Still in the early planning stages, Southend-on-Sea City Council and Southend Tourism Partnership are working together to bring back the hugely successful light festival, which saw over 200,000 visitors attend.

For Southend LuminoCity 2023, Southend Tourism Partnership are looking to work with local emerging light artists to produce new, unique installations that will wow festivalgoers and showcase our City's creative talent. Artists will be asked to submit proposals for bold and innovative designs to be produced to compliment the City's architecture and infrastructure. Further details on this call for artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

Cllr Carole Mulroney, cabinet member for environment, culture and tourism, said: "I am thrilled to announce the return of Southend LuminoCity. Despite the worst storm to hit Southend in thirty years, this year's festival was fantastic and was a much-needed boost to the City's economy.

"We are keen to showcase the incredible artistic talent we have locally, and I'm looking forward to seeing the High Street alive with installations and happy families enjoying an evening out."

Jacqui Dallimore, chair of the Southend Tourism Partnership, said: "Southend LuminoCity brought thousands of visitors to our City and we can't wait to replicate the success next year. Working with local artists to design an installation will show Southend's flourishing creative talent whilst instilling a sense of civic pride."

Further information regarding the festival, including details of the 2023 installations, sponsorship packages and artist call out will be released soon via www.southendluminocity.co.uk

We have an abundance of parks and open spaces and last year saw the announcement that seven Southend parks held Green Flag status which recognises well-maintained parks and green spaces across the country which are available to residents and visitors throughout the year.

Priory Park offers scenic walkways and a picturesque pond and is home to Southend's historic bandstand where local musicians and bands play every weekend throughout the summer. Priory Park also boasts four bowling greens, tennis and basketball courts, outdoor table tennis tables, a green gym, formal gardens and the stunning Pritlewell Priory, a 12th century Clunaic Monastery.

Chalkwell Park features beautiful ornamental gardens, colourful bedding displays, an environment garden, a courtyard-style sun garden and a rose garden. Located in the gardens is Chalkwell Hall, a Grade 2 listed building and home to the arts organisation, Metal.

Belfairs Park includes woodland gardens and the Hadleigh Great Wood nature reserve, a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) that supports a great diversity of plants, invertebrates, birds and mammals such as the rare heath fritillary butterfly and dormice. Also located at Belfairs Park is the Nature Discovery Centre run in partnership with the Essex Wildlife Trust.

Shoebury Park stretches across 20 acres and is managed to encourage nature with meadows, a beautiful lake, and many trees. It also features a wide range of facilities, including a tennis court, football pitch, basketball court, cricket pitch and a bowling green.

Southchurch Park includes the model boating lake, formal gardens and a wide range of sports pitches. It is also close to Southchurch Hall Gardens which is home to Southend Museums Southchurch Hall, a Grade 1 listed building dating back to medieval times. More recently the Gardens have become locally known as the 'Duck Park', due to the varied species of ducks and geese inhabiting the ponds. If you're lucky you might even spot a terrapin too!

Leigh Library gardens is nestled behind the stunning Leigh Library building. It's a surprising green oasis in the hustle and bustle of Leigh High Street. It's home to a children's play area and lots of benches and picnic spots and even a hidden sunken slide!

Cllr Carole Mulroney, deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, culture and tourism, said: "I am so proud of our parks and open spaces, and I truly believe Southend deserves to be represented on the list of the UK's favourite parks. Our parks have always been admired by those who use them, and more people than ever are visiting these spaces for exercise, meet-ups, fresh air, and to relax.

"Our parks have acted as a refuge for so many of us over the past few years and our parks and gardens team do such a terrific job to maintain them. I urge everyone to take a moment to vote for their favourite Southend parks to ensure they are in the running to be named amongst the UK's favourites. I have submitted my nomination and it took me less than 10 minutes to do. Let's raise the profile of our fantastic City parks!"

How does it work?

Nominations are now open and will close at noon on Tuesday 5 July, so you don't have long to make sure your favourite park is in the running!

All eligible nominations then progress to a public vote. Voting will open at the beginning of July and run for six weeks. At close of voting the parks with the most votes in each of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be named National Favourites and the overall winner the UK's Favourite Park 2022. Any park placing within the top 20% of nominations will receive recognition as a Local Favourite.

For more information and to submit your nomination, visit the Fields in Trust website.

For more information about all of Southend's parks and open spaces see the Visit Southend website.

This will help to prepare for a financially challenging year for the council and local community.

The council's 2021/22 finances will be discussed by the cabinet next week (Item 4, Cabinet, 14 June), along with the unprecedented challenges that the council and residents are facing, with the impacts of inflation and rising energy and fuel costs already starting to have a local impact. This sound financial management is allowing the council to put a further £2m towards the cost of living crisis in 2022/23 - £1m to provide additional support for our most vulnerable residents on top of what is already available through Government and council schemes such as the essential living fund, plus £1m to help the council with additional inflationary pressures that it will face this year.

Cllr Paul Collins, cabinet member for asset management and inward investment said: "Despite huge challenges over the last two years, both nationally and locally, the council has managed its finances sensibly and prudently, and I am pleased that we can report a small underspend for 2021/22, together with topping up our reserves position. Considering the financial difficulties all local councils face, this is no mean feat and is critical to providing a foundation to tackle the unprecedented inflationary pressures that the council and residents are already experiencing and ensuring that the council remains financially sustainable in the future. We face some hard times and difficult choices ahead with inflation currently rising towards 10% and energy and fuel rises affecting local residents, businesses and the council too. Thanks to our sound management, we have been able to put aside £2m more to help with cost of living pressures, supporting our most vulnerable residents and the inflationary challenges we face as a council too."

The report also highlights the scale of the pandemic response administered by the council, with huge increases in the volume of applications for support being submitted from local businesses and residents in the last two years, a rise of over 400%.

Cllr Stephen George, leader of the council, says: "This report highlights the strong financial management and performance of the council throughout the pandemic where officers have had to administer 72,000 extra applications for support over the last two years which has often involved checking eligibility and interpreting complex and changing guidance, whilst trying to keep residents safe and supported. I want to thank them all for that hard work that has helped to support local businesses and the local community."