SOUTHEND will soon receive official Royal approval to become a city, kickstarting a series of events to celebrate the honour.

The Queen will issue Letters Patent - her written order of approving city status for Southend - in the coming weeks.

The issuing of Letters Patent from the Queen will trigger a series of celebration events in Southend to mark the town’s new-found status as a city.

Central to this will be a concert at the Cliffs Pavilion in Westcliff on Sunday, February 13, to pay tribute to Southend’s champion and ardent city status campaigner, Sir David Amess.

Sir David, who was MP for Southend West, was killed in his constituency surgery in October.

Sir David took every opportunity to bang the drum for Southend city status, ensuring parliamentary colleagues were aware of how passionate he was about his town.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the Queen had signalled her backing for Southend city status just three days after Sir David was killed.

Ian Gilbert, Labour leader of Southend Council, said planning was well under way for a series of events to mark the city status honour from Her Majesty.

He said: “We are waiting for the Letters Patent to arrive.

“This should be soon. This is a document of royal approval.

“We will be given a copy of the document to keep.

“There are a number of things being planned including our LuminoCity festival of light and a music concert in memory of Sir David Amess..

“There’s a lot to organise and there will be a meeting later this month to discuss the plans.”

The Cliffs concert for Sir David - called He Built This City - will be a gala celebration of music and the arts in the City of Southend.

It will celebrate the legacy of Sir David and will feature the renowned and highly successful Music Man Project which enjoyed huge support from the MP.

A host of stars, including West End and TV actor, Lee Mead - from Southend - will perform.

Later this month, Southend LuminoCity will get under way.

This will be a four-day festival of light throughout the town centre, pier and seafront, launching on February 16, helping to crown Southend as a new city.

Ten installations have been confirmed, from a light trail, to giant angel wings, to lit-up musical play equipment.

A free guide to the festival with all locations for the installations can be obtained from Southend shops and businesses from Monday, February 14.

What do you think should happen to celebrate Southend’s new status as a city?

From one-off celebrations to establishing a lasting legacy, we want to hear your ideas.

Email basildon.echonews@newsquest.co.uk