This morning includes a visit with Harlow Council's community engagement team to the playground at Lower Meadow - it's a mess, with rubbish strewn everywhere, the internal 'cage' missing from one of the litter bins and another containing the mangled and dangerous remains of a bicycle frame. I email a report straight away to Contact Harlow.

But the real purpose of the visit is to see the Youth Council's preferred site for a new ballzone - somewhere young people can kick a ball around, that's well lit and safe without being right up against residents' homes and gardens. The green area between the playground and the Pink Cottage is their preferred choice. They've already been allocated the necessary £8,000 from the Essex Community Initiatives Fund.

The Youth Council have already begun a programme of consultation with nearby residents, and will continue this over the summer.