• Weeknotes 02025 Q1 W2

    Weeknotes 02025 Q1 W2

    Going away for the weekend killed getting this out earlier, working up the notes would kill getting it out at all. So, here’s the rough take:

  • Weeknotes 02025 Q1 W1

    Weeknotes 02025 Q1 W1

    DCAP I’ve made some posts in our Facebook groups about Ghost Ponds, the Common Crane, and Libraries of Things. With some of these, I’m throwing out ideas, hoping that someone else will be interested enough to pick up the ball and run with them (LoT falls into this category). I don’t know if this is…

  • The Reformation

    The Reformation

    Thursday 5th December was the deadline for electors to request a ballot to fill the empty seats on Burnham-on-Crouch Town Council (BTC). I’ve seen a couple of people online saying they would be requesting one for the sake of democracy and to avoid the remaining councillors co-opting whoever they please. There’s still no news about…

  • Off Target

    Off Target

    On the 12th of November, I attended the Essex County Council Autumn Climate Summit ‘Enabling Net Zero New Homes in Essex’. I was excited that the Summit showed a level of ambition aligned with the gravity of the national net zero task and our international commitments. (You can watch a recording of the Summit here).…

  • Link up Rural Areas

    Link up Rural Areas

    The latest Essex cycling & walking plan is out for consultation. I’ve just taken a quick look and this is my hot take. 4 of the proposed cycle routes go through the Dengie: Mid Essex Cycle Route 12 (Burnham-on-Crouch-Southminster-Tillingham-Bradwell-on-Sea) Mid Essex Cycle Route 13 (Maldon-Latchingdon-Mayland-Bradwell-on-Sea) Maldon Green Link 11 (Mundon-Purleigh-StowMaries) Maldon Green Link 19 (Cold…

  • Read them and Understand them

    Read them and Understand them

    There’s chaos in Burnham on Crouch Town Council (BTC). Seven councillors resigned last week (including the Mayor and Deputy Mayor), the Chief Officer has not been seen for months and rumour suggests that another of the small staff team has departed. The resignations are the latest incident in a low-intensity conflict between the resignees and…

  • Bus Back Bitter

    Bus Back Bitter

    The Dengie Hundred Bus Users Group public meeting on November 6th was oversubscribed and spilt out of the Burnham Town Council chamber into the lobby behind. In that lobby, a printer was churning out copies of the order of service for Remembrance Sunday, making it impossible to hear what was said in the chamber. Eventually,…

  • Year One

    Year One

    Last week, we celebrated the first year of the Dengie Climate Action Partnership (DCAP) with a social at the Victoria Inn. More folk turned up for the social in the pub than regularly do for the monthly meet-ups in Burnham Council Chamber. An unsurprising but salutary reminder that an open formal meeting is not for…

  • Get on the Magic Bus

    Get on the Magic Bus

    Today was supposed to be day one of the new 45 bus service on the Dengie. This would replace the D4 and Dart 5 with a much-reduced timetable combining those two buses. The scheduled services would be reduced to two a day in either direction, Monday to Friday, with the Saturday service lost entirely. The…

  • We shall encounter, counting, face to face

    We shall encounter, counting, face to face

    Thoughts on the General Election and Reform UK in Maldon constituency. Last Thursday, I stayed up all night for the first time in years. It was the UK General election of course and despite the perils of displaced slumber I was minded to burn the midnight oil and watch the disgraced fall. I didn’t have…