AN OPEN letter by the leader of Harlow Labour, councillor James Griggs. He said: “Let me start by saying I support free speech but with it comes responsibility. A responsibility to not stir up hatred, to not forment divisive attitudes and to not undermine the…

ESSEX County Council has spent £148m on road maintenance and pothole repairs and has seen a staggering rise in the number of compensation claims lodged against it for damage caused by the craters in the last three years it is claimed. As Britain’s ‘pothole crisis’…

HARLOW Council has approved its housing budget for 2025 to 2026 which will see over £136.6 million invested to transform council housing. The budget, approved on Thursday night (27 February), represents a doubling of the council’s spending on housing from what it was in 2019…

THE Labour opposition in Harlow blasted the Tory-run council for rejecting their bid for what they described as more cash for policing in Harlow. A spokesperson said: “On Thursday night, the Conservative administration rejected our budget amendment proposal to reverse the Councillor Allowance increases and…

PATIENTS will be able to book more appointments online and request to see their usual doctor under a new contract agreed with England’s GPs, the government has said reports the BBC. The deal gives an extra £889m a year to general practices, as well as…

A NEW working group has been established to provide government with a definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, supporting a wider stream of work to tackle the unacceptable incidents of anti-Muslim hatred. It will advise government on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and…

A FURTHER dispersal order is being put in place as we extend our work to protect the public from a potential car cruise event. The dispersal order for Harlow is covering an area including River Way, Church Langley, Old Harlow, Harlow town centre, and Gilden…

HARLOW Council has set its biggest budget ever which includes a Council Tax freeze for the fourth year in a row. Last night (28 February) the council’s budget for 2025 to 2025 was approved at the Full Council meeting.     The £244m budget dramatically increases…

HARLOW MP Chris Vince rose on the floor of the House of Commons to express his concerns regarding possible plans to close the front counter of Harlow police station. Mr Vince’s question and the response from Minister for Policing, Diana Johnson is below. https://youtu.be/B99hOyVlVgI?si=3DzWAcFQ84NJNhmE

THE government recently called for evidence relating the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The Bill has two parts: the first on children’s social care and the second on schools. Bump to Five and Harlow Foodbank submitted three pages of evidence, focused on the following areas:…

HARLOW MP Chris Vince has backed Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to increase defence spending. Mr Vince said: “I welcome the Government’s commitment to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP from 2027, with an ambition to reach 3% in the next parliament. In an…

LABOUR is rolling out free breakfast clubs to save working families up to £450 and set children up to start the day ready to learn. Pemberley Academy in Harlow is among the first of 750 selected to offer clubs from April, delivering on government’s Plan…

HARLOW Council has released aerial photos of Gilden Park which show the quick progress now being made to build new facilities for the community.  Gilden Park residents and the residents’ association supported by the council have been working hard to ensure that these much-needed facilities…

THE PRIME Minister Sir Keir Starmer said his government will spend £13.4bn more on defence every year from 2027 reports the BBC. He adds that the UK faces further threats such as cyber attacks, sabotage and assassinations.  He said: “Our intelligence services are becoming more…