A LEADING south Essex businessman has thrown his support behind seafront tycoon Philip Miller to take over Southend’s pier and insisted he would be keen to offer his support in any way possible.

James Sinclair, who has built a business empire including Marsh Farm, the Rossi Ice Cream Company and Partyman soft play centres, has weighed into the debate after it was revealed the pier is losing £190,000 a year.

Southend Council has now revealed it is keen for a private operator to take on the pier as it attempts to tackle a projected £30million deficit.

Mr Sinclair told the Echo that Southend Council should be “doing everything possible” to convince Mr Miller and his Stockvale firm - which runs Adventure Island - to take over the pier.

Mr Sinclair said he would also be interested in stepping in of Mr Miller was not involved.

He added: “We should have had a private operator years ago.

“The council hold onto assets that do not generate the maximum possible return, they should sell them, they should not be running any businesses, and they should still support the pier,” Mr Sinclair said.

“While someone like me could run it, the person who should be running it is Philip Miller. The reason Southend is so successful is everyone benefits from Adventure Island and any smart person would look to it being them, they have great resources.

“There are many private investors who could turn it around in weeks. The Stockvale Group and I operate in a similar space, but I think Southend has benefited and other towns are falling far behind.”

Mr Sinclair added that he feels the Adventure Island management and staff are enthusiastic and the pier could thrive under their leadership, citing the Sealife Centre as another of Mr Miller’s success stories.

He also acknowledged the pier’s “lack of a commercial element” as the main issue and insisted there needs to be “enough to pay for it”.

“It’s very frustrating to me as a business owner because the solution is on their doorstep,” Mr Sinclair said, adding that “the council should grease the wheels of business”.

“When business does more it brings investment and we have too much untapped potential.

“We are a hop and skip from London, from tourism and we need a business point of view to get more done.

“If I owned the pier I would proactively market to get people on it and the council just cannot do it.”

Mr Sinclair added: “All boats rise in a rising tide.”

He called on the council to listen to the traders in the city who have already thrown their support behind Mr Miller, including Paul Thompson and Martin Richardson.

“I am very prepared to help them, Southend has so much potential which is unused,” Mr Sinclair added.