TheResident - Amazon Web Services...If you don’t have time to declutter all in one go, make...

Welcome to April's Resident

Coach Trips

Recycling

Local Plan Update

Does the Residents' Association Have a Future?

Can you help?

Club Focus: Billericay Cricket Club

Five Fabulous Tips for a Spring Declutter

Events

MONEY MATTERS...– Don’t have all your eggs in

one basket– Common questions about

the divorce process

Friends of Lake Meadows

Nature’s awakening

Committee Focus

Coach Trips – Statement

Comedy of Errors

Join the BDRA

Privacy Notice

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MAYFLOWER

The

Billericay District Residents,Association

Welcome to April’s Resident

Resident“Help us to help you”

FREE to members of BDRA

April 2020In This Issue:

Visit the BDRA Website at: www.bdra.org

Coach tripsPlease see statement onpage 12.

Recycling

Message from Heidi reTerracycle. She is very sadto say that since Terracyclekeep moving the goalpostsshe is not finding therecycling economicallyviable. She is looking forother ways to raise moneyfor the char i t ies shesupports and I have askedto let me know so I canadvertise them.

Local Plan Update

We have opened a dialoguewith the Planning Inspectorsince it would seem that theprocess is that prior to theExamination the Inspectorlooks for any fundamentalf laws in respect o f

soundness o r lega lcompliance and may writeto the Council in the firstinstance. Unfortunately wewill not know if and what thiswill contain. We remainconvinced that the plan isunsound so are expectingthat there will be changes

Does the Residents’ Association Have a Future?

Aserious question needing serious answers. We are at acrossroads, a time when the few have to appeal to themany for help. You will have seen us trying to put in place

a plan to replace key roles and expand our current committees.No-one has come forward despite numerous pleas.

The latest vacancy will be the Editor of the Resident who is in theprocess of moving house. It makes sense for new blood to keep theAssociation dynamic and meeting the key role of being a voice, theonly voice it would seem for the people of Billericay and District inthese times when the quality of services and infrastructure in ourtown is at risk. Before the current role holders choose or have tomove on then they can offer support to successors. It is a goodtime to join us to take us into our 95th year as an Association.Please give this appeal your serious consideration and if you thinkthere is anyway you can help to support and become the key rolesplease get in touch with me Andy Maddocks your Chairman [email protected] or 01277 654173.

when it comes to theExamination in Public. Wedo not have a date as yethowever you can see thatwe are challenging thedevelopers outline plansand the Resident MonitoringGroups are alerted to anyupdates.

Can you help?Road rep needed for Trinity Road,Close and Tyrone Road and Close.

Please contact Trevor Leachon 01277 630451 [email protected] you can help.

As I write thisthere are dailyupdates about

the global pandemicwhich will impact onour lives directly forthe next few monthsin a way we cannotimagine. It tends toplace other concernson the back burnerhowever we will passthrough this time andreturn to normality.My thoughts andprayers are with allof you as you moveforward and cope withthe impact of the virus.

Important message to all our MembersDue to the current Coronavirus situation, it may be that some Members do not receive a copy of April’s Magazine, as we aredependent on our volunteers being available. Likewise we are unable to confirm the date of the AGM at the moment.

2 Publication of an advertisement in this newsletter does not indicate editorial endorsement

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“A gift of just 1% will make a real difference”For a free information pack or information on our Free Make a Will

Event, please contact the IMO and Legacy Officer Rebecca Rowley on:Tel: 01268 524 973 Email: [email protected]

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BCC at the purpose built "Toby Howe Cricket Ground" in BluntsWall Road, off Tye Common Road, Billericay is awonderful local amenity which we would love to tell you

about. Below are the sort of questions people ask however if you havemore do please look at our website www.billericaycc.co.uk or have achat with our Commercial Manager, David Randall on 07767244623.

Q. What does the BCC offer the local community? A. BCC is an inclusive, family oriented cricket club with close ties to local schools,businesses and charities We welcome all new players and visitors to enjoy the "state ofthe art" facilities as one of the leading Essex cricket clubs to play, watch cricket or hirethe indoor practice nets.

