All Harlow Council's refuse and recycling collections will be completed as normal up to Friday 23 December. Waste collections begin again on Wednesday 28 December, on the following revised dates. Normal date first (revised date in brackets).

• Mon 26 Dec (Wed 28 Dec)


• Tue 27 Dec (Thu 29 Dec)


• Wed 28 Dec (Fri 30 Dec)


• Thu 29 Dec (Sat 31 Dec)


• Fri 30 Dec (Tue 03 Jan)


• Mon 02 Jan (Wed 04 Jan)


• Tue 03 Jan (Thu 05 Jan)


• Wed 04 Jan (Fri 06 Jan)


• Thu 05 Jan (Sat 07 Jan)


• Fri 06 Jan (Mon 09 Jan)


• Mon 09 Jan (Tue 10 Jan)


• Tue 10 Jan (Wed 11 Jan)


• Wed 11 Jan (Thu 12 Jan)


• Thu 12 Jan (Fri 13 Jan)


• Fri 13 Jan (Sat 14 Jan)

Collections will return to normal from Monday 16 January. And from 9 to 20 January, you can put your real Christmas tree out for recycling alongside your blue box and white bag!

This morning I receive a letter from a couple living in The Readings. They wrote to Harlow Council - within the time limit - to object to the Council's proposals to introduce pay and display parking at the Latton Bush Centre and elsewhere.

On Monday 19 December they received a letter from the Council - they've enclosed a copy. It tells them that the Council has made a number of minor amendments to the proposed scheme. In view of these changes, says the letter, if the Council does not hear from the residents in writing by noon on Friday (23 December), the Council will treat their objections as having been withdrawn.

Quite rightly, the residents are incensed. Three and a half days, especially at Christmas, is a totally unacceptable deadline. I make a swift couple of calls to the relevant managers. As a result, the Council will be writing to all objectors who received the previous letter, giving a revised - and much more reasonable - deadline of Friday 6 January.

It does however seem rather strange that the Council should be able to assume that objectors have withdrawn their objections unless they hear otherwise. I've queried this with the relevant Council officer, who tells me that's what the law requires. Not for the first time, it appears that "the law is an ass".

The theft of world famous sculptor Henry Moore's Reclining Figure statue from Much Hadham on Thursday night has attracted a lot of attention.

It's reported that the lorry containing the statue was seen on Southern Way at the junction with Paringdon Road - and the police are appealing for witnesses. The Henry Moore Foundation, which owns the sculpture, has offered a 'substantial' reward for its return.

If you can help the police recover this nationally renowned piece of art, please contact Harlow Police on 641212.

Building is well under way at the Briars near the Latton Bush Centre, to replace the recently-demolished 'pilot' block of flats with new homes.

Staple Tye team members Cllr Lorna Spenceley, Cllr Su Lawton and Chris Robins dropped in today to see how work was progressing. Su and Chris said:

"It's really excellent to see the new homes taking shape. We look forward to seeing them completed and occupied."

A planning application has been approved to demolish Parnall House - the former builders' merchants building on Parnall Road - and build a 46-bedroomed senior citizens' residential care home.

The new building will have three storeys, with ten bedsit units on the ground floor, 18 on the first floor and a further 18 on the second floor. The main entrance will be on Parnall Road.

From today, Harlow's Citizens Advice Bureau will be teaming up with the Gateway Centre in Perry Road to offer general advice from 10:00 to 12:30 on Thursday mornings. Local ward councillor Lorna Spenceley says "Well done to these two organisations for getting together and offering a new and valuable service to local residents in our area".

On Tuesday 13 December Harlow Council's planning committee will consider an application to demolish Parnall House (the former builders' merchants building on Parnall Road) and build a three-storey, 46-bedroomed care home for senior citizens.

Council planning officers are recommending that councillors should approve the application. Objections have been received from a resident in Risdens concerned about overlooking of their property, and from residents in Longbanks concerned at possible overspill car parking.

Staple Tye's Liberal Democrat councillors held their monthly ward surgery this morning at the council offices at Staple Tye. The next ward surgery will be on Saturday 7 January, from 10:00 to 11:00am.

After our councillors' surgery, I accompany Harlow Council's vice-chair of housing, Cllr Lesley Rideout, to Barleycroft. The estate hasn't been painted for twelve years, so the wooden fascias and the garden fences are looking rather the worse for wear. They're on the list for painting next year, but the problems facing this estate - and Lower Meadow next door - are far from straightforward.

These houses were built forty years ago with a life of 25 years, and bringing them up to a good standard for local residents is therefore - to put it mildly - a problem. The cost of basic improvements will be far more than the council receives in rent from the estate; and at the moment it's not clear where that money would come from. But residents have a right to expect their area to look reasonable, and their homes to be warm and watertight.