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Apply to get council tax rabate
Application No: EPF/0883/22 Officer: Marie-Claire Tovey Planning File No: 012534 Location: 4 Vicarage Lane, North Weald Bassett, CM16 6ET Proposal: First floor extension to extend existing loft conversion other ground floor rear extension. Any representations on applications should be made in writing, by Monday 18th July 2022
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Comment online at www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/iPlan or by post to: The Director of Planning and Economic Development, Epping Forest District Council, Civic Offices, 323 High Street, Epping, Essex CM16 4BZ
Any enquiries should be made to the Application Processing Team T: 01992 564436 or E: appcomment@eppingforestdc.gov.uk
Winner of Davis Estate Agents Balloon Competition
The lucky winner of the competition arranged by Chris Davis at the recent North Weald Jubilee event has been announced. Chris had a car filled with the balloons and Louise Samsun correctly guessed the number of ballons. Her prize was £100. Louise kindly offered to donate 50% of her winnings to St Clare Hospice, the charity chosen by Davis Homes to receive any monies raised at the Jubilee event. Chris confirmed that he raised £75 and together with the £50 donated by Louise, this meant that £125 was raised during the North Weald Jubilee event for St Clare Hospice. Well done Louise and your kind gesture.
Apply for your Council Tax energy rebate
This week 10,000 letters went out from Epping Forest District Council to its Council Taxpayers in bands A-D who do not pay by direct debit, explaining how to claim their energy rebate. Apply online by 10 July
The mailshot explaining how to claim the £150 rebate went out on Monday explaining that applications must be made by 10th July so that all payments can be made by 30th September. The letter contains a QR code which links to an application form on the council website, together with simple instructions on how to download the code and complete the form.
Help is available for those who are unable to do this because they do not have a mobile phone or internet access.
Customers who do not have access to the internet, so are unable to use online services can visit our welcome hub at the civic offices in Epping. Staff are on hand to assist in completing the application form.
In exceptional circumstances the £150 rebate will automatically be credited against a customer’s Council Tax account. Discretionary fund payments A further round of payments from a Government discretionary fund is likely to be made to some households in Bands E-H who are on income-related benefits. Also houses in multiple occupation in bands A–D and third-party Council Taxpayers in bands A-D.
Further information on eligibility for this discretionary fund payment will be available in due course.
All payments are required to be made by 30th November 2022.
Garden Bonfire causes damage
Crews were called to a property in Challinor, Harlow on the morning of 25th June, a garden fire had spread to a shed and a neighbouring property, despite it having been extinguished. On arrival, crews confirmed that there was a fire in the garden, a shed and the ground floor of a property. Crews soon discovered that the fire had also spread into the roof space of the affected property. Firefighters from Harlow and Old Harlow worked quickly to extinguish the fire by 11:05am. Fortunately, nobody was harmed. If you’re having a bonfire in your garden this summer, Essex Country Fire & Rescue Services remind you that:
Bonfires should be at least 18 metres (60ft) away from houses, trees, hedges, fences, and sheds Never use petrol or paraffin to light a bonfire Only burn dry materials – damp materials will cause excess smoke Never put aerosols, batteries, tins of paint or tyres on a fire
Keep a bucket of water or garden hose nearby Do not leave the fire unattended, and make sure it is fully out before heading inside
St Clare Opens Clearance Outlet Store in Harlow
Local charity, St Clare Hospice have re-vamped their largest and busiest shop, and re-opened it as a Clearance Outlet Store. The shop, which is behind The Range, on Edinburgh Way, Harlow was first opened 25 years ago in 1991 and has become a favourite shopping destination for bargain hunters across West Essex and East Herts.
Shop Manager, Kevin Stocker said, “Since we opened our doors to the new look shop on 18th June, we have been really busy. We are selling all adult clothing for £2 each, which means you could come away from our Clearance Outlet with a fantastic new outfit for a tenner! That has to be a bargain! Shoppers can get 4 kids clothing items for £2 so it is great value for the whole family which we know is important these days. We are keen to let people know that we have some high street brand names on our rails; Next, Marks & Spencer, H&M and Tu are just a few. Just because it is £2 doesn’t mean it is low quality.
