MP Column February 1: Alex Burghart MP, Brentwood and Ongar
This week, Alex has been in discussions with Essex County Council.
Written by Alex Burghart MP, Brentwood and Ongar
I spend a considerable amount of time each year dealing with issues raised by constituents which fall under the responsibility of Essex County Council.
School transport, education plans for young people with special educational needs and disabilities, school admissions, adult social care, buses and, of course, potholes all fall within the council’s remit to provide services for the one-and-a-half million people who live, and pay council tax, in Essex.
And so, after two years of online meetings, I was pleased to catch up in Chelmsford last week with Essex County Council leader councillor Kevin Bentley, and three of his cabinet members – councillor Lesley Wagland, councillor Tony Ball and councillor Lee Scott, who hold the briefs for infrastructure, (including broadband), education, and highways respectively.
Cllr Bentley has been leader of Essex County Council since May last year, so it was a pleasure to talk to him about his plans for our county.
I was pleased to hear that he is committed to help patch-up our potholes.
Some constituents – predominantly those in rural areas such as Fyfield – still suffer from unacceptably low internet speeds, and I wanted to check in with Cllr Wagland about local and national government progress to deliver high connectivity.
Likewise, I needed to talk to Cllr Scott about the ongoing and dangerous use of Ongar High Street by very large HGVs when traffic is bad.
I was delighted that he was receptive to my ideas and look forward to working with him closely to make change happen.
Finally, I wanted to share with Cllr Ball the experience of some constituents who have had to wrestle with assessments for their children’s special needs.
Afterwards, I was very glad to have my first audience with the new Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Rev Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, who took over last year when Stephen Cottrell became Archbishop of York.
The Chelmsford diocese faces a number of challenges, but I was deeply impressed by Bishop Guli’s thoughtful approach and have no doubt she will be a positive force for our local parish churches.
The Brentwood Gazette covers areas including but not limited to Billericay, Brentwood, Hutton, Shenfield, and Wickford in Essex.
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