In recent months and days, the very existence of Uttlesford District Council seems questionable. I am kicking off this trilogy with a slightly shortened account from the Bishop’s Stortford Independent by reporter Hollie Ryder. Uttlesford District Council: Residents for Uttlesford-led authority says it is facing ‘tough but manageable’ financial challenges ahead Uttlesford District Council is […]

I last wrote about this ongoing issue three weeks ago, just prior to the adjourned Council Meeting on July 21st. That Thursday’s meeting got off to a disgracefully bad start when the Chair, Cllr Heather Asker, announced that the number of councillors allowed to speaker would be limited to a strict quota to ensure business […]

Uttlesford District Council faces job cuts and service decline because the Residents for oUrselves (R4oU) [aka R4U] political administration has now put UDC in debt to the tune of  £275,000,000 to prop up their wasteful spending plans. That’s forty-five times the Council’s basic tax income; a massive mortgage on the shoulders of local residents and […]

The Bishop’s Stortford Independent yesterday published a new, on-line story about a longstanding investigation by Essex Police into possible criminality within Uttlesford District Council. The report can be read here. The public at least now knows that the Essex Police are referring that case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for discussions. This is what […]

Green, Liberal Democrat and Conservative leaders at Uttlesford today demanded in a public statement that the Residents for Uttlesford ruling group should come clean and explain why the Council’s auditors are refusing to sign-off the annual accounts for 2019/20. Liberal Democrat Councillor for Stansted South and Birchanger, Ayub Khan, was stone-walled at the Council’s Governance […]

Donald Trump’s loss of the US presidency – despite his reluctance to concede – might be seen as a first step away from populist political leadership on the international stage. There is a long way to go to achieve a more normal politics. It will be well into 2021, or beyond, before the end of […]

Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities was set during and after the chaos of the French Revolution. Had he been alive today, he might have written about the Brexit chaos surrounding the citadel that is the Westminster Parliament. Had he known more about Essex than Kent, Dickens may even have been tempted to put pen to […]

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 […]

Written as Chair of Scrutiny at Uttlesford District Council The following alleged lack of responses to questions raised at the council’s scrutiny committee were contained in a letter shown below from last week’s Walden Local newspaper. The questions raised, together with the council’s responses, were contained in an email from me dated March 6th, 2019. […]