Results for Witham West ward District election
Results of the election of a Braintree District Councillor for the Witham West ward, held on Thursday 2nd October 2008. Geoffrey COHEN The Conservative Party Candidate 508 ELECTED.

Results for Witham (West ward) Town election
Results of the election of a Witham Town Councillor for the Witham (West ward), held on Thursday 2nd October 2008. John GOODMAN The Conservative Party candidate 474 ELECTED.

Local stars launch Braintree District Cultural Celebrations 2008-2012 at 10.45am Saturday 27th September
Braintree District Museum at 10.45 Saturday 27th September 2008 will see the launch of the Braintree District Cultural Celebrations 2008 – 2012 as part of the national launch of the Cultural Olympiad. Three groups of street performers will be interacting with the public at George Yard Shopping Centre.

Green flag raised in Halstead Public Gardens
On Monday 22nd September, Councillor Roger Walters was joined by local District and Town councillors Jackie Pell, Michael Gage, David Hume and Shirley Diver, Julia Smith Secretary of Halstead in Bloom and Head Gardener Peter Nice with his parks team to raise the Green flag and celebrate the gardens achieving this national standard.

Sible Hedingham picks up £11,000 for community use
Over £11,000 has been granted to Sible Hedingham for community projects this summer, by Braintree District Council’s Halstead area local committee. £2650 supported several new activities and attractions at the Hedingham Festival for young people during the holidays; new swings were installed in the recreation ground and new planter tubs located along Swan Street.

Recycling made easier
Recycling has come a long way in just eight years, with residents now recycling nearly a half of all waste (over 42%). Improved recycling and sorting technology, combined with new disposal contracts mean that residents no longer have to sort all the different materials themselves.

Halstead polling station anomaly to be resolved
Braintree District Council is consulting local people on a proposal to change a polling station in Halstead. The current arrangements mean that many voters walk past the polling station at Holy Trinity primary school in Beridge Road on their way to their designated station at St Andrews church hall near the top of Halstead’s hill.

'Choice-based lettings' - new and revolutionary approach to help people in housing need choose their home
A revolutionary new approach to housing allocation is set to offer a completely new way for people in need of housing to exercise choice in where they live. Called Gateway to Homechoice– the new scheme will work across north Essex and south Suffolk, thanks to a partnership of seven district/borough councils and local housing associations.

Better living fair for older people
International older people’s day – activities and information fair – 1st October 2008. Braintree District Council’s Community Development Team and Braintree Police will be holding an indoor ‘Activities and Information Fair’ for anyone aged over 60 on the 1st of October 2008 at Causeway House, Braintree.

Braintree bus park improvements from 15 September
Essex County Council is working in partnership with Braintree District Council to improve the facilities and safety of Braintree Bus Park. From 15 September 2008 the bus park will be closed for approximately 4 weeks to allow these improvements to take place.

Help influence planning guidelines for the future of the District
Every household is sent the Council’s quarterly newsletter “Contact”. The September edition highlights proposals for the future of the District over the next 15 years. It’s now that new policies and plans for every part of the district are written for you to see before they go to the Government for approval early next year.