Southend News
The latest Southend news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Waverley at Southend Pier: 9 Sailing Days Left to 11 October
Waverley sails from Southend Pier on nine more days to 11 October, with an 80th anniversary forts cruise on 2 October. Every time, return and pier train fare.
More stories
Health
Southend Hospital Keeps UNICEF Baby Friendly Gold Award
Southend Hospital's maternity service has again been awarded UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Gold, the top level, after independent assessors spoke to parents and staff.
Charity
Gold Geese c2c Train Relaunched at Southend Central
c2c has relaunched its Gold Geese train at Southend Central for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Look for unit 357010 in the charity's new design.
Roadworks
Southend Roadworks: Leigh Hill, Crowstone Ave from Monday
Leigh Hill and Crowstone Avenue close from Monday, Queensway's slip road stays shut to 2 October, and the Southend 10K closes the eastern seafront on 4 October.
Transport
Southend 62A Bus Starts 25 October: Free for a Week
Arriva will run the new 62A and 62B from Southend Travel Centre to the airport from 25 October, free until 31 October. A bus every 30 minutes on the main stretch, and St Luke's ward gets a direct service back.
Airport
Southend Airport: easyJet Adds 4th Jet, Rhodes from 27 Apr
easyJet will base a fourth A320neo at Southend from summer 2027 and fly to Rhodes twice a week from 27 April. The airport expects to pass a million passengers next year and employ more than 400 people.
Schools
Southend Early Years: Record 74.9% Reach a Good Level
74.9% of Southend's Reception children reached a good level of development in 2025/26, up from 68.4% a year earlier and 65.5% the year before. That is 0.2 points short of the council's 2028 target.
What's On
What's on in Southend this weekend, 25 to 27 September
The seafront fireworks return on Saturday at 7.30pm, the Vulcan opens for its last visit day of 2026 on Sunday, Southend United host Barrow, and Sunday's c2c trains divert to Liverpool Street.
Planning
Southend Planning: 1,422 Solar Panels on the Short Street Depot
All 19 applications registered in Southend in the fortnight to 25 September: 1,422 solar panels on the Short Street Post Office roof, fire-safety recladding at Hamlet Court Mews, a roof terrace on Eastern Esplanade.
Community
Princess of Wales at Garon Park: Southend's Recovery Garden
The garden the Princess of Wales visited on Thursday is run from Garon Park for Southend's STARS drug and alcohol service. What it is, and how to use it.
Southend Airport
Southend Airport: Belfast, Budapest, Edinburgh from 25 Oct
Belfast City starts on 25 October, Budapest on 26 October and Edinburgh on 29 October. Lanzarote is promised for October but has no published date.
Licensing
Southend Licensing: KFC Eastwood Bids to Serve Until 5am
KFC on Stephenson Road wants to serve until 5am and objections close on 29 September. Five licence bids are open in Southend, with deadlines to 15 October.
Sport
Southend Runner Finishes Dragon's Back in 52hrs 13min
Daniel Dublin covered 112.22 miles and 27,921ft across Wales in six days, eighth in the Hatchling, after an Achilles problem forced him to change the plan.
Southend Airport
Southend Airport Is the UK's Most Punctual, at 83.9%
Southend ran 83.9% of flights on time from April to June, first of 25 UK airports. In June it beat Stansted by 20 points. We read the CAA's own tables.
Heritage
Southend Kursaal: Dome Repairs Start, No Reopening Date
Scaffolding is up and specialist repairs to the Kursaal's dome have begun, 32 years after the listing inspector found most of the building derelict.
Leigh-on-Sea
Leigh Port Rebuild: £21.8m Contract Goes Without a Tender
Cabinet approved the £21.8m Leigh Port contract as a direct award, not a competition, and the Levelling Up grant runs out in March 2028, before the work ends.
House prices
Southend House Prices Up £5,221 While Essex Falls
Southend's average hit £328,383 in July, up £5,221 in a year, while Essex overall fell 0.3%. Flats were the only type to lose value. Every district ranked.
Housing
Southend Council Housing: £100m Plan, 7% Spent So Far
The council will spend £100m on housing over five years. Its own July figures show £549,000 of an £8.4m new build budget spent, and four schemes delayed.
Planning
Bournes Green Chase: Refusal Reworded on Legal Advice
Councillors refused 2,000 Green Belt homes on 27 August. Officers want the reason reworded on Counsel's advice, warning extra reasons risk a costs award.
