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County Council Cash - Can your group get some?

Community projects all over harlow have the chance to access money from Essex County Council.

The West Essex Area Forum has been given £50,000, to be used on schemes that currently do not benefit from County Council funding. Each project can apply for grants of up to £4,000.

County councillor Guy Mitchinson, who represents the Harlow West division, has been pushing the scheme to local residents and taking the cause to local papers so that as many groups as possible know about the money.

To qualify for a grant, the projects must improve people’s lives and have the support of the local community. Matched funding is desirable but not essential.

An application form can be obtained by calling Yvette Wetton on (01206) 436079 or email yvette.wetton@essex.gov.uk.

The closing date for applications is October 5.

Guy told me that

“To my continuing annoyance Harlow has lagged behind neighbouring areas like Epping, Brentwood and Uttlesford in securing grants under schemes such as this. So please, if you think you may meet the criteria contact Yvette Wetton today. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Harlow North Again

I blogged recently about Harlow North Joint Venture here. I was most upset at the time about the quality and focus of the presentation that I had been given.

Harlow North Joint Venture got in touch after that and have chatted through with me their current thinking in a lot more depth.

I have to say that I am much happier that they have done this.

They answered the concerns that I had, and it was obvious that they had picked up on my unease from the questions I asked them at the HRL meeting.

I would urge the people at HNJV to bring forward their proposals for consultation with the public in both Essex and Herts as soon as possible. They have a lot of very interesting ideas and I think its time for us all, on both sides of the border, to have a proper debate about the future of Harlow North.

New Blog in the Neighbourhood

For those of you who read this blog because of an interest in Local Politics in our area, you may be interested in the newest blog for the area:

www.eppingforesttory.blogspot.com

I am looking forward to reading this one a lot myself....

Praise in the Park

This afternoon was Harlow's very first "Praise in the Park"

A gathering of 32 churches from across the town and nearby area, getting together in our lovely town park to worship together.

I was very privileged to be asked to come along and read the Gospel at the event.

There were about 600 people who attended, which I think for a first stab at an event such as this was really good. Lets hope next year the event can be bigger and better.

It was wonderful to be part of such a heartwarming event, and its at times like this that I really do think God has some good things in store for Harlow.

It was also very humbling to be singled out as Leader of the Council and prayed for directly.

State of the Town Debate

Last night was the annual state of the town debate. Here is what I said in opening the debate. There is lots of good news for Harlow over the last year.

Madame Chairman

It’s a great delight to be able to address you for the third consecutive time as the leader of the Conservative administration in Harlow. Since last year the national political landscape has continued to change, with the people of Harlow electing Rob Halfon as their new MP with a 5000 majority, and with the people of the United Kingdom throwing out a Labour government that had near bankrupted the country. In its place is a progressive coalition prepared to tackle the issues of overspend and reckless deficit setting head on.

I’m hoping that the new Government will be as successful as this administration here in Harlow has been for the past 12 months. Our major success this year has been being able to keep the councils element of Council Tax identical to 2009’s. A Council tax Freeze! We’ve done this while protecting front line services and in the face of variable income streams and increases in demand for the good work the council does.

We continue to play a positive role in the regional and sub-regional agendas, ensuring that Harlow punches well above its weight. Harlow Council continues to be well regarded as a partner and community leader, and many in the town and beyond recognise that the tough choices we have made and still have to make in the current economic climate are the right choices.

What are these right choices?

Well they begin right here in the town centre. Regenerating the town continues to be our top priority and we have made real progress in the past twelve months. The consultation on the Town Centre North project was highly successful, with over 2000 people responding. Harlow Renaissance is working with the Council to improve the town centre, with new trees just one of the successes so far. There have been enhancements to the bus station, a deep clean of the pavement and in the run up to Christmas the Town Centre Partnership ran a hugely successful series of events, supported by Council sponsored Thursday night free parking in the town centre. The Town Centre Partnership were shortlisted for the Association of Town Centre Managers’ "Partnership of the Year" award – recognition of their excellent work.