Q. How many senior cricket teams does BCC have? A. BCC covers all demographic age groups and abilities. The club has four Saturdayteams in the Shepherd Neame Essex League, a Saturday friendly 5th XI and a Sunday XIin the Essex Sunday League, and a Veterans XI that plays midweek and Sunday friendlygames throughout the season.

Q. Is girl's cricket played at BCC?A. Younger girls currently play mixed cricket with boys however once there are sufficientnumbers we anticipate creating girls only teams. This year, we are establishing a girlsonly section for Under 13's sport minded girls who might already be playing netball,hockey, football but don't necessarily play a summer sport. Cricket experience is notnecessary, just sporting ability and a willingness to try something new.

Q. Does BCC have a junior cricket section?A. We certainly do. Our thriving "grassroots" junior cricket section covers ages 5-16

years and making enormous strides and growing in popularity for young boys and girlsto learn, play and enjoy the game in a safe environment under the supervision of anumber of ECB qualified coaches. Friday night training is a big favourite for the combinedage groups, families and club supporters, finishing with a well-earned drink, BBQ feastand ice cream, everyone is welcome!

Q. How do I join BCC?A. Please visit our website for joining a specific membership category. If you areinterested in playing, please drop in or get in contact and join the training sessions.

Billericay Cricket Club

CLUB

All-Stars training session

3Publication of an advertisement in this newsletter does not indicate editorial endorsement

By Jacquie – The Declutter Consultant

It’s Spring, and you are planning to start the decluttering youhave been putting off for months.

But where do you start? Below are my favourite tips forsuccessful decluttering.

1 Be clear on your goals and what you want toachieve. Decide what you are going to do, and then break it down intomanageable steps.

Maybe your priority is to declutter the spare room. The stepscould be to clear off the floor, then everything off the bed.After that you might want to sort out the wardrobe. Tick off each step as you do it.

2 Be realistic about how long it will take. If you expect to get it all done in an hour you may bedisappointed and not want to continue. Give yourself 5 hoursper room and depending on how determined you are this will make a huge impact.

3 Make a “declutter date” in your diary. Let’s be honest. We are all busy, and there is always somethingelse you could be doing.

So set aside time in your calendar to do it and don’t put it off.If you don’t have time to declutter all in one go, make severalshorter ‘dates’.

4 Make it fun! Put your favourite upbeat music on and boogie as you work.You could have some tasty snacks to keep you going too. Black bin bags too boring? Get some funky coloured ones. Whoknows, it may inspire you to fill them up faster.

You could even get a (tactful!) friend to help you, and decluttertheir home next time.

5 Where will things go? Decide what charity shops you are going to use, or where youare going to donate or recycle. For large items Basildon Councildo a Special Collections Service and charge £10.25 for takingaway 5 items and £20.50 from 6 - 10, you just need to book it with them

Bonus Tip! Reward yourself at the end. Give yourself a treat related to theroom. If it was the bathroom, buy some nice bubble bath andhave a good soak in the bath with a glass of bubbles. If it wasthe bedroom, treat yourself to a new duvet set and if it wasyour lounge invite a friend or family member over to admireyour achievement.

If you need any help or more tips contact meJacquie@thedeclutterconsultant or have a look at my websitewww.thedeclutterconsultant.co.uk 0798529597

Happy Easter, Jacquie

Five Fabulous Tips for a Spring Declutter

Events It is unlikely that the usual events published on this page willtake place over the next few months. Normal service will beresumed as soon as we can. It is unlikely that there will be a

May Resident as we rely on a band of volunteers who are young atheart but not in years. Since material for the Resident needs to beto the editor more than 2 weeks prior to the beginning of a monthit would seem probable that mid June will see the production of theJuly/August edition. Any events from 10th July -10 September willneed to be with us by 15th June.

