The Lib Dem led Chelmsford City Council has retained the prestigious Investors in People (IiP) Gold accreditation for the eleventh year running, demonstrating their continued commitment to high performance through good people management.

Investors in People lead the drive for better leadership and better workplaces. They assess thousands of organisations every three years to lead, support and manage people well, for sustainable results. This achievement is not just about being a great place to work, but it shows that the Council's staff have the strong focus and determination to continue to deliver the high-quality, value for money services that its residents deserve.

South Woodham Ferrers plants over 1,000 trees in a single day

On Sunday 2 February, a hundred people got digging for climate victory in a mass tree planting at Creekview Road, South Woodham Ferrers.
Local families and residents joined staff from the Lib Dem led Chelmsford City Council to plant over a thousand trees on a plot of land in the area's well-loved Compass Gardens park.

Native species, including holly, oak and alder, were used to create the new woodland, which is approximately 700 metres square.

Lib Dem Councillor Rose Moore, Deputy Cabinet Member for Recycling and Ecology, joined the tree-planting effort. She said, "Putting the 'wood' back into South Woodham Ferrers is a big step towards a greener Chelmsford. With the help of local residents, we have planted far more trees here than our regular staff would ever be able to do in a single day.

Chelmsford now has a plan of action to address the climate and ecological emergency that it declared last summer. This was adopted at the City Council Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 28 January.

In July 2019, the Liberal Democrats led Chelmsford City Council pledged to reduce its own carbon emissions to net-zero by 2030 and to lead in encouraging others to do the same. Over the past six months, Councillors and officers have been conducting research, investigating and reviewing the organisation's existing processes, equipment and premises to determine where improvements could be made.

Chelmsford will be greener, safer, fairer and better connected under ambitious plans agreed by the Liberal Democrat led City Council. On 22nd January the Council approved 'Our Chelmsford, Our Plan' - the Council's aims for the coming years.

The Plan outlines the Council's new priorities under four themes:

On Holocaust Memorial Day, we pause to remember one of the darkest chapters in human history. We remember a time of unimaginable evil which resulted in the death of 6 million Jewish people and countless others who perished under a state-sponsored policy of hate and systemic violence.

This year marks 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz which led to the release of 7000 people and exposed the depth of the horrors committed there and elsewhere.

Cllrs Jennie Lardge and Eleanor Sampson will be holding councillor surgeries for Waterhouse Farm ward on the first Saturday of each month (beginning the 7 September 2019) at Costa Coffee, 8 Chelmsford Clocktower, Clocktower Retail Park, Westway, Chelmsford CM1 3FJ

If you have something you think that the councillors can help you with or you would like to meet them and have a chat please do go along.

Your Lib Dem Councillors 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.

Do you think we care well enough for the more vulnerable in our society?

Have we figured out how best to care for people who've experienced bereavement, people who get ill in old age, those with mental ill-health or adults with learning disabilities?

Ed Davey MP writes:

My own personal experience tells me we haven't. Whether in my own life or for many constituents in my advice surgeries over 20 years, all too often the care and support systems either don't work well enough or aren't even there at all.