FREE FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL AVAILABLE

FOOTBALL - Epping Forest District Council, Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and the Essex FA, is offering all adults the chance of getting back into playing football for free. The six weeks of training sessions will be coached by a Tottenham Hotspur Foundation coach and will help participants get back into their stride and back up to speed. Local clubs will attend each week, looking to recruit new players for the season. These sessions take place every Monday starting 19 October to 23 November 2009 at 8pm until 9pm on the Astroturf pitch at Debden Park High School, Willingale Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 2BQ. For more information on either the basketball or football activities, please contact Fabrizio Luca Ferrari by telephone on 01992 564220 or email fferrari@eppingforestdc.gov.uk

BASKETBALL - The eight weeks of free basketball training will take place every Thursday from 15 October to 3 December 2009. These non-competitive fun taster sessions are for all those who wish to learn how to play the sport or for anyone who wants to get back into playing. The sessions will run from 6pm until 7pm in the Sports Hall at St John’s CE School, Tower Road, Epping, Essex CM16 5EN.

DATE FOR THE DIARY - Sunday 1st November 2009

The nearest fireworks display to Epping is taking place at Harlow Town Park this year from 6.30pm on Sunday 1st November. The bonfire will be lit at 7.15pm and the firework display starts at 7.45pm.

Admission is free and the event also features a live music, a fun fair and hot food and drinks for sale. There's no public parking on site, although there are plenty of nearby car parks in the town centre. Limited disabled parking will available on the Showground up to 6pm. Fifth Avenue will be closed between the Sainsburys roundabout and Edinburgh Way for pedestrian safety from 6:00pm until approximately 10:00pm. For more information on the event telephone 01279 446404.

FUNDING RELEASED FOR VOLUNTARY GROUPS

If you are a community or voluntary group operating in Epping, you can now apply for funding for capital community projects such as works to village halls, skate parks, play areas or, public open spaces, etc. The CIF (Community Initatives Fund) for Highways is also open to applications and you can apply for projects such as zebra crossings, roundabouts, crossing points, village gateways or, new stretches of pavement.

The deadline for applications for both grants is 6th November 2009 and you can download guidance notes and an application form from the website by clicking here or you can contact Beverly Davies on 07929 543523.

County Councillor John Jowers, Cabinet Member for Localism said, “The Community Initiative Fund is a great opportunity for Essex County Council to help the local community in lots of different ways, and I would encourage anyone who thinks they have a worthwhile project which requires funding to apply straight away.”

OPINION POLL RESULTS - Club One9Five

Question: Do you think Club One9Five should have it's license revoked?

Yes 12%
No 51%
I think The Edge should have it’s license revoked 12%
I think both the Edge and Club One9Five should have their licenses revoked 22%

Total Number of votes cast during a 7 day period: 131

CONSERVATIVES TO CONFIRM CONFIDENCE IN MP

Today, I have received a letter from Cllr. Matthew Colling, the Chairman of Epping Forest Conservative Association, inviting me to attend a General Meeting of the Association on Monday 26th October to consider the following motion:

‘This General Meeting of the Epping Forest Conservative Association confirms its confidence in Eleanor Laing MP as the Conservative Candidate for the next General Election.’

An enormous number of residents contacted me shortly after the Telegraph claimed that Mrs. Laing has not paid Capital Gains Tax on her London home at the point of sale in 2008 to complain and to express their anger at the trust which they believed had been abused and broken.

I have attempted to share as much information as possible on this issue, which has included a letter from Mrs. Laing to residents which can be found here. Some comments from the Leader of the Conservative Party, Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP which can be found here and a copy of the letter which Mr. Cameron sent to Mrs. Laing on the issue which can be found here.

Mrs. Laing has spoken on the issue, saying, “I welcome the opportunity that a General Meeting will provide for me to meet directly a large number of our Conservative members here in the Epping Forest constituency. I have been touched by the very many messages of support I have received in recent weeks and I hope that that support will be reflected in the outcome of the meeting. I am also pleased that I will have the chance to set the record straight.”

