Pot Holing Anyone?

No we are not talking spelunking here - A new interactive service for reporting potholes on the roads has been launched by Essex County Council.

The online service allows users to pinpoint the exact location of the defect on an interactive map and also has a facility to upload photographs. You can report potholes, issues with water leaks/drainage defects with footpaths and other natters.

It asks for as much detail as possible to identify the location including road name and other identifiable landmarks such as a house number or nearby junction.

Users are then asked for details of the defect such as the size of the pothole/etc. and whether it is in the middle or at the edge of the road.

When the repair report is completed, a job number is given which allows users to follow up on the status of the repair at any time.

Site inspection
The council said it would schedule a site inspection as soon as possible after a report is made. A statement on its website reads: “From the location details you provide, we will check if the issue is already known to us.

“If it is not, we will assign the task to the officer responsible for that area who will visit the site to assess the situation. This will include deciding how urgent the repair work is and when it can be scheduled into the works programme.”

Given the poor condition of the roads in the parish, it will be a facility that will be of use to many local residents but the county council will have a long way to go to restore confidence in local road users with a recent survey showing more than 85% of Epping Forest residents were unhappy with the condition of roads in the area.

‘Ignoring problems’
Many, no doubt, will be sceptical on whether the new reporting system will make any difference, with the Parish Council Chairman John Glover having previously accused the county council of ignoring problems on smaller roads in the parish.

Gerard McEwen, the County Councillor representing Stanford Rivers, said he hoped the new system for reporting would lead to issues over potholes and other defects on the roads to being resolved more quickly.

The website address for reporting defects is:
https://secureweb1.essexcc.gov.uk/Highways/Report-a-highway-problem.aspx

Maybe we should find out just how effective this service is for ourselves - and give it a good run for the money.

Stanford Rivers Parish Council Newsletter - Issue #25

New Councillors

The three new councillors were welcomed on board at the last PC meeting held in May. Basil Hollington, Robert Manning and Robert Jackson were all co opted to the council after being nominated for the vacant positions.

Vice Chairman Alan Buckley, standing in for absent Chairman John Glover, told the PC there were challenges ahead in the next term and the enthusiasm of the new members would be warmly received.

Robert Jackson took on the responsibility for dealing with highways issues while the others will have duties assigned over the coming term.

Best wishes were also passed to Heather Brady, the new district councillor representing the area at EFDC. Mrs Brady, part of the Conservative grouping on the council, took over from Di Collins, the long standing councillor for the Passingford ward who retired earlier this year.

Alan Buckley said he was looking forward to Mrs Brady attending the Parish Council in the near future and working with her to get the best outcomes for the residents of Stanford Rivers parish.

Electoral Register

The Annual Canvass of Electors form will arrive in June and parish residents have been urged to respond to ensure their views are represented at all levels.

It is now easier than ever to respond to the canvass form with the option of replying by phone, text, online, post or in person.

The first elections of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) takes place on November 15th this year and residents will need to be on the Electoral Register or they will lose the right to vote.

Also, being on the Council Tax Register does not automatically mean that you are on the Electoral Register as the two registers contain different information.

Stanford Rivers Parish Council Newsletter - Issue #25

New Councillors

The three new councillors were welcomed on board at the last PC meeting held in May. Basil Hollington, Robert Manning and Robert Jackson were all co opted to the council after being nominated for the vacant positions.

Vice Chairman Alan Buckley, standing in for absent Chairman John Glover, told the PC there were challenges ahead in the next term and the enthusiasm of the new members would be warmly received.

Robert Jackson took on the responsibility for dealing with highways issues while the others will have duties assigned over the coming term.

Best wishes were also passed to Heather Brady, the new district councillor representing the area at EFDC.
Mrs Brady, part of the Conservative grouping on the council, took over from Di Collins, the long standing councillor for the Passingford ward who retired earlier this year.

Alan Buckley said he was looking forward to Mrs Brady attending the Parish Council in the near future and working with her to get the best outcomes for the residents of Stanford Rivers parish.

Electoral Register

The Annual Canvass of Electors form will arrive in June and parish residents have been urged to respond to ensure their views are represented at all levels.

It is now easier than ever to respond to the canvass form with the option of replying by phone, text, online, post or in person.

The first elections of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) takes place on November 15th this year and residents will need to be on the Electoral Register or they will lose the right to vote.

Also, being on the Council Tax Register does not automatically mean that you are on the Electoral Register as the two registers contain different information.

Parish Council Annual Statement 2011/2012

Local Campaign gets Shopper Bus Service Reinstated

Bus Campaign Leads to Shopper Service Return with New Toot Hill Route

The shopper bus service between Stanford Rivers and Ongar has been reinstated, this time by Essex County Council, following pressure from the local campaigners.