Even when things haven’t been so positive we’ve managed to make the best happen. Although we were disappointed by Stockland leaving Harlow and returning to Australia, we have managed just in the past weeks to purchase for the princely sum of £1 the subsidiary that owns the plans and contracts with the architects and other professional advisors. While we wait to select a new developer later this year we continue to work with key anchor tenants to formalise their commitment to the scheme.

The Town Centre though isn’t the only place where development and investment is happening. Despite the slow down in the construction industry, we have managed to push ahead, with partners, the work to widen the A414 near the M11. A new bus and cycle lane is open on First Avenue and we continue to work with Essex County Council to develop Harlow as a "cycle town". Planning permission has been granted and funding secured for a new University Campus adjacent to Harlow College. For even younger people and the young at heart, the Prentice Place Playground will soon be open, delayed only briefly by the discovery of fascinating Roman Remains. We’re continuing with our schemes to provide new housing and commercial premises in Old Harlow, Clifton Hatch and Prentice Place.

And it isn’t just Harlow Council working by itself. This administration put together a successful bid with Conservative led Epping Forest and Uttlesford for money from the Future Jobs Fund. That money has meant that over 80 people have already been employed in new jobs that they wouldn’t otherwise have, with almost another hundred due to join them over the coming months.

Providing new jobs in a cost effective manner. Who would have thought it was possible? We did and we made it happen.

We continue to work closely with the thriving business sector that Harlow needs to carry on being successful. This year we were named by the Essex Federation of Small Businesses as the Council which has done the most to work with the business community in its area. Only three weeks ago we sponsored the first ever Harlow Business Exhibition which was a roaring success. We introduced free advertising for local businesses in the Harlow Times to help them get through the recession.

But it’s not just about small business. Of course, like many in the town we were disappointed to learn that GSK were scaling down their operation in Harlow. We’ve been working closely with GSK and their contractors to make sure that we get the best possible public sector help for those affected by these developments, including running a jobs fair aimed at scientific staff threatened with redundancy.

But of course the best solution is for the site to be used by another enterprise, and as you will all know, the quick action of the Council in responding to these events means that the Health Protection Agency are currently positively considering moving a significant part of their operation to the Pinnacles.

Making Harlow a council that works closely with business. Who would have thought it was possible? We did and we made it happen.

We’re not going to waste the opportunities that we have, and that includes the area of sanitation. I guess you could say that we’re not going to let waste go to waste. This year we have seen a doubling in recycling rates, so now around 50% of what gets thrown out by households gets turned into something else. As we moved to alternate fortnightly collections for household waste and recycling we’ve met the challenge of educating and equipping the people of Harlow as to how best they can look after their environment. Particularly welcomed has been the weekly food waste collection which has kept our bins smell free and diverted hundreds of tons of food from landfill.

Together with Kier Harlow we’ve replaced the block cleanse system with enhanced street cleaning, reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill and are achieving great turn around times. Data from the National Audit Office shows that our performance in keeping the town clean was joint 5^{th in the Eastern Region and in the top 11% for the entire country.}

When it comes to helping the environment and saving money at the same time we’ve been busy. Harlow has secured over half a million pounds worth of funding for home insulation through the Herts Essex Energy Partnership. Over 500 homes have been insulated for free or at low cost through Heat Seekers.

Our commitment to the environment doesn’t stop there though. This year Parndon Wood Nature Reserve won the prestigious Green Flag Award at the first time of asking. There are over 17,000 visitors a year to the Nature Reserve and they’ll all enjoy the benefits of nearly 60 thousand pounds worth of grants we’ve obtained for woods and ponds throughout the town. And the visitors will also benefit as will Council Tax payers from the profits the reserve is now making from selling wood products like charcoal, timber and furniture.

