An election has not been requested to fill the vacancy in the office of town councillor for the north ward of Great Dunmow arising from the resignation of Emma Marcus.

The town council must now fill the vacancy by co-option to membership of the town council.

Qualifying Criteria – available on the Great Dunmow Town Council website or paper copies from Foakes House, Stortford Road, Great Dunmow.

Person Specification for a Co-Opted Councillor – available on the Great Dunmow Town Council website or paper copies from Foakes House, Stortford Road, Great Dunmow.

Method for Applications – the application form is available on the Great Dunmow Town Council website. Application forms can also be obtained:

• from Foakes House, Stortford Road, Great Dunmow
• by emailing townclerk@greatdunmow-tc.gov.uk
• by calling the town council on 01371 872406

Completed applications can be submitted electronically to the Town Clerk or delivered to the Town Council offices (address above)

Closing Date for Applications – Friday 19th December 2025
Further Information – Available from the Town Clerk, as detailed above
Consideration of Applications – Full Council meeting – 08/01/26

We are excited to report that we have been working with Uttlesford Community Safety Partnership in partnership with the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, and a programme of improved community safety in Great Dunmow has been given a huge boost thanks to almost £90,000 of funding from the government`s Safer Streets Fund. We are going to use this money to focus on reducing:

• Anti-social behaviour
• Neighbourhood crime
• Violence against women & girls

Funds have already been allocated to some projects and planned initiatives such as the appointment of a street warden for two years, additional CCTV, ANPR and street lighting, but there are further funds available for other projects.

To help plan how best to use this money, views are being sought on safety and crime in Great Dunmow via a consultation that runs from 8:30am on Monday 27th October to 5pm on Monday 8th December and can be accessed through the link below:

• Safer Streets in Great Dunmow Survey – Uttlesford District Council

There will be a number of multi-agency engagement events the Town Council aim to participate in – the objective being to encourage residents firstly to be aware of the project and secondly to encourage participation with the survey.

So far the two dates confirmed for engagement are:

• SUNDAY 2ND NOVEMBER – Dunmow Sunday Market, 10am-3pm
• FRIDAY 28TH NOVEMBER – Late Night Shopping Event, 2-9pm

UDC are in discussion with Tesco at Great Dunmow to host on either Wednesday 12th or Thursday 13th November 2-7pm, with potentially another date and location TBC.

The Uttlesford Community Safety Partnership will put together a report of all the consultation responses they receive. This will be presented to district councillors, the PFCC and the CSP in the autumn. They will then agree the final program of funding for Great Dunmow by the end of the year.

The Safer Streets scheme will start in early 2026. This is a great opportunity for Great Dunmow and we are really excited to be part of it. We are hopeful that further information will be available to share at the November meeting of Full Council.

Great Dunmow Town Council recognises that tensions have been high in recent weeks around the Christmas lights and festive plans for this year. This comes from one simple fact: people care deeply about this town. The Council, the Town Team, local businesses, residents and community groups are all passionate about making Dunmow special and it is because of that passion that emotions have sometimes run high.

Today, Council representatives met with the leader of the Town Team, and we agreed to take a step back, bring the temperature down, and reset our approach in the true spirit of Christmas. Our shared goal is to foster community spirit, bring festive cheer, and ensure Dunmow is the place to be this Christmas.

The independent safety report confirmed that the existing infrastructure in the High Street has failed and cannot be used for cross street displays. While this is disappointing, it also provides us with the opportunity to look creatively at the gaps in festive lighting across the town and to work collaboratively to find solutions. Council officers are now reviewing options and will be bringing forward proposals next week to both Council and the Town Team.

The Council has committed record levels of investment £223,992.40 over the next five years into Christmas lights and festive activities. This year’s scheme includes new displays at Doctors Pond, the Market Place and across key gateways into the town. Alongside this, we will be delivering weekend events and attractions, including Santa’s Grotto, food and drink stalls, and festive activities for families.

Further meetings will also take place next week with local businesses to look specifically at how footfall can be increased and how our shops can be best supported this Christmas. The aim is to ensure that local traders benefit from the additional visitors who will be coming into Dunmow to enjoy the festive atmosphere, spend time with friends and family, and shop locally.
The result will be a free to enter winter wonderland for the whole community, one of the best in the South East of England. By working together, we can create something that not only looks spectacular but also brings people together and supports local businesses at the most important time of year.

Essex County Council have launched their Public Consultation on Supported Local Bus Services:

• Complete the survey online
• View consultation document (PDF)

Establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority across Essex, Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea.

This consultation seeks views on a proposal to form a Mayoral Combined County Authority for the local government areas of Essex County Council, Thurrock Council and Southend-on-Sea City Council (referred to as Greater Essex in this consultation):

• Click here to give your views

With improved weather conditions expected, the contractor will be working throughout the weekend. This should help progress despite the previously saturated ground on the Downs.

As a result, the contractor`s current estimated exit date has been adjusted slightly to Wednesday 19th February.

Despite the inclement weather at the start of the week, great progress has been made to restore levels and get areas ready for topsoil and reseeding next week.

Heavy machinery and some remaining excavation spoil will be removed early next week before tarmac pathways will be re-laid. The fencing will be reconfigured to protect newly seeded areas and then the Downs will be reopened to pedestrian traffic.

The Doctors Pond working group meets next week to commence consideration of a plan to return areas of marginal and deep water planting and create a timeline for future works.