The service, which was withdrawn at the end of March because of a lack of use, has now been extended to Toot Hill.

The new service, which is run by Epping Forest Community Transport, collects at Toot Hill every Monday at 9am and then at Stanford Rivers five minutes later before dropping in Ongar High Street just before 9.15am.

The new route also stops at the new Ongar Hospital before eventually terminating in Epping at 10.10am.

The return leg leaves Epping High Street at midday and picks up on Ongar High Street at 12.55pm.

There will be a flat fare of £3 (single or return) to use the service.

Serious Issue

The decision to reintroduce the service was taken after Parish Clerk Kay Hayden lobbied Essex County Council over a lack of services locally.

She said: “There are a lot of people in Stanford River and Toot Hill who have no other means of getting to town and this is a very serious issue for them.

“Using taxis is out of the question for many because of the high cost so this service really is important to them.”

In the last edition of News & Views, residents said they feared being left stranded and without access to the services and amenities they required in Ongar, including medical and dental surgeries, pharmacies, banking and shops.

The Vice Chairman of the Parish Council, Alan Buckley, called on residents to make the most of the service in order to secure its future.

“It is excellent news that this service now also covers Toot Hill and hopefully this will generate more passengers. The truth is we really need people to use the bus or we may loose it in the future."

Parish Council News Letter - Issue No 24

Farewell to Mike and Margaret
Councillors Margaret Lambert and Mike Hogan gave notice of their intention to resign their seats at the last PC meeting in March. Both said personal and family commitments meant they could no longer afford the time for PC work.

Vice Chairman Alan Buckley thanked them on behalf of the PC for their good work for Stanford Rivers and Toot Hill.

The PC has three vacant positions and anyone seeking a nomination should contact clerk Kay Hayden at: hayden-r1@sky.com or by telephone at: 01277 364764.

District Councillor Says Goodbye
Di Collins, the district council representative for the parish, has been thanked by the PC for all the hard work she has carried out on behalf of the residents of Stanford Rivers.

Mrs Collins, who is standing down from the EFDC later this year, was presented with a bouquet of flowers by Vice Chairman Alan Buckley at the last PC meeting to show appreciation for her service to the locality.

Councillor Collins said everyone should be proud of our achievements, particularly on waste management, where EFDC recycles more than 60% of waste. This is the second highest in the county and sixth highest in the country.

Speed Gun Training
We will be commencing training on the use of the radar gun in the coming weeks and would like to have a larger pool of volunteers to work from.

We plan to operate in teams of three and we would appeal to anyone that is interested to come forward. Applications are welcome from both sexes..

There will not be a fixed rota and there will not be pressure to turn out on a highly regular basis.

Each individual’s commitment will be different according to their circumstances. Contact Alan Buckley for further details.

Jubilee Mugs for Under 16s
We would like to repeat our call for the parents of children under 16-years-old to make contact with Parish Clerk Kay Hayden as we plan to present a commemorative Jubilee mug to all the children of the parish.

We really want to involve the younger people of the parish in the Jubilee commemorations and would kindly ask that parents who wish their child to receive a specially commissioned mug to register their interest with Kay by email or telephone. Her contact details are here.

Stanford Rivers Parish Councillors

Chairman

John Glover

Burrows Farm,

Toot Hill Road,

Essex. CM5 9QW

Tel: 01277 362169

Covering IT/Website

Vice Chairman

Alan Buckley

Langford Bridge Farm,

Ongar Road,

Kelvedon Hatch,

Essex. CM15 0LB

Tel: 01277 362494

Representative to Essex Assoc.
Local Councils
Parish Plan Co-ordinator

Councillor

Alan Fisher

Colemans Farm,

Clatterford End,
Toot Hill,
Essex. CM6 9ON

Tel: 01277 362736

Covering
Newsletter & Media

Councillor

Jeanette Gatward

2 Burrows Cottages

Toot Hill Road

Toot Hill

Essex. CM5 9ON

Tel: 01277 364796

Covering
Church liaison

Councillor
Ron Hayden
3, Little End,
London Road,
Stanford Rivers,
Essex. CM5 9PH

Tel:  01277 364764

Covering
Representative to Village Hall Committee
Planning and Enforcement

Councillor
Margaret Lambert
3, Garden Fields,
London Road,

Stanford Rivers,

Essex. CM59PL

Tel: 01277 363982

Covering
Highways representative to the Epping Forest Rural Tenants' Forum

Councillor

Mike Hogan 

30, Epping Road,

Toot Hill,

Essex. CM 9SQ

Tel: 01992 522749

Clerk

Kay Hayden

3, Little End

London Road

Stanford Rivers

Essex. CM5 9PH

Tel: 01277 364764 

email: hayden-r1@sky.com

Covering
Parish Council Admin

County Council ‘Ignoring’ Poor State of Local Roads

Essex County Council is failing in its responsibility to keep local roads in a fit and safe condition, according to Parish Council Chairman John Glover.

