Last week I was invited to attend a protest at Stansted Airport by easyJet employees. They were angry at the airline’s threat to pull its ground operations out of Stansted, with consequential staff redundancies, whilst the company had been taking large amounts of taxpayers’ money from the government during the Covid-19 pandemic and had handed […]

Stansted Airport employees unhappy with easyJet and other aviation employers demonstrated at the airport yesterday. They had been prevented from demonstrating near the terminal building and airline passengers. I took the train to the airport and eventually found them by a roundabout beyond the employees’ car park. I chatted with Claire Lees, the Unite union’s […]

UDC briefing note – 3 April 2020 This briefing note is designed to keep you updated with what Uttlesford District Council is doing in response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic. The information here relates to the main activity that has happened across the council this week. You are welcome to share this information within your […]

The words above are not mine. They were spoken by HRH the Prince of Wales in Davos, Switzerland two days ago. He was referring to the Climate Emergency. His words are as relevant to councillors and residents in the Uttlesford district as they are to very rich business people and world politicians at the 2020 […]

The Liberal Democrats have published their election manifesto for the Uttlesford District Council elections on May 2nd: IMPROVING LIFE IN UTTLESFORD AFTER MAY 2019 AN AMBITIOUS LIBERAL DEMOCRAT VISION FOR UTTLESFORD DISTRICT It is in five sections: Growing local businesses and local employment Delivering housing that is truly affordable for everyone Protecting and enhancing the […]

Written as Chair of Scrutiny at Uttlesford District Council I posted on Tuesday about press correspondence regarding the above. Today I have received an email from Richard Pavitt that he has asked me to post here. This I will do. It is set out below. I will also seek answers to his outstanding questions and […]

I am writing this post wearing the hat of the chair of Uttlesford DC’s Scrutiny Committee. For those not familiar with local government structures, clause 6.3.8 of UDC’s constitution says that one of the Scrutiny Committee’s functions is to “question members of the executive (cabinet)….about their decisions and performance”. I am not writing today on […]

Let’s start this post with optimism – I will use my blog more often. Not quite a new year resolution; more a good intention. I started 2017 with the following:  Optimism comes from the belief that people will follow leaders who speak the truth and take the population with them, rather than seduce them with false promises that lead everyone into […]

There have been four previous refused planning application and two dismissed appeals on planning proposals at 14 Cambridge Road, Stansted. That makes six failures. We are now on the seventh; a proposal for ten houses, an office block and a shop that would do nothing but aggravate the traffic congestion, parking chaos and safety of […]

The planning appeal about the latest proposed development behind Tesco and the Coop on Cambridge Road, Stansted begins next Tuesday, April 26th. You are warmly welcome to attend to show your interest in what happens at this 14 Cambridge Road central site; especially if you agree with your councillors that the appealed scheme would be an overdevelopment that will […]