Chairman's Report 2025/2026 

Once again the appalling state of our roads has been a constant topic of complaint throughout the year but we have had a number of successes

Eventually we worked our way through the local bureaucracy and finally managed to get the Speed Awareness signs installed in Elmdon. We have had lots of compliments from residents and the signs seem to have had a marked effect in reducing speeding traffic and hopefully this trend will continue. Many thanks to Trevor Guy and Peter Armstrong for carrying out the installation work, ably supported by Councillors Wilson and Bond.

After lots of complaints we finally managed to get the Hertford Lane potholes repaired and this time Essex Highways seem to have done a really good job which will hopefully last a lot longer than the previous repair. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the pothole repairs on the B1039 where last year's repairs are already crumbling. This has been reported again so we live in hope!

We continue to encourage residents to keep reporting potholes - the more complaints the better as this seems to produce results.

Also after much lobbying we managed to get Essex Highways to install some proper road safety signage at the Coploe Road / Strethall Road junction. These signs, together with improvements to the white line warnings will hopefully ensure that drivers take a lot more care and that accidents here will be reduced.

Unfortunately there were accidents at both this junction and at the Royston Lane / Quickset Road junction during the icy weather in January and despite pressing Essex Highways to include both junctions in the gritting route, our requests have so far fallen on deaf ears.

We continue to ask all residents to notify the Parish Clerk of any incidents at these junctions so that we can collate our own records and continue to push for further improvements.

On a minor note we eventually got Essex Highways to replace the damaged salt bin at the corner of Hollow Road. A minor victory!

Finally on the topic of roads, after 4 weeks and a lot of requests, we eventually managed to get the abandoned vehicle removed from the centre of Elmdon but this proved much more difficult than it should have been.

Moving on from roads, following requests from residents we arranged for structural repairs to be carried out to the Elmdon War Memorial and it was noted that the contractor had done an excellent job.

During the year there have been a limited number of planning applications which in the main have been for alterations to existing properties with nothing contentious.

Also on planning, the Uttlesford Local Plan has finally been approved and will be implemented during the course of this year.

Fly tipping has not been as much of a problem this year but we continue to encourage residents to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to the police.

Sad news was received from The Maltings as one of the partners passed away suddenly last October and there is still no news as to what is going to happen with the proposed refurbishment and re-opening of the pub.

The Parish Council continues to get lots of coverage in the Gazette and we are very grateful to Councillor Wilson for preparing the copy and liaising with the editorial team.

New dog litter bins have been installed at Parkhouse Lane Elmdon and at the Woodmans Lane/Bridge Green Road junction in Duddenhoe End and a further one will be installed in the very near future at Hollow Road Elmdon.

On the financial front, the Parish finances remain in extremely good health. The Parish precept has remained the same for the last six years and once again there is no increase for the coming financial year. We purchased and installed the Speed Awareness Signs from Parish Council funds plus a £500 grant from Essex CC, for which we thank them.

Other expenditure included: -

Annual Grants £500 to Elmdon Village Hall £500 to Duddenhoe End Village Hall

Charitable Grants £200 to Uttlesford Citizens Advice Bureau.

Community Projects: The continued payment of the annual rent for the cricket meadow. The purchase of the Platinum Jubilee Tree sign for Elmdon Cricket Club. The provision of a survey and report on the condition of the trees in the closed churchyard at St Nicholas Church in Elmdon.

Greater Essex Devolution remains a concern but there is nothing we can do about it other than wait and see how this unfolds.

As for the Parish Council itself, we welcome the appointment of Councillor Fiona Murray who has taken over the role vacated by John Holford. Fiona has settled in quickly and has already become a valuable member of the team.

We continued to have excellent support from our District Councillors, Richard Pavitt and Neil Gregory, and from our County Councillor Paul Gadd, although sadly due to the new council boundaries, we have now lost Paul as our representative

Sincere thanks to all three plus thanks to the rest of the councillors and to Jane for her expertise and skill in the combined role of clerk and RFO. Also, thanks to Trevor Guy for his continued support as Webmaster.

Finally, we continue to try to find local Good Causes to spend some money on. Suggestions welcome!!

Bob Woods 14 May 2026

Posted 17/05/2026