[email protected] [email protected] Cadent is replacing 2.5km of gas pipes along London Road Wickford to Billericay from 2 January to 8 September The work starts from outside of number 168 London Road Wickford along London Road to the junction with Harding’s Elms Road Most of the work will be completed with temporary traffic lights there will be a road closure in place in August for the junction of London Road with Harding’s Elms Road there have been multiple repairs on these gas mains resulting in extensive traffic management measures each time These frequent repairs have significantly disrupted the highway and community “After significant discussions with the local council and highways authority we have developed this project to reduce the overall disruption While this project will temporarily affect the area it is designed to eliminate the need for recurrent repairs thereby reducing long-term traffic congestion and disruption this proactive approach will enhance the reliability of our gas network and ensure that we can keep our customers safe and warm.” This work to upgrade ageing gas pipes will ensure the local community can continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply into the future for many decades to come The work will be carried out in six phases: Phase 1          2 January – 3 March Phase 2         2 January – 30 March Phase 3        24 March - 10 April From junction of Church Road with London Road to Woolshots Farm Phase 4         31 March – 25 April Phase 5         5 May – 17 August Crays Hill to the junction with Harding’s Elms Road Phase 6          11 August - 8 September London Road and Southend Road junction with Harding’s Elms Road Billericay – Road closure at junction – diversion via Wash Road To keep disruption to a minimum and get the traffic flowing back to normal as quickly as possible we’ll be working seven days a week Our working hours will be Monday-Friday 7am-7pm Saturday 8am-5pm and Sunday 10am-4pm (No noisy works will be carried out on this day.) Customers with questions about this work can contact the team by: Phone: 0800 085 4478 – Monday to Friday 8am-8pm Email: [email protected] Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network with a 200-year legacy We are in a unique position to build on strong foundations whilst encouraging the curiosity to think differently and the courage to embrace change maintain and innovate the UK’s largest gas network transporting gas safely and protecting people in an emergency Our skilled engineers and specialists remain committed to the communities we serve working day and night to ensure gas reaches 11 million homes from Cumbria to North London and the Welsh Borders to East Anglia Here at Cadent we support the Government’s plans to reach Net Zero by 2050 That means we’re backing the introduction of hydrogen as a low carbon alternative to natural gas for the future We know people love the controllability of gas and it makes sense to switch to the lower carbon alternative offered by hydrogen which we believe can keep homes and businesses warm for generations to come Cadent manages the national gas emergency service free phone line on behalf of the gas industry - 0800 111 999* Cadent Gas Ltd is owned by a consortium of global investors *All calls are recorded and may be monitored 0800 111 999* the team of volunteers and everybody there for making everyone welcome The friendly faces of the parkrun community are a wonderful thing although work commitments mean I cannot do every Saturday it was our 200th event and we celebrated with a pacer day The first timers briefing gave us everything we needed to know about the course It’s mainly flat around Wickford Memorial Park on paved / compacted earth paths with the start and finish only a few minutes walk away from the car parks The ground was solid there was no need for trail shoes The run briefing was suitably filled with Easter puns thank you to the Run Director for putting that together for us to all laugh and groan at but where it’s a lapped course and some sheltering by trees you are not running into a headwind for very long The course consists of 2 and a half anti-clockwise loops around the park with a slight incline at the end of each lap good for a quick time if that is what you are aiming for just the sound of pounding feet and out of breath runners Kathryn made us a lovely chocolate cake to celebrate our 200th event The coffee at the park cafe is excellent and they do a lovely sausage sandwich Well done to the first male finisher Daniel Jarrold who completed the course in a blistering 18:48 and first female Megan Cross who finished in 22:49 The first 200 finishers all came in under 30 minutes Well done to all 64 who achieved PBs today and to the pacers who supported their efforts Drew Gove and Vikki Tooey who completed their first ever parkrun today Isobel Aylen & Terry Gregory on their 25 milestones and Sarah Hawkes on an amazing 300 parkruns completed Katie Darby & Joanne Agg for their volunteer milestone achievements Well done to our 200th finisher Katie Hart who bagged herself an Easter prize Thank you again to all of the volunteers who make Wickford Memorial parkrun happen © parkrun Limited (Company Number: 07289574) No part of this site may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of the copyright owner The Council’s Lead Member for Culture has welcomed the decision by the Wickford Area Committee to support two hours of free parking on Saturdays and Sundays the Area Committee agreed to fund this initiative at the Wickford Main Car Park they approved the reinstatement of a free 30-minute parking period at the Wickford Ladygate Car Park Both measures will be financed through the Committee’s Community Priority Fund Cllr Ferguson commented:“This is exactly the kind of local impact we envisioned when we established Area Committees They play a vital role in delivering services tailored to the needs of residents and communities “Area Committees are responsible for identifying local priorities and ensuring that local voices are heard in decision-making processes The councillors involved understand their communities well and are committed to responding to their needs.” “Wickford residents and businesses want as much free parking as we can give them Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure “We have always recognised that parking is a sensitive issue That is why we consulted with local residents and businesses Our goal is to meet the needs of residents and businesses while keeping our budget manageable “I’m pleased that Wickford Area Committee have been able to fund this and I sincerely hope Billericay will follow suit The responsibility now lies with their Area Committee to act in the best interests of their residents and local businesses.” Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Thank you - your cookie preferences have been updated and confirmation that Basildon Council will be abolished by 2028 All five in nine months has been extraordinary Last night at a meeting of Basildon Council I presented the Council's budget for the year ahead But it was not just a budget—it was a roadmap for the future of our borough This budget is built around five priorities: services One of our first commitments was to fix the waste collection crisis weekly black bin collections return— in every house delivering a better service at a lower cost We're also expanding the Crunch service and rolling out in-cab technology to tackle fly-tipping and missed collections We're protecting our green spaces—unlike the previous administration we won't cut back maintenance services; we'll cut the grass instead we'll submit the Phase 1 Westgate Masterplan the next phase will introduce a new arena and office space A retail strategy for Basildon and Laindon town centres will be published in summer 2025 we've secured funding for a long-promised Community Diagnostic Centre We're ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with growth We need to build homes for Basildon's people—and ensure they can access them We're extending the Basildon First Charter requiring developers to market new homes exclusively to local residents for 12 months We're also launching a First-Time Buyer Mortgage Guarantee Scheme to help young people onto the housing ladder we're investing £16 million in repairs and maintenance has not improved service levels by Christmas 2025 securing £50 million for temporary accommodation and purchasing 274 homes to provide stability for families We're bringing back the successful community warden model and investing in new CCTV and safety initiatives We are reopening Wickford Police Station as a Community Safety Hub on reversing the Essex County Council decision to turn them off Our Private Landlord Licensing Scheme will generate £1 million annually for safety and enforcement A strong economy is essential for Basildon's future That's why we're launching the Basildon Construction Academy—to train the next generation of skilled workers in bricklaying We're investing £420,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund into business growth and job creation and securing £1 million from Sport England to support community health initiatives The new government moving so quickly on devolution to counties like Essex gives us an opportunity to end the undemocratic and wasteful two-tier system of local government; Basildon people will instead be able to control more for themselves locally We will be abolished by 2028 and become part of a new South West Essex with more control over our own affairs We have two years to set a course for what comes next We're allocating £1 million to ensure Basildon leads—not lags—during local government reorganisation We will not be passive observers; we will fight for the best outcomes for our residents it's a simple question: do you believe in Basildon I believe in delivering services that work for residents I believe in a future where young people can afford to live in their hometown and lays the groundwork for a Basildon that thrives