it had "brought a batch of pride".

"You don't spot everything that's really travel astir done metropolis presumption but successful information it is building," said Mr Lamb, 74.

"We've seen multinational businesses who privation to determination into the [city], bring the investment."

He said that Southend "is changing and for the bully reasons".

Mr Lamb said that, aft achieving metropolis presumption for Southend, Sir David would person been looking forward.

"Now he'd beryllium moving connected 'what's the adjacent happening that Southend needs? Let's get that going'," helium said.

"He would beryllium determined to determination that guardant for us."

Sir David, from eastbound London, was a Conservative MP for 38 years, archetypal arsenic an MP for Basildon from 1983, and for Southend West from 1997.

Constituency adjunct Julie Cushion was astatine the religion erstwhile helium was fatally stabbed and gave grounds astatine the proceedings of his slayer astatine the Old Bailey.

The tribunal heard that 60-year-old Ms Cushion, who present works for Sir David's successor, made the archetypal 999 telephone from the scene.

She said moving with Sir David was "never ever boring", recalling however helium "wanted to marque Southend the alternate metropolis of civilization erstwhile helium was truly peed disconnected we didn't get City of Culture".

"He utilized to bash the astir craziest of things," she said.

"He was that larger-than-life personality. He was precise bully astatine moving a room.

"He would marque definite helium spoke to everybody.

"But I person to accidental his timekeeping was perfectly appalling."

A gathering is to beryllium held astatine Chalkwell Park connected the day of his death, with a histrion planted successful his memory.