Youth Strategy Groups (YSGs) across Essex are to be abolished, along with their ring-fenced funding of £200,000. This plan slipped out from Conservative-run Essex County Council in a briefing in the last few days.

Instead, projects that would have been commissioned by YSGs will now have no guaranteed funding. Vital schemes could now end, such as those designed to support children's mental health, and initiatives aimed at preventing children from getting involved in drugs and gangs.

On May 4th 2023, we, the people of Tendring, will elect our representatives for the next four years. Who we elect will determine what kind of council we get and set the course for decisions to be made that will affect us all. Sometimes, the consequences aren't obvious. In 2019, the people of Tendring elected a council in which no one party had a majority BUT some independents joined with the Conservatives, keeping the same Conservative politicians in power. Life is hard and things are worse than most of us can remember. Many people are fed up with the council and with politics but the answer isn't to stay at home and not vote. That just gives a free run to councillors who don't work hard and don't listen to their electors.

Analysis of the Essex County Council approved budget shows that £87.9 million of cuts were approved by the Conservative-run authority last Thursday, 9th February 2023. The cuts are made up of:

• £18.8 million of identified cuts in cash spending
• £36 million of cuts in cash spending still to be found
• £33.1 million of cuts in capital (investment) spending

A set of proposals to improve services across Essex is being tabled this Thursday (9th February) by Essex County Council Liberal Democrats. Fixing potholes for an extra £9 a year in Council Tax (rather than risk having to spend £200+ on new car tyres or suspension) is a key proposal, as well as helping young people.

Essex County Council Highways have been attacked for being in "managed decline" on their road maintenance, at the same time as they announce a further cut to the service. The Conservative-run Council has recently announced it will stop the Highway Ranger service, which carries out basic maintenance. The rangers are responsible for cleaning and minor repairs, trimming of vegetation and weeds, grass cutting highway verges, graffiti removal, painting street furniture, and cleaning drainage among other jobs.

After crashing the economy and sending mortgage bills spiralling, the government is now inflicting eye-watering tax hikes and real-terms cuts to our public services.

This is the cost of chaos budget. Everyone is being forced to pay the price for this Conservative government's incompetence. The country shouldn't be forced to clean up their mess.

The British people are suffering terribly because of the chaos of this Conservative Government.

People will be paying twice as much to heat their homes this winter as they did last year. Food prices are soaring. The country is in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis.

And now, thanks to the Conservatives' disastrous mini-budget, we are facing a mortgage crisis too. Millions of families are already struggling to pay a Conservative Property Penalty of hundreds of pounds on their monthly mortgage payments.

The sheer quantity of raw sewage being dumped into Britain's rivers and coastal areas is a scandal and a disgrace.

Everyone should be able to enjoy the wonderful natural beauties our country has to offer, with open green spaces and blue rivers. But the Conservatives are neglecting our natural environment and letting water companies get away with pouring millions of tonnes of sewage into our rivers.

Far too many people are struggling to get a GP appointment when they need one, leaving them waiting anxiously for the care they deserve.

In September alone, 8.9 million GP appointments involved a wait of more than a week, with 5 million waiting longer than the Government's own target of two weeks.

People across the country are suffering from years of neglect under the Conservatives