“What is also great is, people are coming along to buy, and just as importantly, they are also bringing good quality donations for us to sell. Our feet haven’t touched the ground, but the staff and volunteers love it as there is a great buzz about the place now. Knowing that every sale we makes helps pay for nursing and other specialist palliative care for local people is a real incentive.”
The new shop layout means there is a large furniture area too with sofas, chairs, mirrors and more, and the shop can deliver locally for a fee.
Kevin added, “We know the importance of acknowledging and thanking our donors, so we have also introduced an improved donation drop area. We listened to feedback about the experience some people were having so we have a new improved donation area so we can meet, greet and sign our donors up to our retail Gift Aid scheme. We hope our new customers love it as much as our loyal customers. We can’t wait to get going every day and hear the tills ringing up the sales for St Clare Hospice.”
The Harlow Clearance Outlet Store is open 7 days a week, 9.30am to 4.30pm.
New Epping Forest District Council Cabinet
A new-look Cabinet met for the first time on 6 June. With Councillor Darshan Sunger leaving the Cabinet to become ViceChairman of the Council, Council Leader Chris Whitbread has expanded his team and reallocated portfolio responsibilities.
Councillor Whitbread has appointed Councillors Ken Williamson and Alan Lion to work alongside the established team. The new cabinet portfolios are: • Leader – Cllr Chris Whitbread • Place and Deputy Leader – Cllr Nigel Bedford • Finance – Cllr John Philip • Housing & Community – Cllr Holly Whitbread • Wellbeing & Community Partnerships – Cllr Aniket Patel • Customer – Cllr Alan Lion • Contracts & Commissioning – Cllr Nigel Avey • Technical Services – Cllr Ken Williamson • Internal Resource – Cllr Sam Kane • Reviews & Efficiency – Cllr Les Burrows
Don’t forget to visit our website: www.northwealdvillagelife.co.uk Or sign up to the Facebook Group www.facebook.com/groups/ Northwealdvillagelife
Leader sets Cabinet agenda for the year
Councillor Chris Whitbread to set out the Cabinet agenda for the forthcoming year at a recent Overview and Scrutiny meeting. Key among the issues facing the district will be the cost of living crisis, as the country deals with the continuing consequences of the war in Ukraine and the aftermath of the Covid Pandemic.
Epping Forest District Council has already made significant savings while maintaining front-line services. Councillor Whitbread will be asking his cabinet to find more efficiencies as the Council strives to retain the lowest Council Tax in Essex.
Climate Change remains high on the agenda, as the Council works toward carbon neutrality. Qualis, the Council’s wholly-owned group of companies, is moving forward with the development of new homes, car-parking and a brandnew leisure centre for Epping. The Council is also pushing forward with the construction of more brand-new council houses. The capital programme also budgets for major improvements to existing homes on Limes Farm and other housing estates. Commercial property investments will continue to grow as the Council maximises income to protect front-line services and minimise Council Tax.
The Council will continue to work with key partners, Biffa (waste collection and recycling), Places Leisure (leisure centres), Essex Police (including district council-funded officers) as well as Qualis.
The Council continues to push towards the adoption of the Local Plan which is about more than homes – jobs are also important. To this end, Councillor Whitbread highlighted the North Weald Masterplan, set to become a magnet for jobs and opportunity. Central government’s levelling-up policy is bringing devolution back onto the agenda. Councillor Whitbread is working with neighbouring Essex and Hertfordshire Councils to find common areas of interest and improvements to services across the board.
Epping Forest District Council has evolved and adapted. Agile working and hybrid meetings have transformed the way the Council works. However, Councillor Chris Whitbread acknowledged the danger of some residents being left behind by the transformation process. He has brought Councillor Lion and Councillor Williamson into the Cabinet to ensure basic standards of service such as answering the phone are not lost in the drive for new ways of communicating.
