It has been a little while since I last wrote a proper update here, so I thought it was worth saying where things stand. The County Council election was disappointing. I would be lying if I said otherwise. I put a huge amount into it because I genuinely believed Brightlingsea and the surrounding villages deserved…
Category: Policy & Priorities
SEND is one of those areas where, the more you look into it, the more you realise how complex it is. And also how serious the issues are. Over the past few months, I’ve been trying to get myself properly up to speed. That’s included: One thing that’s become clear through all of that is…
One of the questions I’ve been asked quite a lot during this campaign is: Why stand as an independent? It’s a fair question. And before getting into the detail, I thought it might be useful to try something a bit different. Not sure what kind of councillor you want? I’ve put together a quick quiz…
If there’s one issue that comes up again and again when I speak to people locally, it’s speeding. Not just as an annoyance. But as something that genuinely makes people feel unsafe. And the reality is, they’re right to be concerned. In 2025, 60 people lost their lives on Essex roads, the highest number in…
If there’s one thing that comes up more than anything else when I speak to people across Brightlingsea, Alresford, Great Bentley, Elmstead Market and Thorrington, it’s this: the state of our roads, pavements and infrastructure Potholes. Poor repairs. Unsafe junctions. Speeding traffic. Broken pavements. These are real, everyday issues. They affect people every single day.…
One of the things I hear most often when speaking to people locally is simple. “We don’t really know what’s going on.” That came up again recently at a tea and coffee drop in at Elmstead Market. It was a great session, but a common theme in the conversations was just how little information people…
The Tendring Local Plan Review proposes around 300 homes on land at the north end of Samsons Road, known as Site SAH4. Together with smaller allocations in the town, this would result in around 325 additional homes in Brightlingsea. That represents roughly a 10% increase in the size of the town in a single allocation.…
Over the past few weeks over 100 people across the division/area have completed my listening and support form. Firstly, thank you. It genuinely helps. A few early patterns are emerging. The strongest themes so far are: • Roads, potholes and day to day transport• Housing and infrastructure pressure• Speeding and road safety• Access to health…