Council
Southend Taxi Licensing Policy: Points In, Uber Not Banned
Southend's first taxi policy brings a points system that can cost a driver their licence, and the council says it never banned Uber. Start date still blank.
Council
Southend City Status: Cannot Be Regained If It Lapses
The council's report says city status would fall away and could never be won back. The fix is Charter Trustees, paid for through council tax bills.
Roadworks
Gallows Corner Shut in All Directions 18 to 21 September
TfL shuts the whole Romford junction from 10pm on Friday 18 September to 5am on Monday, then plans to reopen the A127 pinch point fully by the end of the month.
Thames Estuary
SS Richard Montgomery: Mast Work Runs Into October
The harbour authority notice for the mast removal runs from 11 September to 31 October. The government had said the job could be done by the end of September.
Southend seafront
Southend Beach Rescue: PC's CPR Revived Drowning Man
PC Tom Windeatt was dealing with an arrest when a teenager ran in shouting for help. Two minutes of CPR on Jubilee Beach, and the man started breathing again.
Planning
Southend Planning: Councillor Call-Ins End 31 October
From 31 October no Southend councillor can force a planning application to a public committee. Two people will decide what gets heard. Council votes on Monday.
Transport
Southend Bus: New 62A and 62B Airport Routes Planned
A new bus service will link Southend Travel Centre to the airport through the east of the city, paid for from a £10.4m grant. No start date has been published.
Roads
Southend Roads: 121 Named for Resurfacing by 2029
Nearly a quarter of Southend's residential roads are rated red in the council's own survey. Councillors debate a pothole emergency on Monday. Here is the list.
Coastguard
Ex-Lifeboat Aground Off Southend: Two Safe as Tide Fell 5.3m
Six coastguards walked out across the mud to a former RNLI Tyne class lifeboat stuck 1km west of Southend Pier. The two aboard sat out a 5.30m ebb.
Council
Southend Council Merger Withdrawn: 2028 Abolition Is Off
The government has withdrawn the decision to abolish Southend-on-Sea City Council in 2028 and merge it with Castle Point and Rochford. What happens now.
Business
Three Southend Firms Named Over £14,108 in Unpaid Wages
Three employers with Southend addresses underpaid 100 workers by £14,108 between them, the government's naming list shows. One is now in liquidation.
Food & Drink
Southend Food Hygiene: All 22 New Ratings Scored a 5
Every one of the 22 Southend venues rated since 1 August scored 5 out of 5. Across the full register, 976 of 1,383 rated businesses hold top marks.
Housing
Fossetts Way: £53m Deal to Finish 221 Stalled Homes
Guinness has awarded Lovell a £53.3m contract to build 221 affordable homes at Fossetts Way, three years after Ilke Homes collapsed. It runs to November 2028.
Education
Southend SEND Inspection: Same Verdict as Three Years Ago
Ofsted and the CQC gave Southend's SEND partnership the same verdict as 2023: inconsistent outcomes. Children still wait too long for assessments.
Community
Six Southend Groups Share £12,000 From SUEZ Fund
Grants of £1,000 to £3,000 have gone to a composting hub at Garon Park, a repair cafe, a bike refurbisher, a homelessness charity, Frostbite and a uniform swap.
Shoeburyness
Lost boxing plaque back at Shoeburyness Hotel after skip rumour
A plaque to Bombardier Billy Wells and Georges Carpentier, who trained at the Shoeburyness Hotel, was recreated from one photograph and hung in the snug on 3 September.
Libraries
Southchurch Library Faces Move: Consultation Ends 4 October
Southend says the 1972 library building is not worth repairing. Three options are open, including a move to Ambleside Drive. Comments close on 4 October.
Shoeburyness
Shoeburyness £20m Board Named, Plan Due 30 November
Eleven people will decide how up to £20m is spent in Shoeburyness. The council's own funding profile totals about £17.5m. The plan is due at MHCLG by 30 November.
Community
Southend RNLI Award After 22 Years and Two Boathouses
Richard Offord received his 20-Year Long Service Award in August. He chaired the fundraising behind the new inshore boathouse and the Atlantic 85 refit.
Environment
Progress Road Waste Site Cleared, Court Case Set for December
The council and Environment Agency spent nine months clearing an alleged illegal waste site on Progress Road, Eastwood. A prosecution reaches Southend Magistrates' Court on 17 December.
