MALDON district's 35 Covid-19 victims could be among those remembered at a permanent Essex memorial.

Essex County Council will discuss the possibility of creating the suggested memorial to the victims of Covid-19 next Tuesday (October 13).

The Lib Dem group have submitted a motion for debate at the Full Council meeting.

There have been a total of 1,409 coronavirus-related deaths registered in Essex up to the week ending September 25 – and 35 of these were people from the Maldon district.

The numbers of deaths are expected to increase still further with a renewed wave – there have been 7,435 confirmed cases since the start of the crisis but recently there has been an acceleration in the transmission of the virus.

Notably the numbers in Brentwood have risen from 46.7 cases per 100,000 over the seven days up to Saturday, to 55.8 per 100,000 over the week leading up to Sunday.

Epping Forest has gone up to 43.3 cases per 100,000 from 41.8 per 100,000 and Basildon has gone from 41.7 to 42.2 per 100,000. Both of those districts saw 11 cases each over the last day of figures – the highest total of cases in Essex.

However, Maldon currently remains the county district with the least confirmed cases currently, with 7.7 per 100,000 in the seven days to Saturday.

A motion moved by councillors Mike Mackrory and David Kendall says: "This council believes that there should be a permanent memorial to all those residents of Greater Essex, currently approaching 1,800, who have tragically lost their lives through the coronavirus pandemic.

"Such a memorial will ensure that those who have died from the virus will never be forgotten.

"Council therefore resolves that the chairman of the county council convene a panel of members comprising himself, the leader, the relevant cabinet member and the three opposition group leaders to propose a suggestion for a suitable memorial for consideration and decision by the leader."