Last week Parliament was on recess, so it was great chance to catch up with lots of different organisations across Chelmsford.
I met up with the Chelmsford Sea Cadets. They are one of the largest branches in the country and our branch “TS Upholder” dates back to 1945. They currently have nearly 50 cadets who attend 14 different schools. I was impressed to hear how many of the young people want to go on to have a career in the Royal Navy or Marines.
The cadets told me how much they enjoy the huge range of different activities, especially outdoor challenges and learning about seamanship. Our cadets have not had their own base since they had to move out of their old buildings seven years ago. They therefore have to travel to East London to do many of their water-based activities. They have now been promised a new site on the riverside which will enable them to run more activities and support other branches. There is a lot of fundraising ahead to make this happen.
Continuing the military theme, I met with the Chelmsford based company, Defence Leaders, who run conferences in many different parts of the world and do a huge amount to support veterans.
I popped in to visit the Chelmsford Canoe Club. Eleven members of our canoe club are currently competing at international level. They told me there is no other club in the country with more than two members at this level, so Chelmsford is the most successful club nationally by a long way. I believe it is very important that we make sure they still have a place on our river and that this is taken into consideration when making further development plans.
I had a super work out with the Chelmsford Litter Picking Wombles. This large group of volunteers are out and about regularly picking up litter and helping to keep Chelmsford clean. We did an early spring clean around the Springfield Sainsbury’s. Last year I wrote to the company chief executive and asked if more could be done to prevent litter building up around their stores, he promised action would be taken. It was disappointing to see that yet again the area is full of rubbish. I have written again to the company bosses.
I met up with Chelmsford CVS who champion and support local charities, voluntary and community groups as well as the Essex Community Foundation which provides grants to charities and voluntary organisations in Essex. Essex has thousands of different voluntary organisations, many of which are run by a small number of individuals giving very bespoke help in their local area. Last year, the Essex Community Foundation gave grants to over four hundred different organisations across the county.
I had a fun time at Chelmsford’s live music venue, the Hotbox. Dave the owner is passionate to support small bands. On the evening I visited, one of the bands had travelled all the way from Brighton to play. They told that this is a very precious and unique venue. I also met with the head of Chelmsford City Football who have been supporting a number of local charities as well as having an excellent season on the pitch.
At County Hall, I had a lengthy catch up with Cllr Tom Cunningham, who is the portfolio holder for Highways. We discussed ways to address some of Chelmsford’s pinch points, including the phasing of the new traffic lights on the Miami roundabout, and the congestion at the Odeon Roundabout which often causes delays to buses. Please do not wait in the “Keep Clear” area on the roundabout.
A huge amount of work has gone into fixing potholes in the last year, and there are more to do. I was pleased to hear that the ones in Gloucester Avenue are due to be fixed next month, fingers cross the mild weather continues.
Like me, Councillor Tom is concerned about the traffic jams on the Broomfield Road and the safety of children when the school buses are waiting at the end of the school day. It is very frustrating that Chelmsford City Council has refused to investigate whether the buses could use the nearby car parks.
I visited the Grow Unit at Newlands Spring Primary School. Centres like this give extra support children with special educational needs and help them to stay in mainstream schools.
On safety matters, I met with the District Commander for Chelmsford and Maldon Police. It is good news that they have recently made a number of arrests of both prolific car thieves and burglars. Both car thefts and shed break-ins were down last month. Crime rates continue to drop across Essex.
We visited the Waterson Vale area, where a sixteen-year-old was tragically stabbed and lost his life a year ago. I have asked our Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst to look into providing CCTV in this area from the Government’s Safer Streets Fund. Please do report any antisocial behaviour you witness, either using 999 if the issue is immediate, or it is easy to fill in a report on the police website. These reports help our local police to target resources to any hot spot areas.
Chelmsford has a long-held reputation for being a safe place to be. We want to keep it that way. Thank you to everyone who has already filled in my local safety survey. It takes just a few minutes of your time and will help make sure that local people’s priorities are heard. The survey is on my website www.vickyford.uk.
Thank you also to the huge number of local businesses who have spoken to me in recent weeks as we near the time for the Spring Budget. It has been uplifting to hear many of them tell me that demand is growing and the economic outlook feels better. I have written to the Chancellor with their thoughts and suggestions and look forward to meeting him when parliament sits again next week.
