Chelmsford's new leisure centre is costing £10 million more than the orginal estimate of £25 million, and now fees to use the facilities are set to rise to help plug the gap.

Chelmsford Lib Dem councillor Stephen Robinson said the ballooning costs made a mockery of the decision not to have a diving board at the centre where former world champion Rebecca Gallantree first learned her craft.

Councillors have called for the county council's highways contract to be publicly scrutinised in the wake of Chelmsford's Army and Navy flyover closing.

The Leaders of the Opposition Councillor Mike Mackrory and Councillor Stephen Robinson, both Lib Dems, have argued that Essex County Council's current contract with Ringway Jacobs is "too expensive" for the services it provides..

Cllrs. Stephen Robinson and Lee Ashley have launched a survey on speeding in roads in St Andrews ward that are used as a 'rat-run'.

https://chelmsford-libdems.org.uk/en/survey/pines-highfield-sunningdale-roads-speeding-survey

Essex County Council has finally agreed to a full review of the notorious Army & Navy roundabout. Last week, in a dramatic about face, they closed the flyover indefinitely, after Chelmsford Liberal Democrats published a video showing that the structure was more damaged than the Council had admitted. One of the support columns appears to have moved, since the flyover was closed in August. Watch the video here.

Chelmsford residents showed their unhappiness with the Government's Brexit plans, in a poll in the High Street on Saturday. Chelmsford Lib Dems were out and about asking residents for their views. Many signed up to the Lib Dem campaign for the public to have final say on the Brexit deal, not a Westminster stitch-up.

The Local Government Association has released a 'Green Paper' on Adult Social Care. We need urgent action to save the services caring for older and disabled people from collapse.

Cllr Mike Mackrory, Lib Dem Leader of the Opposition at Essex County Council, welcomed the Green Paper. He said, "This nationwide consultation must kick-start a desperately-needed debate on how to pay for adult social care. These services are at breaking point, following years of cuts by councils and rising demand and rising costs for care and support."

Essex County Council is proposing to redevelop the former Rainsford High school site in Fox Crescent, north Chelmsford. Local Essex County Councillor Stephen Robinson is continuing the Lib Dem campaign to ensure that there is a community hub on the site and that it does not all go for houses.

Read more: https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/essex-county-councils-multi-million-1927516

A proposal to commit Essex County Council to delivering genuinely affordable homes across the county was blocked yesterday by the Conservative majority. The Opposition Liberal Democrats had proposed that when the council's own land is up for sale, it should be used to deliver affordable housing and specialist housing for those with additional needs.

Proposing the motion, Lib Dem Stephen Robinson (Chelmsford North) highlighted the fact that thousands of people on average incomes in Essex cannot afford to rent or buy the home they need.

Cllr Robinson said, "Essex has a housing crisis. Not enough homes - to rent or buy - have been built for 30 years. This is a clear example of the market failing to provide what is needed, so government locally and nationally need to act. Vague aims are not enough."

Summing up on the motion, Lib Dem Leader Mike Mackrory (Chelmsford Springfield), attacked the Conservatives for - yet again - not caring about the troubles faced by young people and others on lower incomes to get a home.

Cllr Mackrory said, "The Conservative alternative plan removes any real actions. You cannot build houses with warm words. It is also essential that the council commit to delivering homes that are suitable for a whole lifetime, including when people become more frail."

Chelmsford's new Local Plan was passed by the full council last night but was attacked for being weak on infrastructure, environment, and the affordability of homes. Lib Dem Leader of the Opposition Cllr. Stephen Robinson said,

"The Liberal Democrats are clear that this country has not built enough houses for 20 or more years. And nothing like enough houses that can be afforded by younger people and others on low incomes, people who are vital to our society's future.