At the start of February, Ofgem announced the new energy price cap and it is clear this will have a significant impact on many household bills. The government has announced new support to help, including an optional £200 soothing rebate for all households and a £150 cash rebate on Council Tax for those in Council Tax bands A-D. In the constituency of Chelmsford, 39,560 homes are band A-D and 9,710 are in band E-H. This means that nearly 40,000 household could be helped by the Council Tax Rebate.
A new voucher scheme from Essex County Council and supported by Government funding, will allow those who may be struggling to use the vouchers to feed themselves and their families and keep warm this winter. The vouchers, which can be redeemed at any Post Office were posted out in early February to 3,900 adults in Essex, who have known care and support needs. There are various ways in which other support is available and for which you may be eligible. More information is available here:Help from Essex County Council
I have experienced for myself the overcrowding that many people in Chelmsford have been experiencing on the train into London with the earlier reduction of the train timetable. Greater Anglia added on several trains from Monday 7th February but this alone is not enough. I have written to them saying it is imperative they put on longer trains and look to restart the “Chelmsford Starter” trains that begin their journey from our station.
Another important step has been achieved replacing the Army and Navy flyover with the preferred “Hamburger” style junction. I have received confirmation from the Minister for Roads that the Department has approved the scheme, and has made a contribution of £1.3M towards the development of a business case. The scheme can now progress to the next stage of development under the Major Road Network and Large Local Majors programme. I know that it is frustrating how long it takes it go through all the planning and funding stages but this going to be a junction for at least the next generation, so the detail is important. The Army and Navy task force combines elected representatives from all parties in Chelmsford so it was good to have cross party backing.