Environmentally friendly and cost effective at the same time. Who would have thought it was possible? We did and we made it happen.

And speaking of cost efficiency, the Council has maintained its performance on collecting rents, handling voids and general estate management. In some places we’re even doing much better then other social housing providers. We have new processes in place to deal effectively with cases of anti-social behaviour, working with the police and other agencies to be much more joined up in our combined approach to casework.

We want to get value for money for the people of Harlow, so we’ve commenced work on the Social Fraud Initiative which will crack down on illegal sub-letting and other ways that the people of Harlow are cheated of their money. We’ve introduced a corporate debt policy for Housing to make sure we have a consistent approach when dealing with all aspects of debt recovery. We’ve updated fire safety plans and risk assessments on all Tower Blocks. We’ve successfully introduced a learning analysis of all the complaints that we’ve received, ensuring that we fix problems faster and better then ever before.

We’ve introduced an automated telephone service to the council to make sure contacting the council is easier for residents. We’ve reduced the time that new benefits claimants have to wait for receiving the money they need and our "See the Benefits Day" helped the people of Harlow claim over £25,000 additional benefits that they didn’t realise they could get. And because we’re working hard to make sure the money that the ordinary people of Harlow goes where its needed and not to fraudsters, we successfully identified almost two hundred thousand pounds worth of fraudulent benefits, prosecuting 22 false claimants in the process.

We continue to look after the most vulnerable in society, with developments like the implementation of a Sheltered Housing Review. 9 sheltered schemes were successfully re designated to over 60s general needs housing, and by outsourcing the call handling service and introducing a new staffing structure we saved the people of Harlow over 40 thousand pounds. Everybody over 85 in Harlow got the option of free Telecare services for 12 months and a new community support service has been developed, with weekly visits and alarm equipment to summon assistance in an emergency. A new Residents Association has been setup at Halyday House and working with the active life co-ordinator from Conservative run Epping Council we’ve hosted armchair aerobics sessions and Wii Fit training seminars in sheltered schemes. Outside the front door we’re working with the tenants of Tylney Croft to create an allotment to help them grow their own vegetables.

Caring for the vulnerable, sensitively and professionally, in a cost effective manner. Who would have thought it was possible? We did and we made it happen.

What else has happened this past year that we should be proud of? Harlow’s overall crime rate reduced in 2009/2010 by more than any other District in Essex. Two pilot multi-agency Neighbourhood Forums were held and proved so successful that they are to be rolled out across the town. The Council was the lead agency for Crucial Crew – an event delivered to every Year 6 pupil in Harlow with the aim of increasing knowledge and understanding of personal safety issues

Want more?

Following on from the support to our armed forces in giving the Essex Yeomanry the Freedom of Entry into the town, on Armed forces day this year we raised a special flag on the Civic Centre to acknowledge the service and sacrifice that the men and women serving all over the world for this country make. Meanwhile our support for help for Heroes has made over £500

The Playhouse hosted the most successful Pantomime to date in 2009-2010. The Council has made a number of improvements to its commissioning and procurement work, including the introduction of electronic tendering and close working with the SME sector. The Council worked with partners to support the launch of a new Multi-Faith Forum for Harlow. Contact Harlow dealt successfully with over double the normal amount of enquiries during the year, and has also introduced new web kiosks to help customers self-serve.

Harlow Council supported health targets by introducing a range of work-place exercise activities, and was awarded the Fit For Business accreditation. The Council supported the Kickz Project which provides a range of sporting activities for young people in partnership with The Incredible Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. The Scheme won the Innovative Scheme of the Year Award at the Harlow Sports Awards. The Gateway Scheme has successfully delivered new housing and sporting facilities – including the new state-of-the-art Leisurezone wet and dry sports centre. And only this week we’ve secured preliminary funding from both the Heritage Lottery Fund AND the Big Lottery Fund for a scheme to revitalise the town park.