CHARITY FUNDS PRESENTED TO ST CLARE HOSPICE

Today, Keeley and I have had the pleasure of visiting St. Clare Hospice in Hastingwood to present a cheque for £2,775.00 to Richard Cowie, the charity’s Chief Executive.

The funds were raised by Keeley and I during my term of office as Mayor of Epping where I pledged to support this amazing charity which desperately needs to grow and develop its facilities to cope with the overwhelming number of patients who wish to use the Hospice as their final resting place.

The money has been used to purchase new flat screen televisions for each of the 8 patients bedrooms. The previous TVs had become very out of date and took up an enormous amount of room which is often needed for bulky equipment and space for relatives to be close by.

Thank you to everyone who supported my charity and for those of you wishing to learn more about St Clare Hospice or to make a donation, please click here.

EPPING'S CLUB ONE9FIVE - Have Your Say Now

Over the last two weeks, I have spent an enormous amount of time reviewing why Club One9Five has had its various licenses revoked pending further investigations by Epping Forest District Council‘s Licensing Committee.

Some residents that I have spoken to have been angry that the club is shut. Some have said good reddens. Some don’t understand why One9Five is closed, but The Edge is still open. Some still think someone was killed! Many are just concerned that not enough information has been made public and that the licensing committee has decided to review the matter in private instead of in a public committee setting. However we look at this situation, lots of residents seem to have an opinion and I believe it is very important that your opinions are heard on this matter and that your concerns are taken into account by the committee prior to any final decision being made.

You can do so by writing to: Kim Tuckey, Licensing Section, Epping Forest District Council, High Street, Epping, CM16 4BZ or by emailing ktuckey@eppingforestdc.gov.uk All responses must be received by TUESDAY 13th OCTOBER 2009.

DATE SET FOR ALLNUTS POST OFFICE TO REOPEN

It is with great pleasure I can confirm that after a long campaign, Allnuts Post Office in Allnuts Road, Epping, will reopen its doors to local residents on Monday 23rd November with a brand-new look after 18 months of being closed. The store was one of six branches in Epping Forest to be closed down following nationwide cutbacks.

Essex County Council Leader, Lord Hanningfield has been working for over a year to have this and other stores across Essex reopened with great success. He had managed to persuade a very reluctant Post Office Limited to find a way around European law and allow him to use £1.5 million of council tax money to reopen 15 branches, which has also included one branch in Station Way, Buckhurst Hill. He said, "Perhaps we should all do more of that - listen to what people want, and provide it!''

I do hope local residents will give the Post Office a warm welcome and remember that we have to use these services, or we will certainly face loosing them again in the future.

HOW CAN I REGISTER MY HIGHWAYS ISSUES?

Many of the emails and letters I receive from Epping residents relate to what we refer to as ‘highways issues’. These range from potholes, to street lights, to kerb drops, to blocked drains to bus shelters, to footpaths, to road markings and signs right the way through to overgrown hedges.

All highways issues are the responsibility of Essex County Council and as a way of helping you to report issues you may have or have noticed within the community, they have recently launched a new section to their website to help speed up the process of getting problems logged and sorted. To visit the site, please click here.

Alternatively, you can contact a member of our local Highways Office by calling 0845 603 7621 or by emailing highways.westarea@essex.gov.uk. Finally, you can write to them at: Warwick House, Roydon Road, Harlow, Essex, CM19 5DX.

COPPED HALL “APPLE DAY” - Sunday 11th October

The beautiful Copped Hall mansion is once again hosting it’s ‘Apple Day’ this Sunday, which is part of a national annual celebration of our apple orchards and local distinctiveness initiated by Common Ground in 1990. It is a way of celebrating the variety and richness of orchard fruits in linking particular apples with their place of origin and hopefully ensuring that they are not lost.

The Copper Hall Trust invite you to come and join in the fun, play some traditional games, help with the juicing and have your own apples identified (leaf and stalk attached) by our experts from the East of England Apples and Orchard Project team. There will be a large display of apples from the Essex and Hertfordshire counties and you can taste before you buy some of the delicious different apples that will be on sale. There will also be Morris Dancing, refreshments, sales, cakes, lunches, bar, trees to buy, and more.

