Rochford Headlines

Hanningfield Resigns

From BBC Essex News : Charged expenses peer Lord Hanningfield quits council Lord Hanningfield denies the charges over his expense claims Suspended Tory peer Lord Hanningfield, who is facing criminal charges over expenses claims, has resigned as leader of Essex County Council. Lord... Read the story »

Rochford Hundred Rugby Football Club, Hawkwell

Who are we? Rochford Hundred Rugby Football Club was founded on 4 January 1962 and in its first full season in 1962/63 it managed to field two senior teams and a Colts (Under19) team, no mean achievement in a very short period of time. The Club was fortunate to find the Rocheway School in Rochford with... Read the story »

Will a Parish Plan arrive too late for Hullbridge?

Time to show opposition to 450 planned houses, VILLAGERS need to make their voices heard about plans to build 450 new homes, a worried councillor has said. Monday 28th December 2009 By John Geoghegan in the Echo  Michael Hoy, a Green Party parish councillor in Hull-bridge, believes the village has... Read the story »

Salting/Gritting in Rochford District

STOP PRESS, 7/01/2010.  The Government has announced that steps are being taken to control the national distribution of salt !! This means that it will be necessary to reduce the schedule published here 0n 8/1 and 9/1 -go here  or here to find out more information  With more snow and icy conditions... Read the story »

Bins of Confusion

Bin collection update 07 January 2010 All bin collections have been suspended throughout the District due to dangerous icy conditions on all side roads and pavements. This is what happened before Christmas  BIN collections across Rochford district were suspended until 28 /12. The District Council... Read the story »

A Tale of Two Villages

Whilst the title of this article is an opportunistic pun on the Dickens’  Classic, Tale of Two Cities,  the story here in Rochford could be a tragedy of epic proportions for two villages in Rochford District if Government Planning Inspectors allow the two appeals in Stambridge and Hawkwell.  Also... Read the story »

Hawkwell Headlines

Hawkwell and Coombes Farm - Possible Tests of a A New Government?

I have had several conversations with local residents this weekend asking what they can do about the Planning Appeals in Hawkwell, Christmas Tree Farm/Thorpe Road and Coombes Farm,Rochford/Stambridge. Public Comments close on both Appeals on Wednesday, 27 January 2010. Both Appeals will be heard by Public... Read the story »

Snow Causes Major Power Loss in Hawkwell

The forecast snow storm came as predicted at around 9 pm on Thursday, 17 December and in just a half an hour had brought down a high voltage cable in Rectory Road plunging 500 houses into darkness and bitter cold for 15 hours. The Rochford Independent contacted the Emergency Planning Officer at RDC... Read the story »

Is there an Alternative Housing Development Strategy for Hawkwell?

Published by The Rochford Independent for Councillor John Mason As I have said in another recent article my congratulations  to residents in achieving firstly, a reduction in the proposed quantum from 330 to 175 in the Core Strategy and secondly, by convincing Rochford District Council to refuse... Read the story »

Hawkwell Planning Application Refused

The Rochford Independent congratulates the individual residents who made written representations to Rochford District Council and to the organisations which ran campaigns of objection, namely The Hawkwell Action Group (HAG) and The Hawkwell Residents Association. The David Wilson Homes Planning Application... Read the story »

Barratt Consults Public on 370 Houses in Rectory Road

The developer is David Wilson Homes which is part of Barratt Developments PLC.  Site Map Rochford District Council has put forward a plan in its Core Strategy for 175 new dwellings in Hawkwell whilst David Wilson Homes is actually preparing a Planning Application for 370 houses on one of the potential... Read the story »

Essex Headlines

Essex County Council Job Cuts

Essex County Council has announced it is cutting up to 275 managerial posts. The cuts will be met through retirement, normal staff turn-over, voluntary redundancy and not filling existing vacancies, the council said. The council said reducing the layers of management would help bring “quicker and... Read the story »

COUNCIL tax may have to rise to plug public sector pensions

Daily Mail, 1 August 2009 Bob Holloway, who runs the pension scheme for local government workers, has warned the gold-plated final salary schemes are no longer sustainable because people are ‘refusing to die’. Local authorities are facing a £50 billion shortfall In their pension pots after... Read the story »

Could Lib Dem MP have made allegations against Lord Hanningfield?

From the East Anglian Daily Times (EADT) here ESSEX County Council leader Lord Hanningfield was yesterday reported to be under investigation after allegations that he may have wrongly claimed thousands of pounds in parliamentary expenses. But the peer insisted he had done nothing improper and said a... Read the story »