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Good morning. The impact of the killing of Sir David Amess continues to be felt across the country and as Southend comes to terms to with the devastating death of one of its beloved MPs, support for it to become a city has also grown. The MP’s final tweet was of his interview with Â鶹Éç Essex about Southend’s bid for city status, with Sir David saying that his plan was to wear Parliament down “until they say yes!" After decades of campaigning, his plan has indeed succeeded. The naming of a city is in the gift of the Crown, and as Parliament paid its own tribute to him on Monday, the Prime Minister confirmed that the Queen had agreed for Southend to finally become a city. Cities have played an important social and cultural role throughout human history. Western society, for example, is built on values and ethics developed in the ancient city states of Athens and Rome millennia ago. Cities also have their own instantly recognisable and distinct identities. Just think of Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Derry – each is unique with an influence far beyond their own city limits. From the early days of the Sikh faith, the Gurus understood the power that having a place to call one’s own would have on the collective spirit of their disciples. The 4th Sikh Guru purchased a plot of land which was then developed by the 5th Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev. The aim was to create a spiritual rival to the imperial Punjabi capital of Lahore some 30 miles away. Amritsar, as it came to be known, grew in size and status very quickly. The gurdwara in the heart of the town became the central shrine of the Sikh faith, later to be nicknamed the Golden Temple, and it was the location where the Sikh scriptures were compiled and published for the first time. Merchants, traders, crafts workers and many others flocked to the growing metropolis which soon became a prosperous city famed across the subcontinent for its individuality and independent spirit. To this day, Sikhs pray for a chance to bath in the holy waters of the pond that the city is named after, the very pond that the Golden Temple seemingly floats above. The history of Amritsar is filled with those whose lives were lost over the centuries in defence of that independent spirit, that right to exist, and that pride in one’s city and all that it stands for. In that respect, it would understand the pain being felt in Southend today. Southend has lost one of its greatest advocates, but it can be proud of its adopted son’s unwavering dedication in ensuring it became a city.