Gates are open from 11am to 4pm. Entry tickets £3.50. Entry to mansion £3.50. For more information about Copped Hall, please click here.

IT'S TIME TO APPLY FOR PRIMAY SCHOOL PLACES

Parents or carers of children born between 1st September 2005 and 31st August 2006 must apply for reception places in primary schools by 30th November 2009.

Applications can be made via www.essex.gov.uk/admissions. The site enables parents to search for school information, check admissions criteria, read OFSTED reports, and submit an application right up to the deadline. Parents preferring a paper application form should call 0845 603 2200.

Late applications will be given lower priority, and only considered after all those submitted before the deadline. Parents or carers are advised to indicate more than one preference and to include their priority admissions or catchment school as one of their preferences.

Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Stephen Castle added: “This year over 90% of parents obtained their first or second choice of school, so give yourself the best opportunity of securing one of your preferences by submitting your application on time.”

CLUB ONE9FIVE - LICENSING COMMITTEE UPDATE

I have just returned from Epping Forest District Council’s Licensing Sub Committee meeting which met today to review the 6 separate entertainment based licenses registered to Club One9Five which is located just off of Epping High Street in Cottis Lane.

Reports were presented to the committee by legal representatives of both Essex Police and by the Club’s owners. Essex Police’s report included a rather extensive list of criminal activity which has taken place in or around the Club during the past year. Counsel for both parties also discussed the detail around the ‘brawl’ which took place outside of the Club during the early hours of Saturday 26th September 2009.

The Committee resolved, at the request of both parties, to exclude the press and public from the hearing due to the fact the evidence (including CCTV) which needed to be shared was specific to an ongoing investigation and could be deemed as detrimental to any forthcoming court cases.

To summarise, no decision has been made as to whether Club One9Five will have their license reinstated and it shall remain suspended pending a further hearing.

REMEMBERANCE EVENTS IN EPPING - 2009

Remembrance Day in Epping is always a large-scale affair. It is the one weekend each year where the whole community stops to think about the remarkable men and women who have laid down their lives for our country, for our safety and for our future. At this time, it is particularly important to think of and support however possible the many thousands of British troops commited to battles across the globe. For those who wish to be involved in this year’s commemorations, I have outlined the plans for our town below:

Friday 6th November
10.45am Rededication of the Garden of Remembrance at the War Memorial in Church Hill.
11.30am Service of Remembrance of the Commonwealth War Grave at Epping Cemetery in Bury Lane.

Saturday 7th November
For the first time, vintage World War II vehicles will be rolling into Epping High Street to promote the ‘Poppy Appeal’. The event will be supported by the Battle of Europe re-enactment group, who will be dressed in 1940’s Essex Regiment uniforms.

Sunday 8th November
2.00pm The Remembrance Day Parade will assemble at the Civic Offices in Epping High Street.
2.10pm The Parade will depart and proceed to the War Memorial led by the Epping Forest Pipe Band.
2.20pm The wreath laying ceremony at Epping’s War Memorial will begin.
2.40pm The Parade will march from the War Memorial through Epping High Street to St. John’s Church paying compliments to the Mayor, District Chairman and local MP along the way.
3.00pm Service of Remembrance will commence at St. John The Baptist Church.
4.00pm Refreshments will be served at the Hemnall Street Social Club.

For more information on this years event or if you would like to help with the Poppy Appeal, please contact John Duffell of the Royal British Legion on 07931 862336 or email johnduffell@live.co.uk

SUPPORTING HAVEN HOUSE CHILDREN’S HOSPICE

Today, Keeley and I have had the pleasure of visiting Haven House Children’s Hospice in Woodford green to present a cheque for £2,775.00 to Ian Sparks OBE, the Chairman of Trustees and Chief Executive and his colleague Christine Twomey, the Director of Care.

