Epping Forest District Council will proudly show its support for our Armed Forces by flying the Armed Forces Day Flag throughout next week.
At 10.15am on Monday 21st June, the Chairman of Council, Councillor Anne Grigg, will meet with Council staff and local dignitaries outside the Civic Offices for a short service which will be followed by the raising of the flag at 10:30am. The Armed Forces Day flag will fly alongside the Union Jack flag outside the Council offices until Monday 28 June
2010.
As part of this event the Chairman of Council will be supporting the 'Help for Heroes' fund. To help raise funds for this very worthy charity, members of staff will be passing through the offices with a variety of items for purchase and to collect donations.
Armed Forces Day is on Saturday 26th June 2010. This annual celebration gives the nation the opportunity to show our support for the remarkable men and women who make up our Armed Forces community, from current serving troops to service families, veterans and cadets. For more information about this event, please click here or to view a video of last year's event, please click here.
On 13th May 2010, the Epping Forest Guardian published an article stating that Essex County Council had postponed building the new St. John’s School “indefinitely”, which is absolute nonsense.
As a Governor of St. John’s School, I have worked closely with the Cabinet Member for Education at Essex County Council, Cllr. Stephen Castle, on the project to rebuild a brand new, state-of-the-art secondary school for Epping. At this time, there is just over a £4m funding gap in the project, which would have to be paid out by the County Council’s Capital Expenditure Budget. However, given the recent change of Government and the 
uncertainty about public spending cuts, the County are not yet willing to commit their capital to large-scale projects until they know how much money they will have to serve the people of Essex in the year ahead. A entirely sensible stance in my opinion. This is simply a funding issue - Essex County Council are still completely committed to building a new secondary school in Epping and their officers, contractors and projects managers will continue to work closely with the school to ensure that as soon as the time in financially viable, the project kicks-off.
In a statement, Cllr. Castle explained: “Essex County Council will continue to work with the Diocese of Chelmsford and the governing body of the school to confirm the redevelopment programme for St Johns School. The costs were due to be met through selling an area of the school site owned mainly by the school’s trustees. Following the recession and its impact on the housing market, it is estimated that the proceeds of a sale would no longer meet the full costs of a 
new school premises, and so additional funding source(s) will need to be identified before the project moves forward. The construction costs have not risen above initial estimates. We will continue to work with the governing body to move this project forward.”
The Headteacher, Governors and Staff of Epping Primary School are inviting members of public to come and take a look at the brand new, state-of-the-art building and facilities for themselves on Thursday 1st July from 5pm to 7pm.
Acting Heateacher, Lee Regan explains: “Everyone – family, friends, neighbours are all welcome to come and have a look round our lovely school and to see the work the pupils have on display.”
The new school can be found in Coronation Hill, Epping, CM16 5DU. To contact the school, please call 01992 572408.
Today, it is with pleasure I wholeheartedly applaud Epping Forest’s neighbouring MP, the Rt. Hon. Eric Pickles, our newly appointed Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who has sent a very clear message out to troublemaking Gypsies and Travellers that: “The good times are over.”
After years of setting up illegal campsites by exploiting legal loopholes, the Gypsy and traveller community have been told they have reached the end of the road – and that includes “Bank Holiday land-grabs”. Tough new legislation will create a criminal offence of intentional trespass. Travellers who refuse to move could be arrested by police or forcibly evicted. Travellers will be labelled “trespassers” if they set up home on other people’s land
. Those who actually buy plots of land, often in Green Belt country, then begin building work before applying for retrospective planning permission will find that loophole closed.
So many times in the past, we have seen travellers move on to sites late on Fridays when councils close for a Bank Holiday weekend. They started building the next day, then apply for retrospective planning permission. If they failed to secure it, they often claimed their human rights as travellers were being infringed.
I have spent a great deal of time speaking with Eric on these issues over the past couple of years and he promised that should a Conservative Government be elected, they would deliver – and they have! He has explained today that: “The last government’s policies have undermined community relations and increased tensions. 
We will work to tackle the legitimate sense of injustice.”
In a letter to local council’s Eric explained: “I am writing to you today to highlight our commitment in the coalition agreements where we very clearly set out our intention to rapidly abolish Regional Strategies and return decision making powers on housing and planning to local councils. Consequently, decisions on housing supply (including the provision of travellers sites) will rest with Local Planning Authorities without the framework of regional numbers and plans.”
Epping Forest District Council Leader, Cllr. Mrs. Di Collins responded saying: "This is great news. It means the end for the deeply unpopular Government Directive that effectively forced the Council and our residents into one of the most prolonged, expensive and bureaucratic consultations our residents have ever had to endure. It was disliked by everyone including our local Gypsy and Travelling community and it will be a great relief for everyone to know we will now see the back of it. I applaud Eric Pickles for his swift action."
Under existing legislation, Epping Forest District Council is required to find 34 Gypsy and Traveller pitches by 2011 through a formal consultation process. Thankfully, it is now almost certain that these plans will be scrapped. This is a great day for the many thousands of local people who have campaigned so hard for fairness in our community. I congratulate you all.
Epping Forest District Council will proudly show its support for our Armed Forces by flying the Armed Forces Day Flag throughout next week.
2010.
