Uttlesford Liberal Democrat and Green councillors are seriously concerned and distressed at the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, USA two weeks ago.

They decry discrimination and injustice that still exists for Black, Asian and all minority ethnic communities, whether in Uttlesford, elsewhere in the UK, the USA or in other countries.

Callum Robertson, Chair of the East of England Policy Committee, interviews Ed Davey MP.

Photo credit: Uk Parliament licensed under CC BY 3.0.

The second of Callum Robertson's interviews is with Dr Julian Huppert, Director of the Intellectual Forum at Jesus College Cambridge and Visiting Professor at King's College, London. He was MP for Cambridge from 2010 until 2015. Julian is a former research scientist and has a particular interest in science and technology policy.

Residents who are encountering problems making their council tax payments due to the COVID-19 outbreak should consult the following web page provided by Uttlesford District Council. It sets out support available and the possibilities for deferrals.

https://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/article/6622/Council-Tax-support-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak

East of England Liberal Democrats launch a series of podcasts about the wider party to engage members during the covid-19 crisis

During the Covid-19 crisis, East of England Liberal Democrats are working to provide more information about the Liberal Democrats and how we work to our members and supporters. Presented by Regional Policy Chair Callum Robertson, the new series features a number of discussions, interviews and round tables with Council Leaders, MPs and other party figures.

I know many of us are already helping others and volunteering in various ways - but I want to pass on an appeal we've had from the Uttlesford Food Bank. The need for the Foodbank has doubled overnight and they urgently need to replenish their supplies! They're going through food so fast it's unbeleivable and are now having to scale back the size of food parcels. If you go to their website at https://uttlesford.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/virtual-food-basket/ you can donate a virtual food basket in small, medium or family sizes. You can also make an online donation - cash is always welcome because they can use it to fill any gaps in their stock.

The Saffron Walden Neighbourhood Plan has been put together by a large team of Town Councillors and community volunteers, with additional research and writing-up by the Town Council and support from Uttlesford District Council. Go to https://www.waldenplan.org/ and you can comment on what the Neighbourhood Plan has to say about the ways Saffron Walden could grow, improve and thrive over the next ten to fifteen years - and on some of the problems faced by the community.

In November 2018 Uttlesford's planning committee under the Conservative administration met to consider Stansted Airport's application to increase their annual passenger numbers from 35 to 43 million.

The meeting was a disgrace. It was conducted in a way that left the public believing that the decision to approve was rigged. A majority of the committee sat in silence or near silence throughout the meeting; they failed totally to justify their vote for approval.