The funds which were presented were raised by Keeley and I during my term of office as Mayor of Epping where I pledged to support this amazing charity which has seen a financial impact from our troubled economy, but cannot afford to let the services it provides alter, because they are so very vital.

The money has been used to completely refurbish a ‘messy play’ room for the children which is accessible to all. The thought of helping children who are facing some horrific conditions and illnesses have fun brings an enormous smile to my face.

Thank you to everyone who supported my charity last year and for those of you wishing to learn more about Haven House or to make a donation, please click here.

PLANNING APPLICATIONS FOR CONSIDERATION

The following planning applications will be considered by Epping Town Council's Planning and General Purposes Committee on Tuesday 6th October 2009. If you wish to express your view to the committee on any of the application below, you can either email info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk or attend the meeting in person at Epping Hall, St. John's Road, Epping, CM16 5JU.

EPF/1642/09 - Abbey National Plc, 273 High Street, Epping - New signage, including fascia sign, ATM sign and window sticker (White background, red letters).
EPF/1709/09 - Abbey National Plc, 273 High Street, Epping - New signage, including fascia sign, ATM sign and window sticker (Red background, white letters).
EPF/1665/09 - Spirit, 186 High Street, Epping - Retention of two replacement air conditioning units.
EPF/1737/09 - Mrs. Frances Maskwell, 16 Station Road, Epping - Loft conversion with three dormer windows.
EPF/1015/09 - Mr. R. Hall, 43 Bower Hill, Epping - Vehicle crossover.
EPF/1789/09 - Mr. G. Best, The Stables, Houblons Hill, Coopersale - Small glazed link between garage and main house.

BLOODY BRAWL IN EPPING HIGH STREET

I am deeply concerned having received so many telephone calls and messages from local residents about a brawl which took place during the early hours of Saturday 26th September in Cottis Lane, just off of Epping High Street.

There are a huge amount of information circulating on this issue, most of which is rumour; certainly no one has been killed, but several people have been seriously injured and two men in their early and mid twenties from the East London area remain in hospital receiving treatment for their injuries.

Essex Police Officers remain at the scene of the altercation, outside of Club One9Five and The Edge where forensic evidence gathering continues. Forensic work has also taken place at the Elite Cab office. Police have confirmed that a 46-year-old man from Harlow has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm, but their investigation is still on-going. Six other men who received injuries have now been released from hospital.

Clearly, this is an outrageous situation to find ourselves in and I shall be working very closely with Essex Police on this week to establish precisely what happened and to ensure incidents of this kind never happen in our town again.

TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURE - Hemnall Street

Essex County Council have issued a Public Notice outlining a temporary road closure of Hemnall Street on Wednesday 9th September 2009 for the purpose of repair works on a water supply pipe by Veolia Waters Three Valleys.

PLANNING APPLICATIONS FOR CONSIDERATION

The following planning applications will be considered by Epping Town Council's Planning and General Purposes Committee on Tuesday 8th September 2009. If you wish to express your view to the committee on any of the application below, you can either email info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk or attend the meeting in person at Epping Hall, St. John's Road, Epping, CM16 5JU.

LB/EPF/1487/09 (Revised Application) - Mr. R. Balasuriya, The Old Rectory, Coopersale Common, Coopersale - Extension to existing rear conservatory.
LB/EPF/1488/09 (Revised Application) - Mr. R. Balasuriya, The Old Rectory, Coopersale Common, Coopersale - Grade II listed building application for an extension to existing rear conservatory.
EPF/1495/09 - Mr. M. Green, The Diary, Houblons Hill, Coopersale - Detached oak-framed garage/workshop/storage building.
EPF/1505/09 - Mr. & Mrs. Martin, 22 Lynceley Grange, Epping - Single storey rear extension.
EPF/1521/09 - Mr. D. Smith, 9 Woodberry Down, Epping - Ground floor extension, garden room and detached garage.
EPF/1409/09 - Mrs. W. Elmes, 88 High Street, Epping - Variation of condition 3 on EPF/1806 to allow preparation of restricted range of hot food in this A3 café.