The schools project by the ReadingRooms has culminated in an exhibition ofthe children’s work. The prize for the best

exhibit went to St Peter’s Primary, the beststory to Milly Wiseman of Brightside school.

There was a wonderful celebration cake picturedbelow and Milly receiving a copy of Julian Whybra’sbook from Andy Maddocks. A brilliant project whichthe children really enjoyed.

© A

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4 Mayflower 2020 2

Caroline Moore and three of her pupils from Buttsbury School

This was theCelebrationCake

Milly Wiseman of Brightside Schoolwas the Winnerof the Essay Competition

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IWhat are the procedures to dobefore filing for a divorce?It is extremely rare for a divorce

to be defended in England andWales. This is because the LawSociety has put in place protocolsin an attempt for the process to beless antagonistic. Before we issuea divorce petition we write to theother person to let them know thatthe step is being taken. This givesthem an opportunity to see thedivorce petition before it is issued. This has resulted in far fewer being defended,as people have the opportunity to seek legaladvice and divorce papers do not arrive on the

doormat as a surprise. There are exceptions,where we can immediately issue, but these arelimited. Your original marriage certificategoes to the court (this is retained by thecourt), the last document in the divorceprocess, the Decree Absolute, effectivelyreplaces it.

How long does family court take toprocess a divorce?

There is no such thing as a ‘quickie’ divorce inEngland and Wales. The average length oftime accepted by most solicitors is aminimum of 4-6 months, although delays inthe court’s own system may mean it couldtake longer.

Publication of an advertisement in this newsletter does not indicate editorial endorsement

finances at the same time as the divorce toprotect your position. A divorce lawyer canhelp you with both. We can also assist youwith child arrangements and family lawshould children be involved.

Getting a divorce is one of the biggest thingspeople do, so it is vital to get proper advicebefore you make a decision that could have alifelong effect. If you would like any advice ondivorce then please contact our divorcesolicitors.

Muntech Kaur is based in ourBasildon office and can be contacted

on 01268 824938 or

[email protected]

Common questions about the divorce processCan divorce proceedings be stopped?

Yes, up until the point that the final document,the Decree Absolute, has been applied for. ADecree Nisi is not final and proceedings canstill be stopped at that stage.

Can I divorce without a lawyer?

Absolutely, you can divorce without a lawyer,but the divorce is only one aspect of dealingwith the breakdown of your relationship. Evenif you get divorced, financial claims remainopen, which could place you in a vulnerableposition, particularly if you won money suchas the lottery or received a large inheritance.

We would always recommend dealing with

Funds appearing in the top left corner(marked 1) have thus produced above averagereturn than the index with lower risk: funds inarea 2, above average return but higher risk.

Area 3 funds have produced less than averagereturn but are lower risk, whilst funds in the“problem zone”, area 4, are above averagerisk and below average return, not a result youwould be looking for.

To compare two funds investing in UK smallercompanies for example, if one appeared inarea 1 and the other in area 3, we wouldchoose the fund in 1; higher return with thesame risk.

We would normally invest in a minimum ofmaybe ten funds, many more if we areinvesting larger amounts. The computeramalgamates all the funds we eventuallychoose and kindly works out the combinedoverall position on the graph of our suggestedinvestments.

We aim to produce an overall result in area 1,above average return with below average risk,but, like all investments, this cannot beguaranteed. Whilst past performance is noguide to the future, this graph does at least giveus a starting point to compare funds. We alsouse it every year on review to see how fundsare performing and if the manager is increasingthe risks they are taking.

“Wow” said my client, “and I thought you useda pin!”

“How do you choose thefunds you recommend?”a client recently asked.

“Spread, spread and spreadagain” was my reply or, in plainEnglish, “Don’t have all your eggsin one basket”.We use many criteria to achieve a “spread” offunds including asset class, geography, typeand size of company and many other factors.Large companies in America and smallercompanies in Europe and vice-versa, forexample, are self-explanatory, but to identifyand compare how much risk a fund taking ismore difficult to explain.

