HARLOW MP Chris Vince rose on the floor of the House of Commons to take part in a debate on Violence Against Women and Girls. Mr Vince said: “I thank the Minister for her opening speech. Equally, as hon. Members across the House have done,…

PLANNING permission for 10,000 new homes in the Gilston area has been issued by East Herts Council. The outline planning permissions comprise 8,500 homes for Places for People across six villages and 1,500 homes for Taylor Wimpey in a seventh village. Alongside new homes, the…

CALLING all waste-reduction enthusiasts! Essex County Council’s Love Essex team is offering £500 micro-grants to support innovative projects and ideas that reduce household waste. Since 2019, the council has supported 157 community projects through the Love Essex Fund. The micro-grants are intended to help organisations,…

THE new tower follows the purchase of land for a new Google data centre at North Weald. The iconic gate guardian commemorating the special association forged between the RAF and the Hawker Hurricane at North Weald during World War II is also set to be…

SUSTAINABLE transport schemes saw large uptake across 2024 as Essex County Council prioritises Active Travel in 2025. Active Travel encourages greener ways of travelling for shorter journeys, or as part of longer ones, with infrastructure and training. Across 2024 the council has helped facilitate: cycling…

A NEW online meal platform is set to launch in Harlow to help people plan, prepare and cook nutritious and affordable everyday meals. From 13 January everyone who lives and works in Harlow will be able to sign-up for free to FiveDinners.com for 12 months,…

HARLOW Council has agreed to introduce a new income banded Council Tax Reduction Scheme for working age applicants which will come into effect before April 2026. Credit: Brian Thomas Photography Last year the council consulted residents on changing its Council Tax Support Scheme. Under the…

HARLOW MP Chris Vince has confirmed his commitment to try to “improve the household finances of families and the life chances of children across Harlow”. Chris Vince said: “During Parliament’s break, I had a chance to reflect on the six months or so since my…

ESSEX County Council faces a backlash against “undemocratic” plans to delay elections, part of wider proposals to restructure local government reports the Local Democracy Reporter. Essex County Council is proposing to request the local election scheduled for May be cancelled to allow, it says, for…

A HARLOW pre-school has been rated “Inadequate” following an inspection by Ofsted. The inspection at Sunflower Maunds pre-school on Maunds Hatch took place on October 4th. The report contained plenty of positive comments and feedback regarding staff. It is the leadership and management whom Ofsted…

META is abandoning the use of independent fact checkers on Facebook and Instagram, replacing them with X-style “community notes” where commenting on the accuracy of posts is left to users. In a video posted alongside a blog post, external by the company on Tuesday, chief…

Update: We requested a statement from Essex Police at just after 6pm on Tuesday. They hope to provide a statement before noon. ====== ESSEX Police have sealed off an underpass in the Staple Tye area of Harlow. The underpass has been sealed off since (approx)…

RADICAL plans to merge local councils into larger authorities will mean an Essex council “will no longer exist,” according to a senior Tory councillor reports the Local Democracy Reporter. Will Russell, leader of the Conservative Group in Brentwood, has raised concerns about the government’s plans for…

MAJOR plans to merge Essex councils together into large authorities will create a “period of uncertainty and stress for staff, contractors and service users” Uttlesford’s council chief executive has said reports the Local Democracy Reporter. Council boss Peter Holt also says the process, which could…