THE Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is calling on the Chancellor to deliver a decisively pro-small business Budget, saying SMEs are “sick of stagnation.” The UK’s largest small business group says the Budget, on 30 October, will be the Chancellor’s “first and best chance” to…

ESSEX County Council has selected IEG4’s Concessionary Travel Case Management platform to revolutionise the way Blue Badge applications are processed for residents across the county. As part of the council’s commitment to its “Everyone’s Essex” plan, Essex County Council aims to improve the wellbeing of…

HARLOW Council’s Planning Portfolio Holder, Councillor Alastair Gunn, has confirmed that the council is preparing a formal response to the Latton Priory planning application, focusing on the needs of Harlow residents. An outline planning application for the proposed Latton Priory development has been submitted to…

MORE than 10,000 payments worth £12.5 million have been made through the new digital service to boost people’s State Pension since it launched in April 2024, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed. People have until 5 April 2025 to maximise their State Pension by…

RECENTLY, we went down to the Changing Lives Community Services base in Bush Fair to find out a little bit more about their boxing sessions. What we did find out when we spoke to trainer Gareth Smith, was that they were more than boxing sessions.…

ESSEX Police has provided an update on those arrested following violent scenes on Sunday outside a house in Tany’s Dell (see below). An Essex Police spokesperson said: A 63 year-old man arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, possession of firearms offences, and a…

ESSEX County Council’s consultation for the Essex Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) is open and runs until 25 October 2024. If you’re passionate about nature, your feedback is crucial in shaping a new vision for our natural spaces. What is a Local Nature Recovery Strategy?The…

AROUND 2000 households in Sawbridgeworth will be able to recycle their plastic bags and wrapping as part of their usual recycling. They join around 2,200 households in Knebworth which started a pilot in October last year. North Herts and East Herts will be able to…

THE Rt Hon Robert Halfon, former Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education for the Department for Education, and former MP for Harlow, has officially started his new role as Chair of Stansted Airport College (STAC) Advisory Group. The STAC Advisory Board was…

MORE than 130,000 older-style streetlights have been replaced with LEDs as part of Essex Highways’ programme to upgrade streetlights across the county. The project, which is nearing completion, is expected to save £39 million in energy running costs over the next 25 years. For the…

A NUMBER of people have been arrested following a civil dispute which turned violent in Tany’s Dell this morning. It appears to have centred on a property close to the local primary school that has been repossessed. The property in question had been heavily fortified…

A CHURCH Langley man has been charged with stalking a woman. Leslie Berwick-Smith, aged 37 of Hadley Grange, Harlow has been charged with the following. Between January 9th, 2024 and February 27th, 2024 in Harlow, you pursued a course of conduct which amounted to the…

ALL UK Armed Forces Veterans will be exempt from rules which require a connection to a local area before accessing social housing. This is in line with the manifesto commitment to strengthen support for our Armed Forces communities and to ensure veterans have access to…

IT was a mark of how popular the St Mark’s West Essex Catholic School open evening was by the fact that the assembly hall was packed twenty minutes before the headteacher John Taylor was due to speak. Even before he spoke, every prospective parent had…