Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of Essex residents' waste is being buried in landfill after the the collapse of Conservative-run Essex County Council's agreement with its waste contractor.

The Conservatives' pet scheme saw millions of pounds spent on a waste processing plant in Basildon designed to recycle black bin waste into fuel, but it never worked.

Park & Ride (P&R) will recommence services soon: (a) from Monday 12 April 2021 from the east Chelmsford (Sandon) site and Colchester, and (b) from Monday 17 May 2021 from Chelmer Valley. Initially a reduced timetable will be in place.

The sites will provide services between 7am-7pm Monday to Saturday but passengers are advised to check the website or social media before travelling for any updates or changes which could occur due to essential operation reasons.

Chelmsford City Council has had to pick up vastly more litter than normal over the last year. Councillors have urged residents to please look after our City and put it in the bins - on the streets or at home.

All bins in Chelmsford's key park locations are emptied daily, including over the Easter bank holiday period.

Today the Liberal Democrats have launched the campaign for the local elections in England on 6 May.

Vote Liberal Democrat on 6 May and you'll get a local champion who will get things done in your community. You'll get a cleaner, greener neighbourhood where recovery comes first and local people are listened to.

The killing of Sarah Everard shocked the nation. She was described by family and friends as "bright and beautiful", "kind and thoughtful" and caring and dependable". My thoughts have been with Sarah's family ever since we heard she was missing, and my heart still goes out to them.

Sarah's death has jolted our society into finally taking violence against women seriously. At the Spring Conference, I delivered a statement reaffirming the Liberal Democrat's commitment to ending violence perpetrated by men and the misogynistic culture allowing it to manifest. While the killing of a woman by a stranger is particularly awful and relatively rare - violence against women and girls is not. On average a woman is killed in the UK every three days. Most of them are killed by their partner or their ex. Male violence has become a normal part of life in the UK. No longer.

One year on from the first lockdown, Chelmsford Council Leader Stephen Robinson was asked by the Essex Chronicle to look back over the last 12 months.

Cllr Robinson thanked the fantastic volunteers who stepped up to support the vulnerable. Chelmsford City Council worked with Chelmsford CVS, who matched people in need with those offering help.

When Liberal Democrats say put recovery first, we mean creating a fairer, greener, more caring society, and at the heart of this plan is ensuring the recovery is green.

A recovery that faces up to the existential threat of climate change. We have all seen the warnings. Floods devastating communities across the UK. Fires burning the Amazon and across Australia.

The Conservative Government's offer of a 1% pay rise is an insult to the hard working NHS staff who have worked tirelessly to keep us and our loved ones safe.

The Liberal Democrats have passed a motion demanding a fair pay rise for NHS workers. In the words of a local Lib Dem campaigner, "who can possibly think £6 is a reasonable pay rise for NHS staff?" They deserve a salary that reflects their skill, dedication and sacrifice.