1 2

3 4

We use this simple graphic to compare the riskand return of the funds we want to recommend.The vertical line is Return, low at the bottomhigh at the top, and the horizontal line Risk, lowon the left, high on the right. Where the twoaxis’ cross is the average risk and return of theFTSE 100 over the last three years.

We know how much a fund has grown over thelast three years and use “standard deviation ofreturn” (Please don’t ask!) to measure risk andput a “dot” on the graph.

MONEY MATTERSDon’t have all your eggs in one basket

6

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Some people say that April is the best month of the year. The sun isshining at last and the rain usually comes in showers, refreshingthe new leaves and growing grass. April is often a time for a

magical rainbow bringing the promise of hope after rain, symbolisingpeace and rebirth.

Everyone was really looking forward toSpring coming, after a long wet winter,but sadly the coronavirus has changedthe way we live and everyone is havingto readjust. Many of the plans that theFriends had made for the comingmonths, have now had to be changedand some may not even happen now.Hopefully, around the time you read this,our new oak tree will have been plantedto commemorate 400 years since theMayflower sailed to the New World, withour four brave Billericay Pilgrims onboard. Given as a gift by the Friends ofLake Meadows to the park, we hopethat it survives at least a few hundredyears, to keep reminding everyone ofthose intrepid travellers who risked all toescape religious persecution in 1620,

The new water installation, planned forgo near the community hut and the café,is on hold. The robust, blue, coated-steel unit provides a bottle-filling point,a water fountain and a dog bowl, so thatvisitors, both human and canine, canhave access to fresh water at all times,whilst reducing the use of single-useplastic bottles. Funded by grants from

both Basildon Borough Council andEssex County Council CommunityInitiatives Fund, our latest project fulfilsrequests from many park units for afountain. A survey was undertaken onthe hottest day of last year, when over380 people surveyed unanimouslyagreed that it was a good idea. We hopethat when it is eventually fitted, thateveryone enjoys it and benefits from it.

Another new addition is the defibrillator,which was provided by parkrun and hasnow been installed by the Council in aspecial box at the side of our InformationCentre. So, should anyone unfortunatelysuffer a heart attack, help is available;anyone can use it - you don’t needspecial training as the voice instructionstell you what to do.

Remember if you see a rainbow, it’s apromise of hope and better timesahead! Happy Easter everyone! Takecare. Keep Safe!

For more information about the Friendsof Lake Meadows see:

[email protected]

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As I sit down to write this, Ilook out on to a cold, wetwinter’s scene. The

garden is a patchwork ofpuddles and this morning it istrying to snow. Nonetheless,despite the bleak scene, it isMarch and things arehappening, – not only in ourgardens, but also in thecountryside. After what hasbeen the wettest winter in mymemory, it takes an effort of willto venture out into our fields andlanes, where one careless stepcan result in being ankle deep inwater, or slipping on a bank ofmud, but it can be worth it.

Already the natural world isawakening, as the days lengthen andthe sun increases in warmth. Thedawn chorus is starting to herald abrighter future. Together with therobins, there are now blackbirds and

song thrushes, with their repeatedmelodies urging us to stir from ourbeds and get out into the fresh air.At the end of the garden, a dunnockcalls from the top of the beech hedge,with its twinkling song reminding meof a mountain stream trickling downthrough rocks and pebbles. Snowdrops have been showing in

abundance for the past month andlast week I saw my first primroses inNorsey Wood.

Norsey Wood is a good place for awalk at this time of year. The paths arewell maintained and, with goodfootwear and a care, it is somewhereto see spring unfolding.

Nature’s awakening

by Alan Waddoups

Visitors will notice many areas oftrees have been felled and it looksquite bare. This often arousesconsternation among visitors andlocal residents, and it does seemperverse, in these times of climatechange, when we are all beingurged to plant more trees, that anature reserve should be cuttingthem down – but this sort ofwoodland management is essentialfor the future health of the reservesand of all the species dependentupon them. Not only is this good forthe trees, by thinning out the canopyto allow more light to the root area,but it essential for much of theassociated wildlife.

