Challenging Reform cuts to safety projects in Essex

We are concerned about the decision by Reform UK on Essex County Council to cut access to grants and other initatives that aims to save money for low-income families and business across Chelmsford. In trying to make savings in an ideological attack on net-zero and a complete refusal to acknowledge scientific consensus, Reform's decision will ultimately cost money in the long-term and will fail to protect Essex from the issues of climate change that are impacting us all.

The decision is desperately short-sighted - because of the direct impact on residents, let alone the wider impact on the environment. The Reform UK leaders at Essex County Council are cutting projects designed to protect the environment and this will have a real impact on more vulnerable members of society. Reform UK have ignored the advice of their own Director of Public Health, who says their decision risks plans to promote safe walking, cycling and wheeling to schools, all of which have wider benefits for traffic reduction, cleaner air, obesity reduction and the health of our children.

The decision attempts to save money but will ultimately cost money by making certain staff redundant. Essex County Council will close its Community Energy Programme, which has helped households reduce their energy bills. For example, Essex County Council received £6 million from the Warm Homes: Local Grant last year but will no longer have the staff to apply for any such projects in future. This dwarfs their forecast saving of just £1.64m in the next two years, before Essex County Council is abolished through local government reform.  Much of the saving could be swallowed up by redundancy costs.

Some of the projects that will be cut include:

• Encouraging children to walk or cycle to school and delivery iniatives to support this.
• Advising low-income households how to cut their energy bills such as through better insulation and more efficient heating. These were funded by Innovate UK. 
• Buying low-pollution vehicles for use by Essex County Council departments

An example of advice previously given out by the team at Essex County Council comes from Terrence and Lesley Bridges in Braintree. They were able to reduce their energy bills from £375 a month to just £40 a month, because they have a small data centre in their shed, and its heat goes into their home. See this BBC article from last November which explains how they did it.

Councillor Stephen Robinson, Leader of Chelmsford City Council and member for Chelmsford North on Essex County Council was on BBC Essex critcising these cuts. You can find the interview here (from 15:38)