The Essex councils that want to cancel local elections this year and places where they are still going ahead

JUST three councils in Essex have asked for their local elections to be cancelled. Basildon, Harlow and Thurrock councils say they want elections due in May scrapped due to the pressures local authorities are already facing from local government reform (LGR) reports the Local Democracy…

INTERESTING new polling by JL Partners shows that Reform UK would have “won” in Harlow District Council this May, where elections are due to be cancelled. If the elections were to go ahead in Harlow, Reform would win 30 per cent of the vote, the…

EPPING Forest staff say they have been “devastated” to find one of the largest fly-tips ever dumped in the very heart of the historic forest. The shocking pile of waste was fly-tipped on Friday, January 16, at Long Running, a site very near to a…

ESSEX’S £30.7 million Connect to Work programme has reached a major milestone in its efforts to break down barriers to employment, with three specialist providers now on board. Connect to Work offers personalised employment support to residents with long-term health conditions, disabilities, or those in…

A PLANNING application for a children’s home in Cooks Spinney near The Stow is set to be put in front of the Harlow Council planning committee. The application relates to 87 Cooks Spinney, Harlow. The applicant is Emmanuel Oghagbon of Alphatree Homes Limited It is…

A PLANNING application for a children’s home in Newhall is set to be put in front of the Harlow Council planning committee. The application relates to a five bedroom home in Greenfinch Way, Newhall. It is set to be heard on Monday January 26th at…

GETTING to and from Stansted Airport is about to get a whole lot quicker, cheaper, and easier, following the announcement of a new rapid bus service secured after sustained lobbying by Harlow Council. Arriva has announced that from late February a new 723 service will…

HARLOW MP Chris Vince rose on the floor of the House of Commons to express concerns regarding housing conditions in Harlow. Mr Vince said: “Across the winter months, I have received an increased amount of casework from residents of Harlow who are suffering from damp…

THE LEADER of the Harlow Green Party has responded to the news that Harlow Council has requested that this May’s local elections be cancelled. Jennifer Steadman said: “”Perhaps Dan Swords has cancelled the local election because he’s concerned at the Green Party’s surge in popularity…

THE HARLOW branch of Reform UK has challenged the Conservative-run Harlow Council to reverse their request over the cancellations of local elections. A spokesperson said: We challenge the basis for Cllr Swords’ Conservative administration’s decision to seek a postponement of the May district elections, which…

HARLOW’S sole Reform councillor has hit out at the Conservative-run council’s decision to request this May’s local election be cancelled. Mark Hall councillor Paul Jago said: “May I say I am extremely disappointed, if not furious, that the May elections have been cancelled and the…

THE FORMER Conservative MP for Harlow Robert Halfon has responded to the news that his former colleague Robert Jenrick has defected to Reform. Mr Halfon welcomed Mr Jenrick to Harlow back in the general election year of 2019. Mr Halfon said: “Of course it is…

HARLOW Council has responded to a government request for councils to assess whether they have the capacity to continue operating effectively and run elections during Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). LGR is a government-led change that will completely restructure local councils. In Harlow, this means moving…

FROM 6 April 2026, changes will be introduced to operational hours, tariffs, and maximum stay periods across East Herts Council-managed car parks. At its meeting on Tuesday, 13 January, the council’s Executive approved the changes, following amendments made in response to public consultation held in…

THE president of Memorial University is staying tight-lipped on her plans for its Harlow Campus, but says “conversations and contemplations” are ongoing reports vocm.com Yesterday, Janet Morrison made several changes to her staff, nearly a fraction of what it needs to do to become fiscally…

ON behalf of Essex County Council, Bouygues UK Ltd are undertaking essential works on the Burnt MillRoundabout as part of the Harlow Sustainable Transport Corridor project. As part of these works, each of the following junctions on the Burnt Mill Roundabout will be closed on…