South East Essex is one of the fewnational strongholds of the heathfritillary butterfly, which only survivesbecause coppiced woodland allowsfor the healthy growth of cow wheat,a seemingly insignificant wildflower,which is the sole foodplant of thebutterfly’s caterpillar.

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11Publication of an advertisement in this newsletter does not indicate editorial endorsement

West WardResidents in west wardhave received a leafletfrom the ConservativeCouncillors assuring themthat since “Billericay’sroads, rail network andinfrastructure are alreadyat breaking point…conservatives havelistened to you and willfight to defend your greenbelt. We will be contactingthem to ask whether aC o n s e r v a t i v eadministration will in factensure that Billericay is nottaken beyond breakingpoint and swathes ofgreen belt will not bedestroyed.

PotholesWe had an email trail froma frustrated Resident whowas trying to get someaction on serious potholeson the Gooseberry GreenRoundabout and onQueen’s Park Avenue. Hereported them, contactedhis councillor, contactedECC and pointed out anumber of inconsistenciesi n t h e p r o c e s s .Interestingly the man fromECC said he does notspeak to Residents… Weall need to challenge thisresponse as the potholesin Billericay are multiplying

MAYFLOWER

“Help us to help you”

and we haven’t had aseriously cold winter.BDRA will be writing aboutthis response. As apostscript the pothole atGooseberry Green hasbeen filled in.

Speedwatch In 24 sessions the teamrepor ted over 500speedsters going over 35m.p.h. If you base this ona 12 hour day on these tworoads over a year thisresults in over 100,000 ayear drivers speeding.Taking into accountother ‘hotspots’ thiscould mean over half amillion speedsters a yearin Billericay. A sobering

thought for pedestriansand other car drivers.Added to this the issue offalse plates and we arerecording cars exceeding35 not 30. With the betterweather coming I amhoping to start again.

Please E-mail me to letme know i f you arestill interested in helpingor tha t you are no tbo thered or can ' t [email protected]

See the latest tree planting projecton the verges either side of theMountnessing Road for 130metres – Immediately as oneleaves the built-up area. A mix ofabout 200 Oaks, Rowans andSilver birches were planted bya small band of enthusiastic

volunteers. This stretch of roadis bordered by open farmland sowill add to the amenity aspect ofan otherwise bland stretch ofroad and also provide an all-important “wildlife corridor”connection with the nearbyCowbridge Wood.

The Billericay Tree Wardens Mountnessing Hall Farm

Committee Focus

THE RESIDENT is published by the Billericay District Residents’ Association. Editor: Chris Wade. Email [email protected] and printed by Acors Press, 3 Molineaux Court, Radford Way, Billericay, Essex CM12 0BT. Telephone: 01277 658090. Email [email protected]

BDRA website at: www.bdra.org

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Telephone: 01277 654173 Email: [email protected]

In view of the current situation we have suspended all coach trips. Some tripshave been cancelled and one rescheduled. In all cases those involved have beencontacted. Please contact Kathleen or Yvonne if you are interested in any of thetrips as they will be arranged in the future. No money will be taken at this stage.

Comedyof

ErrorsElsewhere in this

issue we report onthe tribulations of a

member who tried to getEssex County Council torepair some dangerouspotholes.

Unfortunately his experience is notunique. In fact in the BDRA hasreceived a number of messagesfrom its members detailing similarexperiences, and our committeemembers have reported similarconcerns.

But lets start with some facts.Each month we pay our CouncilTax to Basildon Council. But theyonly keep around 15%, the bulk,around 70%, going to EssexCounty Council who areresponsible, amongst otherthings, for most roads, schools,flooding, and adult social care.

Residents of Billericay elect 9Councillors to represent them onBasildon Borough Council. Wealso elect 2 Councillors torepresent us at the CountyCounc i l . These are 2 o fthe 9 Borough Councillors. Bothcouncils pay their councillors anallowance, Basildon over £6000per councillor per year, Essex£12,000 per councillor per year.