All this, and no increase in Council Tax. More services for the public whilst maintaining a balanced budget. Who would have thought it was possible?

We did and, and we made it happen.

What about the future? Well, we continue to look to achieve the best for this town and its people. As I’ve already mentioned, we’re working hard to bring a major employer to this town and actions we take tonight may very well help with achieving that goal. And in our ongoing work to make the council run better and more efficiently, we’ll be approaching the voters of Harlow with proposals to change the nature of the executive administration of the Council.

All of this against the worst possible budget position left to us by the outgoing Labour government, means that public sector spending is likely to be tightly controlled by government and suggests that there is more hard work to come in cleaning up labour mess – something we are more than used to in Harlow.

Madame Chair, it’s been a brilliant and humbling two years being able to lead this fantastic town forward into the future. I look forward to many more successes.

Cllr Mick Danvers Rants - I Respond

I see in this weeks Harlow Herald, Cllr Mick Danvers is ranting at me and trying to mislead the public over the Church Langley Monies. I have submitted the following letter to the Editor of the paper for publication next week in response to Cllr Danvers.


Sir - When is Councillor Mick Danvers going to start being straight with the public?

Last week's letter "Profit from Cuts" was little more than an amateur distortion of facts from a man who comes across as being so bitter that he is still in opposition.

I have no problem with Cllr Danvers attacking my or my party's policies - that's normal healthy political debate, but spin and half truths and even untruths are surely not becoming of him or the Labour party.

The underspend, and not "profit" as Cllr Danvers suggests, came about from a number of windfalls at the end of the year. Cllr Danvers and his Labour colleagues may have tried to set budgets in the past gambling that such windfalls would arrive, but this Conservative administration doesn't feel its appropriate to play poker or roulette with the town's finances.

And as Cllr Danvers well knows, the Church Langley money was never the Councils'. It belongs to the developers of Church Langley and was entrusted for "safekeeping" with the Council. But that trust was betrayed in 2007 and again in 2008 by the Labour/Lib Dem cabal running the town who dipped their hands in again and again to prop up their own overspend. Had they not made a vague promise to repay at some unspecified later date some might even suggest the money had been misappropriated.

One of the first pledges I made when I became Leader of the Council was that Church Langley's money would be repaid in five years. Because of the windfalls we have had we are actually able to repay the money three years early. However, instead of celebrating the fact that we have cleaned up their financial mess, Cllr Danvers and the Labour group continue to look with greedy eyes on money that isn't even properly the Council's to spend.

The worst thing about Cllr Mick Danvers rant is that he honestly believes there were never any financial problems in Harlow and still doesn't believe there are financial problems nationally. What world does this Councillor live in? Certainly not the new progressive Britain that is having to pull up its shirt sleeves to sort out thirteen years of Labour incompetence both here in Harlow and across all of the United Kingdom.

Sincerely,
Councillor Andrew Johnson,
Leader of Harlow Council

Cllr Danvers is a socialist of the old order and delights in his mischievous letters to the press each week. I fully accept that debates about policy are not only appropriate but welcome in the press but the kind of rubbish that Mick is peddling needs to be scotched immediately.

Harlow North - the importance of one not two towns

I attended the Board meeting of Harlow Renaissance Ltd. last night, of which I am Vice Chairman.

HRL was incorporated in July 2006 to drive forward the regeneration and growth process in Harlow. It has four key members

• Harlow District Council
• Essex County Council
• East of England Development Agency
• Homes & Communities Agency

Its three key aims are

Delivery: to deliver Growth Area Fund and other projects delegated to us to quality, time and budget.
Collaboration: to act as a catalyst for consensus-building and co-operation, holding the ring and facilitating the dialogue between our partners and other key stakeholders.
Boldness: to import big thinking and innovation into all our debates, complementing the creativity of our partners and acting as agents provocateurs for the radical and long-term transformation of Harlow - not for the sake of it, but with the sole purpose of enabling a sustainable and cohesive community which plays its full role in the sub-region and Essex as a whole.

