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| Local councils are being supported by Essex County Council, the Environment Agency and the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to jointly tackle fly tipping.
Fly tipping is the illegal dumping of waste on land which doesn’t have a waste licence. This could include leaving items by a bin or outside a closed charity shop, recycling centre or donation bank. Household waste has been found in over 60% of fly tips across the county in the past three years, costing Essex taxpayers around £1 million to clean up in 2022-23. Most reported fly tips also occur on highways or council land. A new campaign launched yesterday (28th January) will run for three months to equip residents with the knowledge and tools to dispose of household waste responsibly. The participating councils will also work closely to increase visible enforcement and share intelligence across the county. Councillor Peter Schwier, Chair of the Essex Waste Partnership and Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste Reduction and Recycling at Essex County Council, said: “We listened to residents’ concerns around fly tipping and committed to work closely with our partners, as set out in our Waste Strategy for Essex. “Fly tipping is not only an eyesore – it’s harmful for the environment, endangers wildlife and costs Essex taxpayers millions of pounds to clean up. “Through this campaign, we want to make it easier for you to get rid of waste, either with a council service or through a licenced waste collector. Let’s work together to keep Essex clean.” Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst said: “Fly-tipping is a serious issue that blights our communities, harms our environment and poses risks to public health and safety. It is crucial that we work together in partnership to tackle this problem head-on. “By collaborating with local authorities, community groups, and residents, we can raise awareness of the dangers and consequences of fly-tipping. Our joint efforts will help to create a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable environment for everyone in Essex. “Together, we can make a significant impact and ensure that our county remains free from the blight of illegally dumped rubbish. Let’s all do our part to scrap fly-tipping once and for all.” Essex residents can visit www.loveessex.org/flytipping to find out more about fly tipping and the new campaign. |
Category Archives: Blog
Diary posts
Devolution and Local Government Reform
At an extraordinary meeting of Essex County Council this morning (January 10th), the Council voted to write to the Secretary of State to request that Essex (along with Kent, Norfolk and Suffolk) be considered in the first tranche of new devolution projects.
Current (2025) map of Essex authorities
This would involve the disbanding of the County Council, the two unitary authorities – Southend and Thurrock – and the county’s twelve borough, city and district councils.
It is expected that the result would be up to four new unitary authorities and an over-arching mayoral authority, headed by an elected ‘Mayor of Essex’.
This would be the biggest change to local government since the current system was created in the mid nineteen seventies.
If the Secretary of State agrees, then the negotiations would need to commence in March, which would normally be part of the ‘pre-election’ period for May’s County Council elections, so it may be that these will be postponed – initially for a year.
Happy New Year 2025
This year could be a game-changer, with County Council elections scheduled for May 1st.
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However, these may be delayed if the government’s plans for Local Government reform come forward.
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That’s not undemocratic, the cost and disruption that elections would create, would delay the reform process.
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The government’s White Paper on English devolution and Local Government reform – published in December – presents an exciting opportunity for Essex. It opens the door to greater local control, streamlined services, and the ability to shape decisions that reflect the unique needs of our communities.
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It represents the biggest change to the structure of local authorities since the early nineteen seventies.
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For too long, many decisions impacting Essex have been made in Westminster. Devolution could bring more power closer to the people, giving us the tools to drive real change – whether it’s improving infrastructure, boosting local businesses, or tackling issues like housing and transport.
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Of course, change comes with challenges. It’s important we ensure that local voices remain at the heart of any new system and that our communities don’t lose the close, responsive representation they rely on.
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The various District Councils around our County have already confirmed their support for the process, and Essex County Council will debate the proposal on Friday January 10th.
Residents will be able to view the debate on the County Council’s YouTube channel.
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If the County Council agrees, then the Leader of the Council will write to HM Government to express their interest in embracing the principles of devolution, and to postpone May’s elections.
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This is a chance to strengthen Essex for the future, and I’m optimistic about what we can achieve if we get it right.
Merry Christmas
As we reach the end of the year, we wish everyone a happy and restful festive break.
Next year will be a big year, see you in 2025!
Stock By-Election
Cllr. Gillian Bonnett and Cllr. Sue Dobson – elected!
Further to our recent post regarding the by-election that was called following the sad passing of Cllr. Ian Grundy, it’s pleasing to be able to report that Sue Dobson has been elected to represent the residents of Stock Division at Essex Council.
Even if it’s only for five months!
Once again, this by-election was really unnceccessary, called by Reform UK before Ian Grundy’s funeral had taken place.
Having worked with Sue Dobson at Chelmsford City Council, we’re confident that Sue will work hard to represent the residents of Stock Division.
In other news, as they say, Gillian Bennett was elected to serve the residents of South Hanningfield, Stock and Margaretting Ward at Chelmsford City Council until the next election, scheduled for 2027.
Cllr. Ian Grundy
It is with great sadness that we share the news that Councillor Ian Grundy has died. 
Cllr Grundy was a longstanding local councillor, who dedicated more than two decades to representing Chelmsford residents.
Cllr Grundy was a longstanding local councillor, who dedicated more than two decades to representing Chelmsford residents.He served as Chelmsford City Councillor for South Hanningfield, Stock and Margaretting since 2003 and over the years also held the positions of Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, Cabinet Member for Technical Services, and Audit and Risk Committee Vice Chair.
Cllr Grundy was also an Essex County Councillor since 2011.
Cllr Grundy was a much-loved figure in his community and will be dearly missed by his friends and colleagues at Chelmsford City Council. Our thoughts are with his family today.
ECC’s Holiday, Activity & Food programme
This summer, Essex County Council’s international award winning Holiday, Activity and Food programme saw 9,435 children take up 78,652 places at 238 clubs across Essex!
The scheme was introduced by the last Conservative government with additional funding provided by Essex County Council. It makes a massive difference to vulnerable children and those on free school meals; providing them with engaging activities, positive role models and a healthy meal during the school holidays.
Cllr. Louise McKinley wrote to the new Chancellor on the 2nd August outlining the benefits of this vital scheme and asked her to commit the funding for the lifetime of this Parliament.
70 days on, she is still waiting for a response…
Let’s hope it doesn’t end up on the same bonfire of political choices as the Winter Fuel Allowance…
Coming Soon
A new home online for Chelmsford’s Conservative Councillors