Today Harlow Council gathered outside the Civic Centre as the country marked the start of Armed Forces Week which leads up to Armed Forces Day on Saturday 28 June.  A flag-raising ceremony, attended by representatives from the Royal British Legion, was held outside the Civic…

THOUSANDS of new jobs are set to be created across the UK, as Amazon today (Tuesday 24 June) announces a landmark £40 billion investment over the next three years. This investment – announced the same week as the Government’s transformational Industrial Strategy – includes building…

ALL three hospitals providing maternity care in Hertfordshire were required to take action to improve their services following inspections by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), a meeting heard reports the Locall Democracy Reporter. Standards of maternity and neonatal care in the county were discussed at…

ALMOST three million more households – including 250,000 additional families in the East of England – will receive support to help pay their energy bills next winter, as the Labour government sets out further action to ease the cost of living for families nationwide. The…

ESSEX residents are being urged to voice their concerns to help police and local authorities tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. The anonymous Community Safety Survey by Safer Essex asks a range of questions to focus multi-agency efforts in different parts of the county. In 2024,…

THE Department for Education has awarded Essex County Council £150,000 to help schools at risk of flooding. The council will add an additional £150,000 the fund. The £300,000 will provide five schools with Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS). Five schools have been selected that are…

MORE than 7,000 British businesses are set to see their electricity bills slashed by up to 25% from 2027, as the Government unveils its bold new Industrial Strategy today [Monday 23 June]. The modern Industrial Strategy sets out a ten-year plan to boost investment, create good skilled…

WES Streeting has voiced doubts over whether the NHS can afford to establish an assisted dying service, after MPs passed a bill to legalise the procedure last week reports The Guardian. The health secretary was previously a supporter of assisted dying but switched sides last…

ON FRIDAY, Harlow Council, in conjunction with the Safer Harlow Partnership and women’s safety consultant Karen Whybro, launched the Harlow Women’s Safety Charter at a launch event at Harlow Playhouse. The Harlow Women’s Safety Charter brings together members of our community to deliver ‘safe spaces’…

THOUSANDS of Brits are set to benefit from over £275 million in skills investment as part of one the most transformative skills overhauls the UK has seen in a generation. It comes as the Business Secretary vows to “power the Industrial Strategy by investing in…

A PROPOSED ‘Garden Village’-type development including up to 600 homes on the former North Weald Golf Club site “doesn’t make sense” and is being opposed by North Weald Bassett Parish Council. Various issues were highlighted when the parish council’s planning committee considered the outline proposals…

THE Downs Primary School and Nursery is celebrating a milestone achievement after being rated ‘Good’ in all areas by OFSTED in its most recent inspection, conducted on 20 and 21 May 2025. This follows a determined improvement journey since its previous inspection in 2023.  Inspectors praised the…

AFTER Harlow MP Chris Vince, voted for the Assisted Dying Bill, we asked Robert Halfon. MP for Harlow between 2010 and 2024 how he would vote. Mr Halfon told us that he would have voted against. He signposted us to a debate in the House…

CHRIS Vince, Member of Parliament for Harlow, has voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at its Third Reading in the House of Commons. The bill, which allows terminally ill adults the legal right to seek assistance to end their…