So as you can see it has a hefty remit.

Last night there was a presentation by Harlow North Joint Venture an amalgam of Land Securities and Places for People that want to deliver new homes to the north of Harlow.

Now I have always been in favour of this growth, with some serious caveats that I will return to later, and this has put me out of step with a lot of Conservatives in the East of England. I have supported the growth because Harlow is very constrained by its boundaries, and has very little land of its own to grow on, yet has the thirst and desire to grow.

As a new town building more houses is something that is and has been part of everyday life to those of us who grew up in Harlow, and do so desperately need those houses to allow third and now even fourth generation Harlow Children to stay living in the town. We are also all acutely aware that Harlow, being a grand old 62 this year has bits that are tiring mostly at the same time, and so that is why Regeneration is my councils' top priority. Regeneration that can be assisted by growth.

Simples?

Well not quite because the most obvious place to build the new housing is on a swath of land to the north of the town, that doesn't belong to the town, in fact its not even in the same county... Its East Hertfordshire, and those in the hamlets and villages that Harlow might overtake are not at all happy with the plan.

But I have always caveatted my support for the building of Harlow North with the following:

• The Boundaries must move so that Harlow gets the Regenerative benefit of the building.
• The infrastructure to support Harlow North must arrive before or at the same time as the development.
• Any development must offer a one town solution and not two separate communities.

And really that last one is the clincher. It benefits Harlow not one jot if all that happens is a few thousand houses are built in East Herts with no reference to one cohesive community, if the links across the river between the two areas are not solved and if no effort is made to integrate the two developments.

Sadly the latter is all I saw from the presentation that HRL received. I questioned the speaker with my concerns and in their answer not once was the issue of connectivity mentioned and I was given no real reassurance about the amalgamation of two communities.

For me, who has spent the last six years supporting the idea of such a development it was a disheartening evening.

I hope that the issues I raised will be thought on at length by the people at Harlow North Joint Venture because if all that happens is a load of new houses appear in East Herts, when we all know that the residents there will use the schools, doctors, hospital, shopping centres, restaurants and leisure facilities in Harlow with no demonstrable benefit to the town then the people of Harlow will, rightly, be very unhappy.

The Leader of Hertforshire County Council, one of my own party colleagues once described the town I love so much as "a pimple on the backside of Hertfordshire"

Unless the people at Harlow North Joint Venture get real about creating a proper community, East Hertfordshire could well end up being the pimple on the backside of Harlow!

Town Park in Lottery funding boost

The plans to revitalise Harlow Town Park have moved one step closer to securing lottery funding.

Harlow Council has this week secured the initial backing of both the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund (BLF) for their scheme to revitalise the Town Park.

We have bid for £1.6m funding to help us in the publicly backed plan to restore Spurriers House, redevelop the Water Gardens and the Bandstand and other landscaped areas. The bid also would provide new education facilities and improve Pets’ Corner.

Whilst we have not yet got that funding we have been told that we have made it to the next round of the the HLF and BLF Parks for People programme.

For making that next round the Council has received £104,000 development funding.
This funding should enable us to work up more detailed plans before a final funding application in March 2011.

In Harlow we all love the Town Park but some areas are in serious need of revitalizing. It has been quite a long time since much money was spent on the park. I remember from my childhood years that the area near Spurriers and the Bandstand was always a hive of activity, and that's the kind of environment that we would like to recreate.

It's really good to get this far and know that there is a chance of securing the funding for some of the work. Of course the battle doesn't stop here, we still have a lengthy bidding application process to go through, and we would need to find match funding to complete the bid... Perhaps I need to go and nose around the various European pots of money floating around at the moment and see if there are any for urban parks....

Harlow Doubles Recycling Rate

Well done to every resident of Harlow!!!

