News in Maldon

The Rose and Crown pub in Maldon High Street is not on the list of Wetherspoons pubs re-opening on 12 April, announced by the chain today (Thursday, 4 March).

The pub giant J D Wetherspoons released a list of 394 of its venues that will open when restrictions lift enough to allow serving outdoors - and the Rose and Crown isn't on it, given the small size of its outdoor area.

A decision on whether to introduce parking charges at Heybridge Basin's Daisy Meadow car park has been put off until after the May elections.

Heybridge Basin Parish Council (HBPC), created in 2019, does not currently have the full quota of councillors elected to it, with vacant seats up for grabs on 6 May and currently filled by two district councillors 'drafted in' to carry out the roles until the local elections can be held. For this reason, a meeting of HBPC on Tuesday (2 March) decided that a decision on the possible car park charges should be put off until then.

News of more government funding pledged for domestic abuse victims has been welcomed by Essex County Council, which has vowed to "grow" the support services available locally.

The announcement by the Government yesterday (Wednesday, 3 March) comes amid a growth in reported domestic abuse in Maldon district during the pandemic, revealed in a report by Maldon's policing team to Maldon District Council back in October.

News of today's Budget has been welcomed by Maldon MP John Whittingdale, who believes it will help the local economy "bounce back even stronger".

In a statement following Chancellor Rishi Sunak's Budget announcement, Mr Whittingdale said: "The Budget today is fantastic news for all those people and businesses who were worried how they would get through the next few months until they are able to get fully back to work.

All Key Stage 2 children at a local primary school will each have their own personal dictionaries when they return to the classroom thanks to Blackwater Heybridge Rotary Club.

President of the club, Malcolm Myles, delivered the dictionaries to Great Totham Primary School this morning (Wednesday, 3 March) as part of the Rotary 'Dictionaries for Life' initiative.

Essex Wildlife Trust has submitted plans to create a 20 hectares wetland habitat for wildfowl and waders at Blue House Farm nature reserve in Fambridge.

The proposal, submitted to Maldon District Council, would create wetland habitat for breeding and overwintering the birds.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed his budget in the House of Commons today (Wednesday, 3 March).

The Chancellor spoke of how Coronavirus has 'fundamentally changed our lives' and promised to do 'whatever it takes' to help the economy.

Essex County Council has said that it is "reviewing the situation" with regard to the allocation of secondary school places to children living in the Dengie after some were offered places at schools as far away as Brightlingsea and Rochford.

Maldon MP John Whittingdale is meeting with the county tomorrow (Wednesday, 3 March) after describing the situation for some families as "totally unrealistic".

The following is a statement from Maldon District Council Conservatives released today on the issue of council tax (2 March):

"At the meeting on 23rd February the Conservative Group decided to put an alternative budget to Maldon District Council to allow for a 0% rise in the Council Tax for the next year, to support local people and local businesses, as have Essex County Council and several other Conservative-majority authorities in Essex.

Maldon District Council has appealed for help in tracking down the person who left a mattress outside a High Street charity shop.

A council spokesperson took to Twitter to post a picture of the item dumped outside The Salvation Army charity shop, saying: "Remember - Leaving your items outside a closed charity shop is fly tipping.