Licensing
Southend Pub Bids for 6am Alcohol Delivery: Object by 1 Sep
The Blue Boar on Victoria Avenue wants to sell alcohol for delivery until 6am, and a Rayleigh Road petrol station has applied for 24-hour off-sales. Five applications are open, with deadlines from 1 to 24 September.
Council
Southend Council Faces £13.3m Overspend, 97% Social Care
Southend Council now forecasts a £13.291m overspend for 2026/27, and 97% of it is children's and adult social care. Grants are paused and vacancies held.
Council
Southend Council Complaints Nearly Triple in Two Years
Southend Council took 411 complaints between April and June, against 292 a year earlier and 148 in 2024. 85% were about environment and place services.
Local Plan
Southend Local Plan Paused Days Before Green Belt Vote
Southend has paused its Local Plan and will ask government for more time past 31 December. It does not change Wednesday's decision on 2,000 Green Belt homes.
House Prices
Southend House Prices Slip £4,996 From February Peak
The average Southend home was £325,586 in June, down £4,996 since February but still £11,568 up on the year. How that compares with Rochford and Castle Point.
Planning
Bournes Green Chase: Officers Back 2,000 Green Belt Homes
Officers recommend granting 2,000 Green Belt homes at Bournes Green Chase on 26 August, two days after full council is asked to reaffirm the Green Belt.
Jobs
Southend Claimant Count: Kursaal 8.3%, West Leigh 1.3%
Southend's July claimant count is 4,775, 4.2% of working-age residents. Kursaal is at 8.3% and West Leigh at 1.3%, a six-fold gap inside one city.
Education
Southend GCSE Results 2026: SHSG 72% at Grades 9 to 7
Southend High School for Girls published 72% of grades at 9 to 7 and 20% at grade 9, while the East of England slipped on both headline measures.
Education
Southend GCSE Results Day: 20 August, Times by School
GCSE results land on Thursday 20 August. Westcliff Boys opens at 8am, Southend Boys 8.30am, Southend Girls 9am, and the sixth form entry bars are published.
Education
Southend High School for Girls A Levels: Half A* or A
Southend High School for Girls says half its A level grades were A* or A this year, its best ever. The national figure was 28.3%, and 43.4% at grammar schools.
Planning
Southend Green Belt: Extraordinary Council Meets 24 August
All 51 councillors sit at 6.30pm on Monday 24 August, two days before the planning committee and a week before the 2,000-home Bournes Green Chase outline is due a decision. What is on the table, and what is not.
Community
Music Man Project Hits £150,000: Broadway Date 7 October
The Leigh-on-Sea charity's GoFundMe stands at £150,109 from 171 donations, enough to take 30 musicians with learning disabilities to The Town Hall, New York, on 7 October, in memory of Sir David Amess.
Roadworks
Southchurch Road and Sutton Road Reopen: What's Still Shut
Sutton Road and Southchurch Road reopened on 13 August, the first stretch of Better Queensway handed back. The slip-road closures run on to late 2027.
Bins & Recycling
Southend Garden Waste: Check Your Direct Debit or Bins Stop
Check 12 months of bank statements for a garden waste payment to the council. No payment means no subscription, and SUEZ will tag your bin rather than empty it.
Bins
Southend Bins Out by 6am on Thursday and Friday This Week
Put bins out by 6am on Thursday 13 and Friday 14 August: SUEZ crews start early in the amber heat alert. The normal 7am deadline returns Monday 17 August.
Parking
Southend EV Charging: Zest Chargers Live at Alexandra Street
Zest EV chargers are now live at Alexandra Street Car Park, replacing the old Blink units, part of a 3,000-space Southend rollout backed by £1.4m of LEVI funding.
Recycling
Southend Fridge Disposal: Only Stock Road Tip Takes Them
Leigh Marshes tip has stopped taking fridges and freezers and bulky bookings are suspended. Stock Road still takes them, and retailers must take yours back.
Transport
Southend Buses: 17 and 17A Funded for Another 12 Months
The 17 and 17A are funded to July 2027, but still run weekdays only, 09:36 to 17:42. The 24 gains six months of evening buses, and kids ride free all August.
Planning
Southend Planning News: 14,700-Home Local Plan Due in Sept
Southend's draft Local Plan proposes 14,700 homes to 2045, with public comments from September 2026. Plus Fossetts Farm's 805 homes and Queensway's latest.