Back to the story.

The experience of those who try tocontact Essex County Council,especially about highways issues,is remarkably similar. Most reportthe unsympathetic attitude of theperson they speak to; the inability

to be allowed to talk to anyonefrom the Highways Department;the claim that no supervisor isavailable to speak to them, and ifthey did they would only repeatwhat the initial person had said;and tellingly ‘the councillors haveagreed our processes’. The onlyway to make contact with ECC isto use their website to reportproblems or to submit a writtencomplaint. And whilst this may berelevant for some matters, it is not,in our opinion, suitable for allissues.

Now a very useful website isone.network which has details ofall roadworks planned across thecountry. One of its main benefitsis that it allows us to beforewarned of any activity whichmight affect the Route 9 bus,especially on its journey aroundthe Outwood Common Loop,where almost any event is enoughto trigger FirstBus to take the loopout of the journey and strandmany potential, and often elderly,customers.

For several weeks one.networkhas been showing planned workson 2 different sections of Outwood

Common Road, but as those onthe Route 9 route were to be from8pm on one evening to 5 am onthe next day and only one buswould be affected they did notmerit much attention.

And then some of us on OutwoodCommon Road received a flyerfrom Essex County Council. Itinformed of resurfacing workwhich would need us to remove allvehicles from the roadway on painof a Penalty Charge Notice andremoval. A map was included.Unfortunately the map showed thework detailed on one.network,which isn’t where we live, butdescribed one of the locations inwords as being where we did live,but which wasn’t what the mapsaid. It did confirm that the workwould take place between 8.00pmand 5.00am though.

The BDRA sprang into action toclarify matters, as if the worksreally was where the map said itwas the residents there hadn’tbeen warned, and I checked andthey hadn’t, and if it was where themap said it wasn’t, if you get mydrift, why wasn’t it on one.network?

An email to our illustriousCounty Councillors was needed.One left for a holiday withoutacknowledging my message, butthe other did respond, to say hedidn’t know. I suggested that hemight like to find out, and wouldhe also consider that residentsmight get penalty charge noticeswithout knowing why. There wasno further response.

By now ECC contractors haderected signs warning of workwhere the map said it would be,but not where the leaflets weredelivered. To add to the confusionthe signs claimed the work wouldbe from 10am to 3 pm, so now theRoute 9 was affected. Thisinformation was passed on,including a rather fetching photoof one of the signs.

More reminders followed andeventually, four days later, a replywas received. Unfortunately it

didn’t answer any of the questionsI had raised because, it claimed,the ECC o f f icers hadn ’ tresponded. It also claimed that asECC officers are allowed 10 daysto respond even to Councillors,and as that was the case the work,(whatever it was) will have finishedby the time they did respond,even if I did get an answer it wouldbe too late to matter.

Another reminder led to a furtherresponse confirming that theworks, which still had not beenadvised to the residents whowould be affected, woulddefinitely take place between 8pmand 5 am the next day, so at leastthe Route 9 would only have onebus affected.

So what happened the next day?

The other stretch of OutwoodCommon Road that was alsobeing resurfaced was closed. Wewatched as some motoristspassed us several times havingbeen directed in a loop by thediversion signs.

And at the place where the workwas definitely not going to beginuntil 8pm the workmen arrived at3pm, not 8pm or 10 am, First Buscancelled the Route 9 for 3 dayswithout any local notices leavingmany residents waiting for busesthat were never going to appear,and the works consisted of repairsto two small sections of road thatwere in better condition before thework than most of the rest of theroads in Billericay.

And despite several more emailsto my County Councillors, as Iwrite this piece I’ve had no furtherresponse from my CountyCouncillors, most of my questionsremain unanswered and whatanswers have been received havebeen proved to be wrong. But atleast the Route 9 is running again.

I’m tempted to ask if Essex CountyCouncil is fit for purpose andwhether our Counc i l lo rspro-actively represent theirconstituents. I think I know.

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