Don't forget the new Trustybus service now sets off every fifteen minutes from the town centre for Kingsmoor, Staple Tye and Passmores - costing only £1.

The Maunds Hatch project continues to develop; Su and Lorna were both at a very positive meeting where the Judo Club and the Boxing club both talked about their interest in taking on space at the community building when it's been refurbished. There's £350,000 in Harlow Council's budget for the actual building. Everybody came away feeling very positive.

After the floods that hit the news in much of England last summer, the Government appointed Sir Michael Pitt to lead a review of 'the lessons learned' from the flooding. The review team published an interim report in December and will publish a final report in the summer.

The director of the review team gave a briefing to a meeting at the Local Government Association, where I was present. Bearing in mind Staple Tye's experience of flooding in 2006, I asked him about the problems caused by agencies such as the water companies, who aren't as answerable to the public as local councils - we can't go along to their meetings, demand answers, or change them if we don't like them. They can be difficult to pin down after events such as floods, as many local residents have found.

I was encouraged to hear from the review director that his team has been very aware of this problem. It would be good if the review resulted in such bodies being placed under a 'duty to co-operate' so that they would be required to work with district and county councils and local communities in sorting out the dreadful problems that floods cause.

Su was very concerned to hear from a local council tenant last night that a council contractor had visited to try to carry out works to her home, without making an appointment and without having his ID to show her. He later went back to his van to fetch his ID, but Su says:

"This resident did exactly the right thing, by asking for the contractor's ID card and not being prepared to let him in until he produced it. Always remember, for your own safety, to do the same.

I'm contacting Harlow Council to express my concern that a council contractor should have behaved in this way, and to ask the Council to reinforce to everybody doing work on behalf of the Council that they must produce ID when visiting residents' homes."

Local councillors Su and Lorna held their first ward surgery in the newly-opened housing information centre at 40 Barleycroft. Su says:

"We were very pleased indeed that several local residents popped in to see us - whether to talk generally about the future of the estate or to raise specific problems with us, which we'll be taking up with the council straight away."

The next surgery at 40 Barleycroft is on Wednesday 12 March, from six to seven o'clock in the evening.

Local councillor Su Lawton has reported the light out at Maunds Hatch shops. She was also asked by Anita from the Chinese Centre to help in getting the debris from the recent bin fires at the Centre cleaned up; and has taken this up as well.

On Monday 25 February, Southern Way will be closed between Parnall Road and Perry Road from seven o'clock on Monday night to six o'clock on Tuesday morning.

Abercrombie Way will be closed between Southern Way and Penlow Road on the same night from eleven o'clock on Monday night to six o'clock on Tuesday morning.

Vehicle access from Abercrombie Way to the Staple Tye shops will be permitted between seven and eleven o'clock on Monday night.

These closures have been announced by Essex County Council whose contractors will be carrying out roundabout resurfacing. The County Council hopes the works will be completed in the one night; if for any reason they are not, the work will be done on the following night or the next available night that week, with the road closures operating at the same time.

In the event of any queries, the office to contact at Essex County Council Highways is Jhn Muir on 01279 642500.

Thank you very much indeed to the Chinese community for once again opening their doors for Chinese New Year at the Chinese Centre - with the firecrackers, lion dance (two lions this year), traditional Chinese music, children's dancing and excellent food that this involves.

It was a truly excellent day, with a very large number of guests, and it was great to see so many non-Chinese residents coming along to share the celebrations, as well as the police and PCSO team for the neighbourhood - and even an off-duty Santa Claus popped in for the occasion.

*"Gong Hei Fat Choy" is the only Cantonese I know, and means, of course, "Happy New Year"!

I've been in touch with the local police team about the recent bin fires at the Chinese Community Centre. It's really disappointing when this sort of mindless vandalism takes place, and I hope everyone will continue to be vigilant. If you know anything that can assist the police in fingering the culprits, do call them on 641212.