Mr Glover accused the county council of ignoring potholes on the smaller roads for period of more than a year,despite them being marked at least twice for repair in 2011.

The criticism came as local survey figures revealed that only 15% of Epping Forest District Council residents were satisfied with the condition of the roads – the lowest in the entire county.

It is hoped the decision to appoint a new contractor, Ringway Jacobs, to repair the roads in the area will have a positive impact on the situation.

“Taking too long”

Mr Glover highlighted a large pothole in Toot Hill Road which has been causing particular problems for residents.

“Main roads are usually dealt with quite quickly, but smaller roads like Toot Hill Road can have potholes and not be looked at for a long time.

"I know people who have gone out with a bucket of concrete and tried to fill them in themselves because it was taking too long for Essex County Council to deal with.

"They left a cone on it to warn drivers, and when they took it away the bottom part stayed stuck in it, which is
how it is now."

Mr Glover said another issue affecting road safety locally was overgrown hedgerows He said: "There are places where hedgerows come out into the road. Places where cars should be able to pass are made too narrow. They also cover up signs and make it more dangerous for people walking in theroad.

“I have lived in Toot Hill for 29 years and when I first lived here the roadside shrubbery was cut back about twice per year, presumably by County. This service has completely stopped and in the last year part of Toot Hill Road was reduced to a single carriageway because of overgrowing bushes.

“We would like to bring pride to our roadsides and I am asking landowners to step up to the mark and get their hedges in neat order and ideally trimmed every winter,” he added.

Funding issues

Essex County Councillor Gerard McEwen, who represents the area, said it was important landowners took responsibility for their land.

"The Highways department don't cut hedges along rural lanes," Mr McEwen said. “It comes down to a matter of funds inthe end. Although it would be lovely if we could tackle every job, there isn't a bottomless pit of money and priorities have to be made."

New venue

County Council ‘Ignoring’ Poor State of Local Roads Under the Highways Act 1980, owners and
occupiers are required to:

* trim hedges and trees to ensure growth does not obscure the view of road signs.

* trim roadside hedges to maintain visibility for road users, particularly at junctions and on the inside of bends.

* trim any hedge that directly abuts a road, footway, cycleway or public right of way so that growth does not prevent the passage or affect the safety of the highway user, including cyclists and pedestrians.

* remove dead or decaying trees and other growth that may fall across the highway.

* remove branches and other growth that may prevent the passage of high sided vehicles or obstruct light from a public lamp (street light).

* ensure the highway (including the footway and drainage features) is left clear of debris from the cutting operations.

Flood Plain Reprieve For Roding Residents As Agency Puts Project On Hold

Proposals to create a flood storage area on the River Roding in Stanford Rivers have been postponed by the Environment Agency.

There had been strong objections to the plan from local residents who feared the proposal, to alleviate flooding downstream in the Woodford area, would lead to an increase of instances of flooding in Stanford Rivers.

The Environment Agency said a shortage of available funding meant the plan would be put on hold for at least 10 years.

It added that while it accepted the creation of the flood storage area would cause considerable difficulties for the properties at 157 and 159 London Road, it would not be built at all if there was evidence that additional properties would be affected.

River Maintenance

However, the agency did confirm that it was stopping maintenance work on the river, such as clearing blockages and silt, because it no longer could afford it. Responsibility for this work will now fall on the owners of the land alongside the Roding.

There are concerns that this move alone will lead to increased flooding risk, particularly in the tributaries such as Stanford Hall Brook, which regularly overflows across London Road at Bridge Farm.

Parish Councillor Ron Haydon, who has been leading the campaign against the decision, said: “Any blockages on the Roding will slow the flow which will lead the tributaries to back up and the damage this could cause has not been taken into consideration.” Flood simulation model.

In response the Environment Agency said it had started working on new computer modelling to emulate the effect of flooding on the Roding’s tributaries and this now included Stanford Hall Brook.

In a statement, the agency added: ”To enable us to fully understand the issues on the brook and to make the appropriate response, it is important that we have the results of the new model available to us. Only at that point will we be able to provide further information to you on the current flood risk in your parish."

The new model will be complete in May 2012. However, any flood risk caused by the condition of Stanford Hall Brook is currently and will continue to be the responsibility of the Riparian Owners.”

The withdrawal of maintenance along the Roding north of the M25 is expected to save in the region of £150,000 per annum.