SOUTHEND Council’s Tory leader vows to stick to his guns in dismissing any 15-minute-city plan for Southend in line with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s opposition to them.

Tony Cox doubled down on his opposition to the scheme where most services are within a short walk of people’s homes.

A surprising YouGov poll showed 62 per cent of Britons supported the controversial idea of 15-minute cities where all essential amenities, such as pharmacies, schools and supermarkets are within a 15-minute walk. The poll also showed 73 per cent of Labour voters supported the idea while 57 per cent of Tory voters backed it.

Matt Dent, Labour councillor for Kursaal Ward, took to social media to say it showed Conservatives were out of touch with popular opinion.

He said: “The thing with 15-minute cities is when the concept is explained in a rational way and what it actually means, the public are generally in favour of them. The problem is it’s become a conspiracy theorist buzz word that talks about stopping people accessing different parts of a town or city where it’s implemented. Certainly to my understanding that has never been part of what the actual premise is which is simply about having as many as possible needed amenities within a 15-minute walk or cycle of where people live.

“As a concept I would want as many amenities within easy reaching distance of people. The full theory itself wouldn’t be applicable in Southend because of the shape and layout of it, but certainly in terms of the concept having the services and amenities that people rely on being within a 15-minute walk, I support the idea and the polling shows the majority of people would.

Mr Dent said he believed there had been some confusion between the idea of 15-minute cities and the often unpopular Low Traffic Neighbourhoods where some roads are blocked to traffic.

He said: “I think that the two things have been conflated by Conservatives deliberately and while they can go together, there is nothing to suggest they need to and different things will be appropriate in different circumstances.”

Mr Sunak said the Government would be publishing a “long-term plan” to “put the brakes on anti-car measures” such as 20mph speed limit zones, Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and 15-minute cities.

Mr Cox said: “Look at Oxford. Look at what happened in the Ruislip by-election. Look what’s happening in London with Ulez. I think I’m on the right side of history. It’s not going to happen in Southend.”