GRAPEVINE REPORT - November 2026, Bradfield Parish Council Chairman, Cllr Karen Burton:

Dear Residents,

A warm winter hello from Bradfield Parish Council. As December gets under way, we’re pleased to share a few updates from around the village.

Our War Memorial
Bradfield’s War Memorial was fully cleaned in October, in time for Remembrance Sunday. Our thanks go to St Lawrence Church and everyone who helped arrange the work and secure the permissions needed to care for this important village landmark. On Remembrance Sunday, several parish councillors attended the service at St Lawrence Church and laid a wreath on behalf of the residents of Bradfield.

A playground more families can enjoy
The village play area now has wider entrance gates, extended paths, accessible picnic benches and a ground level roundabout. We’re also giving some of the existing seating a spruce up so it can stay in use. These improvements make it easier for more children to play together and for families to spend time at the playground. We’re pleased to have secured lottery funding to replace the existing Hip Hop play equipment, and we’ve appointed a contractor to carry out the work soon.

A memorial garden at the cemetery
We’ve cleared an area of the cemetery for a memorial garden, which will offer a quiet place to sit, reflect and remember loved ones. New fencing will also be erected soon. We look forward to hearing ideas from local groups, including the village WI, as plans for the garden take shape.

Junction protection works complete
The junction protection works at Harwich Road and Rectory Gardens were completed in November. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to our questionnaire. Your feedback helped shape the scheme, which we delivered with the North Essex Parking Partnership and funded from the Council’s village projects budget.

Changes to local recycling banks
Tendring District Council is removing household recycling banks across the district as these materials can now be collected from homes. Carton banks will be removed in the coming weeks, and the district council expects to finish removing glass banks by February 2027. Paper and textile banks will also be removed.

A warm welcome to our new councillor
We’re delighted to welcome Karen Thompson, who joined the Parish Council in October. It’s great to have you on board.

How we look after council and charity business
Our five year action plan helps us decide where to spend public money, and the Finance Committee checks the proposed budget before it goes to the full Council for approval. We also have policies that set out how we handle complaints and promote respectful working. The Council is the sole trustee of the Bradfield Allotments and Recreation Ground Charity (BARGC). We make trustee decisions separately from parish council business, with the charity’s aims guiding how its land and funds are managed. You can find out more about the charity on our website.

We’re delighted that both our internal and external auditors gave the Council excellent reports and identified no issues requiring action, which reflects the hard work and dedication of our Parish Clerk, Marie Snell.

From all of us at Bradfield Parish Council, we wish everyone in the village a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Kind Regards,
Karen Burton
Chair of Bradfield Parish Council