Essex County Council sits at County Hall, Chelmsford
- Credit: Archant
Residents for Uttlesford s two county councillors have joined Essex County Council s official opposition group.
Councillors Paul Gadd and Mike Foley, representing Saffron Walden and Thaxted, formed an alliance with eight other independent and small party councillors bidding for a stronger say in decision-making at County Hall.
With 10 members, the Non-Aligned Group is the largest opposition group against the council s Conservative leadership.
The group will be led by Cllr Chris Pond from the Loughton Residents Association.
He said: We seek to represent local residents in all of our seats.
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But the top issue is the strong concern in many communities about overdevelopment. The inability of Braintree District Council to secure a Local Plan and the way in which communities had little say in the failed “garden communities” (new towns) project has not gone down well. Planning is important to ensure that the right amount and types of development deliver homes, jobs and services locally. But in Braintree District that is largely not happening and planning seem to be something ‘done to communities’ and not ‘done with communities’. The consequences have been many – housing estates but with little or no on-site services, increased pressure on GP practices, loss of countryside and green spaces and many more HGVs on local roads.