Tag: Essex
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the communities we serve
The last delivery of fresh goods arrived at the Burnham Co-op yesterday, apparently the price markdowns start on Thursday. The store closes in 3 days time, on Saturday at 10pm. Then there’s nothing until Sainsbury’s open a store here in “October” (no date specified). The stock started being run down a few weeks ago. Now,…
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Energy Sovereignty
Why aren’t Reform UK pursuing the energy sovereignty that electrification, heat pumps and renewable generation can offer the UK? Why fuck all that up to pursue the dwindling fossil fuels left in the North Sea if you aren’t going to nationalise the little of what’s left there and prioritise using it for the national transition?…
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Rural Futuring
‘I want to believe in it. I want to go on believing in it. ButI cannot quite yet. Because we haven’t yet arrived. We are still undeniably at the bridge. The liminal chaos clings to our garments and clouds our vision. We must move. We must create this future. We must create it before we…
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Hostile Environment
It’s a Quintuple! The Gods have spoken. Communities Secretary Steve Reed came down from Mount Westminster this weekend and proclaimed that 15 councils in Essex will be abolished and replaced with five local authorities. I was surprised that UK Gov had not gone with the three unitary authority model proposed by Essex County Council, which…
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The Lost Words
By national government edict the 15 councils in ‘Greater Essex’ must reorganise to form new unitary authorities through a process of Local Government Reorganisation. This will change the current two-level council system into one in which there are new, bigger councils called unitary councils. I’ve been reviewing the four competing proposals submitted by existing councils…
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Let a Thousand Knepps Bloom
Yesterday, Maldon District Council (MDC) shared on social media that they would be working in partnership with a property consultancy company that has launched a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) scheme with the Braxted Park estate. The post and linked article are light on detail, and there’s nothing about it on the MDC website, but this…
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Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?
A couple of days ago, Essex Highways released a press release about their plans for rolling out electric vehicle charging in the county, and used the opportunity to ask people where they thought the chargers should go. Their survey is pretty minimal, but there was enough in it to raise my concern. I’ve long been…
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You Say You Want a Devolution
The Greater Essex devolution consultation has begun, aiming to establish a Mayoral Combined County Authority for Essex, Thurrock, and Southend-on-Sea, with the first mayoral election in May 2026. Concerns arise regarding local governance changes and climate action commitments, highlighting uncertainty around the future of local development plans and authority structures in Essex.
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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:
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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).…
Dengie Bioregion 