These have been challenging months but, slowly and through following guidelines, things are getting better and lockdown measures continue to ease.

During the peak of the virus your local Conservative councillors were doing what they could to support the emergency response, particularly in the areas of Braintree and Bocking.

Some of our councillor colleagues were themselves in a shielding category and those who weren’t, helped carry some of the load for other colleagues, including those from a different party group. No such thing as ‘party’ when in an emergency - we are all one community!

We are pleased to see how our towns and villages are getting back on their feet and are so grateful for the way the public are supporting local businesses and retailers, in a sensible and responsible way.

In Braintree and Bocking, residents have been very patient over improvements to the town centre and we are pleased that the Manor Street development, Victoria Square, continues to move apace, as do our plans to deliver pedestrianisation to the town centre. The completed works in Bank Street, with new traffic arrangements and replacement disabled spaces, are just the first step.

We apologise if these large developments might be causing inconvenience. We hope you will agree that, once completed, the benefits will be huge. Braintree will be well placed to face the post Covid-19 challenges and we will continue to support our other local town centres.

As always, if we can be of any help on any matter, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us. Our contact details can be found at www.braintree.gov.uk and useful information and guidelines at www.braintree.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Cllr John Baugh, Cllr Kevin Bowers, Cllr Graham Butland, Cllr Mary Cunningham, Cllr Tom Cunningham, Cllr Paul Euesden, Cllr Andrew Hensman, Cllr Trevor McArdle, Cllr Ian Pritchard, Cllr Saif Rehman, Cllr Frankie Ricci, Cllr, Wendy Schmitt, Cllr Dean Wallace, Cllr Lyn Walters, Cllr Justin Wrench

Braintree Council