British jobs should be protected, following a vote in the House of Lords. Liberal Democrats helped defeat the Government and voted to keep Britain in a European Customs Union, which is key to Britain's future prosperity.

An amendment on the customs union (supported by the Liberal Democrats and some Crossbenchers, Labour and Conservative peers) was passed by 348 votes to 225.

Members of the Admirals Park Residents Association and other local residents met to discuss the recent incidents of crime in the area. The discussion ranged from theft from a garden shed, all the way up to one of the owners of Gibsons Corner Shop being threatened with a meat cleaver and robbed. In this last incident the perpetrators ran off into Admirals Park.

1. Working to end homelessness being criminalised.

Vagrancy isn't a word we often use in the 21st Century. That's why the law that makes homelessness a crime dates back to the 19th century. Layla Moran MP, our excellent MP for Oxford West and Abingdon has brought forward a bill to repeal this draconian law and stop people being arrested just for not having a roof over their head.

Jude is your Essex County Councillor.

She will be at the Lunch Club, Church Of The Holy Spirit, Forest Drive on the following Wednesdays from 1pm - 2pm.

Freda will be at St Lukes Church, Moulsham Lodge on the first Saturday of each month from 11:00 - 12:00. Residents are welcome to drop in to discuss issues or just for a chat. If you can't make the surgery, Freda can be contacted by email at f.mountain@cmld.org.uk or on the telephone 01245 264688 or 07890 496330.

Essex County Council and Chelmsford City Councillor Jude Deakin will hold a surgery at the Jubilee Cafe, United Reform Church, North Avenue. Residents are welcome to come and discuss any concerns or just for a chat.

Parking is banned on Chelmer Valley Road as from tomorrow (30th March 2018). Lib Dem County Councillors Stephen Robinson and Mike Mackrory represent the area that it runs through and have been lobbying for a long time for action. Every day people take their life in their hands and brake sharply to go up the kerb onto the grass verges.

Liberal Democrats are proposing an end to teaching being dominated by tests. We teach our students to remember facts and figures but not how to apply and adapt them, which in today's world is sorely needed.

We focus so much on high-stakes testing that we overlook other crucial areas of a child's development, which has led to a mental health crisis in our schools and universities. It needs to change.