In just two years in control of Harlow, the Conservative council working with residents has doubled the recycling rate in the town from a paltry 25% to a more normal 50%. This success has mainly been achieved by using the new waste contract that was introduced last year and by resident working with the council to ensure as much as possible of the waste that can be recycled is. Weekly collection of food waste that has been diverted from landfill and has guaranteed that other collections have not been smelly by the inclusion of food waste have been a huge part of this success.

When I took over as leader of the council two years ago, I publicly stated that one of our aims was to double the recycling rate in Harlow. I am really pleased that working together we have achieved the goal.

Another manifesto pledge met!

Civic Service

Cllr Sue Livings the Chairman of Harlow Council held her Civic Service today.

It's an annual event and an important one in the civic life of the town. We have Mayors and Chairmen from accross Essex come to the town to see and hear about the very best of HArlow.

This year the children of Downs School Choir were particularly good.

I was given the honour of being asked to give the first address.

Here is what I said:

• It’s quite fashionable these days to be thankful. Actors, on winning an Oscar or a BAFTA thank their managers, their fans, their families and their loved ones. An MP winning a seat at a General Election thanks his agents and campaign team, the police, the people who counted and supervised the vote and, most importantly for us politicians who must never forget them, the new MP thanks the people who voted for him to get him in power in the first place. If someone buys you a present, you thank them (or at least, you should thank them, even if it’s your Aunt who’s bought you yet *another* horrendous jumper for Christmas).
  
  Here in Harlow who should we be thankful to? There are the obvious people – the men and women who look after Harlow and its people day after day. The street cleaners and refuse workers who work long into the night after we’ve gone to sleep to make the town tidy for us when we go to work. The bus drivers who get us to and fro where we’re going every day. The civil servants in the civic centre and elsewhere who make Harlow run on a day to day basis. The Armed Forces who put their lives on the line to protect our. Health professionals who keep us well or look after us when we’re not. Fire and Rescue people who help us in emergencies (and I think the residents of Berecroft are particularly thankful for their help these past twelve months) or the Police who try to keep the streets safe. Perhaps you’re thankful to your neighbours and friends, the ordinary men and women of Harlow who so often go out of their way to help an elderly person who needs their shopping doing or just provide companionship to those in need.
  
  Or maybe when we think of Harlow we should think of those like the architect Sir Frederick Gibberd who did so much work in the late 40s and early 50s helping to plan and design the wonderful town that we live in today. Over half a century later we are still the beneficiaries of his design to have a town where everybody could get to a park within walking distance of their front door, and where today we have one of the most extensive cycle networks in the country.
  
  Yes perhaps it is right to thank those who made the town in which we live. But if that’s so, then there’s someone far more important today to thank for Harlow. As I prepared this speech I was reminded of a joke I was told a while back which I think makes my point for me.
  
  Some scientists went to God and said, “God, we’re so capable now we don’t think we need you anymore. We think we can do all the things you can do. We can make humans in test tubes. We can recreate the Big Bang in a laboratory. We can see to the end of the Universe. We just don’t need you anymore”.
  “Alright then”, said God. “I tell you what. Let’s have a creation contest. If you can make a man like I did, out of the dust of the Earth, then I’ll agree that you no longer need me and I’ll go away and leave you to it”. The scientists had a quick discussion, worked out a way to make a human from some dust and quickly agreed to the contest.
  The next day God and the scientists met and in full view of the gathered TV cameras and newspaper reporters the contest began. The referee counted down, “Three, two, one” and blew his whistle.
  At that sound, the chief scientist crouched down to the ground and was about to scoop some of the dust off the floor into a test tube when God coughed loudly. The chief scientist looked up and God said, “Hang on a minute. You get your own dust”.
• This afternoon, while I’m thankful to the men and women and children of Harlow who make this such a great town to work and live in, and while I’m thankful to those who lived in the years after the Second World War and planned and built this amazing place, I also want to give thanks to someone else. While we humans build with bricks and mortar, God builds with atoms and souls.
  
