Plans for an ambitious project that will pedestrianise and reshape Tindal Square (at the top of the High Street) were signed off by Chelmsford City Councillors at the recent Cabinet meeting.

The redesign, proposed jointly by the Chelmsford City and Essex County Councils, will see the pedestrianised High Street extended all the way to the doors of Shire Hall, restoring the Georgian-era layout of the city centre. The historic square will feature seating, new trees and be available as a space for public performances.

There is no reference to road repairs in Essex County Council's new strategic plan. The Lib Dem Group on Essex CC drew attention to this omission at the Full Council meeting today, 12th October.

The new Council Leader tabled a plan with 20 strategic objectives and a list of 74 performance measures. Lib Dem Cllr. Stephen Robinson (Chelmsford North) pointed out that not one of them refers to road repairs, despite 72% of the population saying it was their key concern for the Council in a survey earlier this year.

Accommodation to stop ex-offenders from living on the streets when they are released from prison has been secured for Chelmsford. The Lib Dem-led City Council and two other agencies working in Chelmsford have secured £100,000 for this work.

Prisoners who are released without homes to go to after serving their time can end up sleeping in public places, spiralling quickly into difficulties and - in some cases - falling back into offending.

Your Liberal Democrat councillors recently came and spoke to a number of residents around Woodhall Road, we couldn't speak to all of you, but it would be great to hear back from you on the following questions. We can then go to the necessary authority armed with data, which may give us a stronger argument for getting things actioned in the area.

Climate change will have a huge impact on all our lives in the years ahead. If we are to stand any chance of limiting the impact, local Councils must have all powers necessary to act.

That's the call made by Liberal Democrat Council Leaders, including Chelmsford's Stephen Robinson, in a letter to the Prime Minister. The Lib Dems have called on the PM to allow local government to be mentioned in any declaration agreed at the international climate summit - COP 26 - in November.

Shelves are bare and prices will rise. By refusing to work with the European Union, Boris Johnson's woeful government has made importing and exporting goods much harder.

Their needless belligerence towards our neighbours has devastated the national supply chain. The skilled worker visa system brings high costs, inflexibility and bureaucracy. It's too hard to hire from the EU, and many EU nationals have gone home. And that's all thanks to this divisive government.

In 2019/20, 4.9 million women were victims of sexual assault in England and Wales. This statistic is appalling. The Lib Dems have set out a plan to put an end to this.

The justice system is failing victims of domestic abuse. Only 2.4% of reported rape cases end in convictions. Out of 139,000 rapes estimated by the ONS, only 58,848 were reported to the police.

Our society is a brilliant one. Our democratic system goes back hundreds of years and we are committed to the fair rule of law. We have a fantastic tradition of education, creativity and innovation.

We have incredibly strong institutions. This is clear in the fact our National Health Service has bent over backwards to support us through this pandemic. As much as possible we contribute to key international organisations to support a cooperative global system.