I’ve created a new page dedicated to the Epping Parking Review. Essex County Council is due to publish its proposals for new parking restrictions in January. At the moment the page contains information about last summer’s consultation exercise. I will update the page with news of the county council’s response in due course.
As I walked up Epping High Street this evening – after some last-minute Christmas card delivery and Carols on the Green – there was a real sense of the town winding down for Christmas. Shops were shutting or had shut and families were drifting home or to the Crib Service at St John’s Church. I took a moment to enjoy once again the Christmas lights decorating either side of the High Street. Even the traffic seemed slightly less congested.
At this time of year the rubbish collection dates shift around a bit to take account of the Bank Holidays. The revised collection dates are (normal collection date –> revised collection date):
Back to normal on Monday 18 January.
Christmas trees can be left out for collection alongside the food and garden waste bin. (Cut it in half if it is more than three feet tall.)
There are usually also special arrangements after Christmas which permit the collection of side waste (i.e. rubbish left beside the wheelie bin). This allows for the volume of refuse generated by seasonal present-giving and consumption. No doubt the district council will publish details soon.
I enjoyed an unexpected night in last night because of the cancellation of the district council’s Cabinet meeting. The decision to abandon the meeting waas understandable given the state of Epping High Street at 5 pm and congestion on the local roads. I hope no-one turned up to watch the meeting from the public gallery and was disappointed that there was nothing to see. (The advantage of watching the meeting via webcast on the computer is there is no need to venture out in the cold!)
However the postponement means some important decisions have not been made, including some relating to the Gypsy and Traveller Development Plan Document, the council’s key objectives for 2010/11, and the potential move of some council services from the Langston Road Depot in Debden to Oakwood Hill. So I am pleased the cabinet will reconvene on 4 January to work its way through the 180-page agenda.
I was particularly pleased to see that the agenda included a recommendation to provide temporary cover for the council’s Town Centre Officer [PDF report here] post. This is a direct result of a motion put forward by the Liberal Democrat Group and proposed by my colleague Cllr Peter Spencer at November’s council meeting. I’m pleased to say the motion was supported by all parties. Our Town Centre Partnerships do their best to support traders and local businesses in the face of some tough economic conditions and they deserve the council’s support.
At the moment it looks as if tonight’s full council meeting will go ahead. The Gypsy and Traveller item will not be discussed (because the Cabinet needs to agree its recommendations first), but the Liberal Democrats have a motion on the agenda calling for action to respond to the poor Audit Commision report [PDF] published earlier in the month (which I referred to in passing here).
I’ve received an update from the team in charge of the M25 road widening project between Junction 27 (M11 Theydon Garnon) and Junction 30 (A13 Thurrock Lakeside). Apparently there have been exciting archaeological finds at Passingford Bridge!
More prosaically it also provides an information on progress with earthworks, drainage and traffic management. I know the contraflow and speed limits are proving frustrating for many drivers. There is some relief ahead in that work will close down for Christmas between Wednesday 23rd December and Monday 4th January 2010.
The roadworks around Theydon Garnon should be over by August 2010 but the project is set to continue until July 2012. I assume over-runs will not be permitted because the Olympic Games start on the 27th of the month.
For further information see the project website at www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/5739.aspx or contact the community relations team using the details below:
Community Helpline: 01708 256000
Email: communityrelations27-30.m25@sbbjv.co.ukCommunity Relations Team
Skanska Balfour Beatty Joint Venture
Codham Hall
Great Warley
Brentwood CM13 3FB
There has been some local concern about the withdrawal of the H1 bus service from 19 December. County councillor Janet Whitehouse and others raised concerns about what bus services would be available over the Christmas period before the launch of the revised Service 55 on 4 January.
The latest Bus Passenger News reports that:
From 19 December 2009, Essex County Council will fund a Saturday service operating to the current H1 Saturday route and timetable. This service will be numbered Service H1 and will be operated by Regal Busways.
Between 21 – 24 December and 29 – 31 December Essex County Council will fund a temporary replacement service on Service 55 operated by Travel With Hunny (for a timetable leaflet contact the Essex Traffic Control Centre on 0845 6000 110). Please note that this service will operate to a different route in Loughton to the current service H1. Contact Travel With Hunny on 01708 732604 for full details.
From 4 January 2010 Service 55 will be operated commercially Mondays to Fridays by Travel with Hunny to a revised route and timetable serving Loughton.
Timetable details should be available via this link in due course. This newspaper article gives some background details.
I spent an inspiring evening last Thursday at The Box in Epping High Street. Most people in Epping will have passed the premises many times and perhaps peered through the windows and wondered what goes on inside. The Supporters’ Evening was a marvellous opportunity to find out.
The Box describes itself as “a social space, information point and education centre for young people” but it was clear that activity goes far beyond this. As well as providing open drop-in sessions, The Box enables young people to access specialist counselling, health and advice services.
It also delivers alternative education sessions to pupils who are unable to complete their studies successfully at school. I was impressed to hear how many of these pupils enter college or begin paid employment thanks to the team’s work and the much valued support of some local employers.
A wide range of organisations work in partnership with The Box to help local children and young people including Connexions, Theatre Resource, East 15, Concept Fitness, Epping Sports Centre, West Essex Primary Care Trust and Essex County Council’s TASCC team (“Team Around the School, Child and the Community”).
What shone out most of all was the sheer commitment of the trustees, staff and volunteers. We are very fortunate to have in Epping such an energetic group of people dedicated to meeting the needs of local young people. And there are exciting plans for future expansion too.
The Box is currently running a Christmas fundraising campaign. Details of how to donate are at www.theboxepping.org.uk/donate.htm.
News reaches me of the result of the Loughton Town Council by-election in Loughton Broadway, where the BNP were trying to defend a council seat following the resignation of one of their members:
Turnout: 22.2%
Loughton Residents’ Association gain from BNP
This is a significant reverse for the BNP in what was their strongest ward in Epping Forest. The defeat comes despite the reported involvement of their National Organiser Eddy Butler and the appearance on polling day of Richard Barnbrook (one of the BNP’s leading members in London).
I woke this morning to the news that Essex County Council has, for the second year running, been rated as delivering some of the worst children’s services in England. Nine councils are rated as poor, including Essex [PDF report here] and the London Borough of Haringey, which faced massive criticism because of the way it handled the awful Baby P case.
It seems extraordinary that the Conservative councillors who run Essex County Council allowed children’s services to deteriorate so much, especially given the number of high profile child abuse cases that have featured in the national news in recent years. Effective work to protect children is difficult, expensive and unglamorous. Nevertheless it is one of the most important functions that the county council is responsible for.
Last year I got home too late to see much of the Christmas Market (and it was pouring with rain) so today I enjoyed both the dry weather and the time to look around the stalls. Sadly I still managed to miss the singing on the piazza.
The Town Council does a good job of organising the event but it would be helpful to have a bit of information about what is due to happen when. (UPDATE: after the event I found a programme of events here [PDF])
The Christmas Tree Festival, which I look forward to visiting later, continues in St John’s Church all weekend. Opening hours are:
Entry is £2 (children free) and proceeds go to St John’s Church, The Box and PCDC.