  Before the beginning of time God knew that we would be gathered here today and as the leader of Harlow Council I want to acknowledge and give thanks today for his love and care for us. While sometimes I don’t understand some of the things that go on in God’s world and why he lets evil things happen, I know that I’m thankful that he loves us and that he loves all the people. I’m thankful that through Jesus all things were created, all things in heaven and on earth, things invisible and invisible, all things powerful and things weak; our homes, our families, our friends – everything was created by him and for him. And I’m not ashamed to say that I’m thankful that through Jesus’ death and resurrection I can know him and that I can be with him forever.
  Thank you God for all that you have done, are doing and have still yet to do in Harlow and in the lives of the people of Harlow. Amen.

MP calls for shake up of FA - Why I agree

Robert Halfon, the Conservative MP for Harlow has been calling for the FA board to resign following the disgraceful England performance at the world cup.

It has been picked up locally here by the Harlow Star, by the BBC here and even by the Daily Mail here

Rob, who is a season ticket holder at Chelsea, makes some interesting points, particularly about making the FA more democratic, and the ability for Fans to remove the board.

I can actually see his idea working.

Official England supporters could in effect become the shareholders of the FA. Imagine how many more fans would pay to be members of the supporters club if they had a vote on who was sat on the board of the FA. Imagine if it was elected who would be there....

I can see Trevor Brooking surviving as he seems universally respected by fans as the only member of the FA who actually "gets it" but in an open election how many of the others would survive? I would bet not many.

So who would end up running the FA in those situations? Well I can see heads of some clubs supporters clubs getting large block votes, and maybe some ex professional footballers as well, but would other sports stars and ex managers be able to bring their expertise to the FA? I think they would.

I think elections to the Board of the FA would reconnect the FA to the fans, to the grassroots, it would also give the board much more "clout" and probably guts to make some tough decisions.

I really do think Rob Halfon is on to something here.

Bill Rammell to not stand for Harlow again

Bill Rammell the former Labour MP for Harlow, beaten by Robert Halfon earlier this year has announced to the Harlow Star today here that he has decided that he will not be standing for parliament again.

I have to say, I think that's a real shame. I am obviously no supporter of Bills politics, having worked flat out to beat him and get Rob elected in his stead, but no one can question that Bill was not only a very good and conscientious MP he also enlivened the political landscape of Harlow.

His excuse that he will be too old in five years time at 55 frankly does not hold water, given the age of many MPs who have served with distinction to much greater ages.

Bill is reported to have told the Star that "it was time for a new candidate to spearhead the fight to wrestle control of the town back from the Conservatives" now obviously I am biased but I have fought Harlow Labour Party since 1998 at every election and during "peacetime" and I have to say I am not aware of anyone with a fraction of Bills talent to take over his mantle.

And in that I am happy. Bill was a well liked, well known and hard working MP who was difficult for Rob and the team to unseat, I don't see an unknown outsider coming into Harlow having much chance of beating Rob Halfon at the next election.

Keeping Harlow Clean - Fining the Dumpers!

I am pleased to be able to tell you that Harlow Council has successfully prosecuted a Roydon resident who was dumping waste in Harlow.

On Friday (25th) at Harlow Magistrates Court a 50 year old man from Temple Mead Roydon pleaded guilty to three counts of littering.

At the back end of last year a local resident saw the man dumping rubbish and contacted the council. We take littering very seriously and have prosecuted before and will continue to do so, to try and stop people making our town dirty.

Working with the member of the public we were able to catch the man on CCTV and took him to court.

Although I think the Magistrate was lenient on the man, making him pay £450 clean up costs, our legal cost for prosecuting and giving him a 12 month conditional discharge, I do hope prosecutions like this will put others off doing the same thing.

Harlow will not accept dumpers and litterers and we will prosecute!