Essex puzzle enthusiast scoops £10,000 cash prize

A local puzzle enthusiast has scooped a £10,000 cash prize from the UK’s leading Prize Competition organisers, Prize Magazines.

Sheila Watkins from Hockley in Essex was presented with the cheque for £10,000 by Prize Magazines owners Tony and Judy Lane after winning the main prize in a national draw being run through their seven magazines.

Sheila, who is about to start receiving her pension later this year, said “What a brilliant boost to my pension! I plan to share some of the money with my family, visit friends in Portugal for my sixtieth birthday and go on a dream trip to Iceland. I have already treated myself to a Nintendo DS too!”

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Illegal Diversion of a Bridleway in the vicinity of Hawkwell Park Drive

I was called out by residents early on the morning of Saturday, April 19 to the work being carried out by a developer on the land running alongside 63 Hawkwell Park Drive and Park Gardens.  I spoke to the Architect and Builder advising them that they were illegally diverting and surfacing a bridleway.  They refused to stop the work.

I contacted our County Councillor by email immediately and also Rochford District Council.

Arriva No 8 Bus - Improvements sought by RDC

Planning Policy & Transportation Committee – 3 April 2007
Review of Bus Services

Resolved
(1) That County Highways be asked to:-
- Explore with the local residents ways in which the transport link between the Dome and Hullbridge could be improved.
Planning Policy & Transportation Committee – 3 April 2007
-Explore ways of improving evening services generally.
-Explore the possibility of reinstating the No. 8 service from Hawkwell to Rayleigh during the week.
-Explore with the local residents ways in which the local bus services could be expanded to cater for people wishing to visit places of recreation from the Rochford District.
(2) That Central Government be lobbied to increase its funding to support subsidisation of the bus services in the county.
(3)  That Arriva be lobbied via Essex County Council to improve the condition of their buses and make them more user friendly.

Verge Destroyed by Factory Parking - Main Road Hawkwell

This issue has been the source of a constant trickle of complaints ever since I was first elected in 2000.

The planning application for a car park on the farmland was understandably refused by RDC in 1999/2000.

A then also newly elected Conservative Member of RDC asked if I would sort this out for the factories. But no one ever contacted me.  That Member has now lost his seat and at the Count I remembered that conversation.

Basically the chewed up and deeply rutted, water and mud filled verge is an eyesore and in terms of amenity value it has none.

Essex County Council - NEW COUNCIL TAX

Essex County Council - NEW COUNCIL TAX

On 22 February 2007, Members of Rochford District Council were advised by Shaun Scrutton that Essex County Council were going to charge a swinging new tax on property developers.

Basically it is a levy of £10,000 on each new dwelling as a general charge for highway improvements.  So for the 8 flat application we were discussing this was a huge £80,000 tax.

I saw it as a NEW TAX but another Member felt that it was an incentive for RDC to pass the planning application !!