FREE ROLLER SKATING AVAILABLE FOR GIRLS

Epping Forest District Council and the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation are offering girls the chance to go roller skating. Girls aged 12 and over are welcome along to sessions at St John’s School in Epping.

Starting on Thursday 24th September 2009, the roller skating sessions take place once a week until 3 December from 6pm till 7pm. Sessions are completely free and there is no need to book. Roller skates will be provided but you are welcome to bring your own.

St John’s School is located at Tower Road, Epping, CM16 5EN. For further information, please contact Fabrizio Luca Ferrari by telephone on 01992 564220.

THINK TWICE BEFORE TEXTING WHILE DRIVING

Given the recent increase in Road Traffic Accidents in and around the Epping area, I wanted to use this advert as a sobering reminder of what could happen if you take your eyes off of the road for just a second.

LOCAL BUS INFORMATION - Service Changes

Services 7/7A/7B: Harlow - Epping - Chelmsford
These services, run by Regal Busways, will have a revised timetable with effect from 14th September 2009, with an additional journey from Epping at 14.15, Monday to Friday

Service NWH: Epping - North Weald - Harlow
This service, run by TWH Bus and Coach Services, will be withdrawn with effect from 6th September 2009.

For more information on public transport link in Epping, please click here and click on 'Public Transport Information'.

COUNCIL REQUESTS REVIEW OF ELECTIONS

Epping Town Council have requested that Epping Forest District Council conduct a community governance review to alter the existing electoral arrangements for Epping Town Council to a system where 6 Council members in each of Epping’s 2 wards are elected every 4 years, as it is at present, but with elections in each ward separated by an interval of 2 years.

The current arrangements require all 12 Councillors to vacate their seats every 4 years, which means it is possible that 12 totally inexperienced Councillors could be elected and required to run a relatively large town council in key positions, such as Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Chairman of planning and general purposes and the Key Member for Finance.

For a full list of current Town Councillors & their responsibilities, please click here.

DATE FOR THE DIARY - Sunday 13th Sept 2009

For more information on this event, please click here.

HAVE YOUR SAY - Register to Vote Today...!!

If I had a penny for every time I have knocked on someone’s door and had to explain that you actually have to be registered to vote before you can do so, I would be a very rich man! If I had another penny for every time someone has responded, “but I pay my Council Tax”, I would be laughing!

With a General Election expected in May next year, I am working with Epping Forest District Council’s Electoral Registration Officer, Ian Willett, to ensure that as many people over the age of 18 are registered to vote in Epping Forest and have their say in who their MP should be and who forms this country’s next Government.

Ian Willett said: “It’s simple to register, all you have to do is complete the annual canvass form that will be coming through your letter box shortly and you’ll be able to help choose the people that make the decisions which affect your everyday life. For some people, this may be the first General Election that they get to take part in and they may be worried about what to do. Last year many young people who were 18 by June 2009 couldn’t vote because their names hadn’t been added to the canvass form. All 16 and 17 year olds should give their name and date of birth so they can vote as soon as they become 18. You can find out more by calling the Electoral Services helpline on 01992 564411.”

The rules are pretty simple: If you’re not registered to vote, you can‘t vote! The sensible thing to do is ensure you are registered. Whether or not you decide to vote on the day is up to you, but if you don’t register now, it will be too late!

DATE FOR THE DIARY - Saturday 12th Sept 2009

The Epping Forest Branch of the Alzheimer’s Society have organised a local Memory Walk on Saturday 12 September 2009 at 12:30pm. The walk will start at St. Margarets Hospital, go around Stonards Hill Recreation Ground into Epping Forest and back along The Plain.

This September, thousands of people will be taking part in the Memory Walk across the UK to have some fun, raise funds and fight dementia every step of the way.

The Chairman of Epping Forest District Council, Councillor Mrs Penny Smith has chosen the Alzheimer's Society Epping Forest Branch as her Chairman's Charity and will be joining the Memory Walk in Epping and hopes you will join her. For more information, please click here.