Theydon Bois Village News report June 2013
Theydon Bois Village News report from Jon Whitehouse
I am proud to have been elected to represent Epping and Theydon Bois on the county council. I am grateful to everyone who supported me and am here to serve all local residents.
A particular thank you goes to my predecessor, Janet Whitehouse, who served a total of eight years as Theydon Bois's county councillor. We are liaising closely to ensure an effective handover and - of course - Janet will continue to be involved in many community activities.
Council control
Although the Conservatives lost nearly a third of their seats at the recent elections (down from 60 to 42 councillors) they have a majority so remain in control. The ten councillors who make up the Executive will take most decisions. Despite the election setback the Executive emphasises continuity rather than change: the new Leader, David Finch, was Lord Hanningfield's finance portfolio holder and the new Highways portfolio holder, Rodney Bass, held the same role several years ago.
I have spent the couple of weeks since the election taking up issues raised during my campaign and getting to grips with the scale of the county council and how it works. Essex County Council serves 1.4 million people, spends over £2 billion per year and employs over 8,000 staff. No wonder it often seems remote! I am gradually tracking down the people who are responsible for the issues that matter most to us locally.
Highways
Chief among these are highways issues. Two issues I plan to raise at my first local highways panel in June are (i) measures to slow speeding traffic entering Theydon Bois downhill from the viaduct approaching the zebra crossing and (ii) exploring providing a safer crossing place for pedestrians crossing Coppice Row towards the east side of the village.
This matters to residents who need to cross Coppice Row to use the pavement (which runs along just one side of the road opposite the green). It affects village and church hall users and pupils walking from the end of the village to catch the school bus. I would be interested in your comments about how high a priority this should be.
Unfortunately the panel has no control over highways maintenance or parking so I am taking these matters up directly. Residents can also report problems at www.EssexHighways.org or at www.FixMyStreet.com (which some people find more user friendly).
0845 numbers
If you prefer to use the phone the county council asks you to call 08457 430 430. Unfortunately most 'free minute' packages don't include 0845 numbers.
It seems unfair to me that you have to pay to report a pothole when, if the council used a geographic number such as 01992 or 01245 (Chelmsford), the call would be included in many residents' free minutes allowance. I raised this with the Chief Executive and the enquiries manager who promised they will consider the point. I will follow this up.
Keeping in touch
As well as contributing to this newsletter I hope to keep in touch by other means such as attending parish council meetings. If you are online you can see a bit of what I am up to and contact me through Twitter at www.twitter.com/jon_whitehouse. Other contact details are below. Please get in touch if there are any issues you wish to raise.
7 St John's Road, Epping, CM16 5DN
(01992) 561875
@jon_whitehouse