Last updated: May 2023

This section of the site has all the information you need as a resident or visitor in Southend. If you are a new parent or new to the area, you may also find our 'Handy guide for New Parents in Southend' article useful.

Southend City Council is based in the Civic Centre in Southend. The council run various free events throughout the year such as music in the park, the seafront fireworks and classic cars on the beach.

The Southend Tourist Information centre is located at the Pier Entrance on Western Esplanade, SS1 1EE and can be contacted on 01702 618747. Opening times vary between seasons.

Community Centres

Leigh-on-Sea town council is located on the ground floor of Leigh Community Centre, SS9 1SP. By visiting the centre, you can have access to a host of services provided by Leigh-on-Sea Town Council such as picking up additional pink and food recycling sacks, purchasing garden waste sacks or finding out about the range of activities that are being run. The Community Centre is also the designated emergency hub for Southend West and can be utilised if Southend-on-Sea City Council declares an official state of emergency. You can contact the centre on 01702 716288.

The other community centres within the Southend borough which are:

Balmoral Community Centre, SS0 7AU - 01702 351030

Eastwood Community Centre, SS2 6XY - 07919 043190

St. Marks Community Centre, SS1 1QA - 01702 341605

St Edmunds Community Centre, SS2 4BL - 01702 460823

Thorpedene Community centre, SS3 9NW

Family Centres - There are nine family centre's in Southend. Each centre runs various groups and classes which can be found here. Family centres are also used as a base for midwifes and health visitors and run the majority of their weighing clinics here. As of April 2023, weighing clinics are now appointment only and you can find the appointments times on the family centres page and we also update regulary on social media.

Libraries - There are six libraries within Southend. Each library has different opening times and facilities which are listed individually on our 'things to do' page. Our libraries run different classes and sessions for children and young people, including scrabble club, brick building and the popular rhyme time sessions and the summer reading challenges. Here is a list of the rhyme time sessions for this term and you can find the other classes if you search for libraries in our activities, clubs and classes section.

Leisure Centres - The council leisure centres in Southend are run by Fusion. There are four within Southend - Belfair's Swim Centre, Chase Sports and Fitness, Shoeburyness Leisure Centre and Southend Leisure and Tennis centre. All have swimming pools besides Chase Sports and Fitness.

Post Offices - The main post office in Southend is located at the top of Southend High Street. There are however multiple post offices within the Southend borough which can be found on the post office Branch finder.

207 High Street, Southend-On-Sea, SS1 1LN

Police station - The police station is based on Victoria Avenue, Southend. It is open seven days a week from 9am - 5pm but closed on bank holidays. You can use the online form to contact the local station here. This can be used to report a crime, anti-social behaviour or to contact an officer directly. In an emergency you should call 999 or for non-emergencies, you can call 101.

Victoria Avenue, Southend-On-Sea, SS2 6ES

Food banks - There are a number of foodbanks in the area including Southend Foodbank, St Vincent's Centre Southend, Storehouse, The Shoebury Ark and The One Love Soup Kitchen.

Local advice and support

The Southend Citizens advice service offers free, confidential, impartial and independent advice and information on a wide range of subjects. They can be found at 1 Church Road, Southend-On-Sea, SS1 2AL. You can call the national advice line on 08082 78 79 78 or for local enquiries, you can contact 01702 96 96 96. The centre is open Monday - Friday 10.00am - 4.00pm and operate a walk in advice sessions until 3.00pm each day.

A Better Start Southend started life in April 2015 and are one of five Better Start areas across the country funded by The National Lottery Community. They work with local parents and carers to find out what needs to change if we are going to give Southend’s children the best start they can have. Click here to see if you are in one of the Better Start Southend postcode areas.

Cake Club is a local registered charity offering parenting support and solidarity in the Southend area. They run in-person support and playgroups in a number of locations, with something on offer almost every day of the week.

Health

Moving to the area? Needing to register with a doctor can be a daunting prospect. Find details of our local healthcare services here on the website, including local doctors, hospitals and out of hours services. Here you can also find out of hours pharmacies to save you hours of scrolling during those late night panics.

Getting around

There is an extensive bus network which operates around Southend. For all bus information and timetables visit Arriva or First Buses.

There are two direct train lines which operate between London and Southend. The C2C line from Fenchurch Street to Southend Central and the Abellio Greater Anglia from Liverpool Street to Southend Victoria. The journey time on both lines is approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.

For more information and train times visit:

C2C (London Fenchurch Street to Southend Central)
08457 678765 www.c2c-online.co.uk

Greater Anglia (London Liverpool Street to Southend Victoria)
03456 007245 www.greateranglia.co.uk

Car Parks

There are fourty-four council run car parks within Southend and you can find the full directory here. Within Southend, you can use the Mobon app or Ringo app to pay for parking. As well as this, you can sign up for a Southend Pass which is an annual parking permit, allowing you to park for free for 3 hours at a time in each zone. There are 4 zones in Southend meaning you can get up to 12 hours free parking a day. The permit has recently increased to £10 a month and anybody can buy one - it isn't restricted to Southend residents.

Toilets and Baby Change facilities

There are 14 public toilets around Southend with nappy changing facilities. You can find the public toilet directory here

If you are in Southend City Centre, The Royals shopping centre have separate baby changing rooms, located on the ground floor near TK Maxx by the Pier Hill entrance. They also have a dedicated baby feed area available too, for parents and guardians to feed babies and toddlers within a safe and comfortable environment.

The Victoria Centre also has separate baby changing rooms and a feeding room for mothers and babies with comfortable chairs and subdued lighting. You will find the location clearly signed within the mall.

Recycling centres and household waste

If you are unsure when your household waste will be collected, you can find it here. Southend Council deliver 3 rolls of 26 pink recycling sacks, 3 rolls of 26 compostable food waste liners and1 roll of 6 clear textile recycling sacks every six months. If you are a new resident to Southend, you can request a New Residents Pack using the online form on MySouthend. If you are already registered, you can manage and keep track of your reports and requests online.

There are two recycling centres within Southend, Stock Road and Leigh marshes. These are managed by Veolia on behalf of Southend City Council. Opening hours are seasonal and can be found here, along with a camera for each site to check wait times.

Stock Road, Southend-On-Sea, SS2 5QF Tel: 01702 215006

Leigh Marshes, Leigh-On-Sea, Southend-On-Sea, SS9 2ET Tel: 01702 215006

We update the information on this page regularly. If you spot a mistake or something that has changed, please do let us know.

*page updated May 2023