Southend Airshow Cancelled. Pier Closures

The Echo today (15 Jan 2013) is reporting that Southend Borough Council will be cancelling this year’s airshow, and also closing Southend Pier for two days a week.

Southend Air Show Cancelled

The first Southend Airshow was held in 1986, with an appearance from Concorde, and 2013 would have been the 28th annual airshow in Southend. Until the announcement yesterday that the 2013 show is a victim of budget cuts.

Southend Airshow 2010

Axing this year’s Air Show from Southend’s calendar will save the council a reported £130,000 a year. It’ll also reduce the number of tourists coming into the town for the annual Festival of the Air. We’ve seen one site state that 300,000 visitors turn up for the airshow, with a reported £10 million in income generated.

Judging by online comments and Tweets, Southenders seem pretty unhappy about the decision, and several petitions and campaigns have started already. Within hours of the announcement, one local chap has started an online petition: Southend Council: Don’t Cancel The Airshow (with 326 electronic signatures already), with another on epetitions: Save Sound Airshow

Scene from a busy tourist day at Southend Airshow 2010

Southend Pier Closures

Also as a money-saver for the council. Southend’s famous pier will be closing on Mondays and Tuesdays during the off-peak season (1st November to 1st April), saving £50,000 a year.

View from Southend Pier

More details on the Echo’s Website

We all appreciate that in these austere times, we need to cut back, but the end to one of the major attractions for the town, plus partial closure of the other? Interesting choices.

Any thoughts on these plans? Please add a comment below. Our forum has a thread, or you can send us a Tweet via @Sarfendonsea