Former Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire MP has today been confirmed as the new Communities Secretary. The Old Bexley and Sidcup MP replaces Sajid David, who has moved to replace Amber Rudd as Home Secretary. Brokenshire resigned from his …

Chelgate Local makes new senior hire Chelgate Local has hired David Mills from Sainsbury’s to lead its property communications and stakeholder engagement division. With a team of specialists in community, political and stakeholder engagement, Chelgate Local is one of the leading agencies …

Aylesbury Vale – Aylesbury Vale District Council submitted its local plan for examination on 28 February 2018. There are no elections set to take in Aylesbury Vale this year. Basildon –  After a fraught public meeting in which Essex Police …

Aylesbury Vale – Plan submitted for examination in January 2018 – the Council hopes to adopt the plan before the end of 2018. Basildon – A change of administration delayed the local plan, and now the council is one of the 15 …

  New timescales for NPPF revealed Secretary of State, Sajid Javid, is working towards an ‘Easter’ date for publication of the new draft NPPF, it was revealed last week. The long-awaited changes to the country’s ‘planning bible’ will include the …

Already it’s not shaping up to be a good year for UKIP. In yet another blow to the beleaguered party, all 17 of the UKIP councillors in Thurrock, Essex, have now resigned from their membership. Saying they have “had enough …

By Michael Hardware, Associate Director, Chelgate Local – Essex Garden Villages This article was published as an opinion piece in PlacemakingResource on 22nd January. You can view it here (subscription needed). Essex may soon overtake Kent as the ‘Garden of England’, …

Dominic Raab MP has today been confirmed as the new Minister for Housing. An up-and-coming MP who was part of the 2010 intake, Raab is thought of as veering towards the right wing of the party, and will be a …