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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. · 4 min read

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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. · 3 min read 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. · 3 min read 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. · 23 min read 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. · 4 min read 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. · 3 min read 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. · 3 min read 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. · 4 min read 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. · 4 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 6 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 14 min read 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. · 7 min read 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. · 4 min read 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. · 7 min read 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. · 6 min read 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. · 7 min read 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. · 6 min read 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. · 6 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 8 min read 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. · 8 min read 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. · 4 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 6 min read 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. · 6 min read 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. · 7 min read 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. · 6 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 8 min read 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. · 3 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 7 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 6 min read 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. · 7 min read 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. · 7 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 8 min read 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. · 7 min read 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. · 10 min read 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. · 7 min read 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. · 6 min read 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. · 6 min read 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. · 4 min read 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. · 9 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 6 min read 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. · 3 min read 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. · 3 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 4 min read 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. · 6 min read