Hatfield Broad Oak Parish Council

28/10/2025

20/10/2025

Affordable Housing Nomination Survey (hard copy will be inside this month's Parish Magazine)

Rural Exception Sites are small plots of land located on the edge of existing rural settlements, not typically allocated for residential development within the local authority’s adopted development plan. These sites are considered for affordable housing to address local housing needs and sustain rural communities. The primary purpose of these sites is to provide affordable homes for local residents, ensuring that these homes remain affordable in perpetuity. The Parish Council has decided to try and have more control over the local connection requirements for these houses to stimulate our village community.

The Rural Council Community for Essex (RCCE) undertook a Housing Needs Survey in the village in 2022. We want to repeat this exercise, but this time through our Parish Council so that we hold the information. We are hoping that negotiations with Uttlesford District Council will be successful and will allow us to have a say in how these houses are to be allocated to local people.

To be successful, we need to know what the current housing needs are in the village for affordable social housing. With this data we can create a housing
register for the village to be used if possible.
Your data will be controlled by the Parish Council and will only be used for the purposes of maintaining a housing register.

20/10/2025

Housing Development Sites - we want your opinion to help us with our Neighbourhood Plan.

Uttlesford District Council has proposed 115 new homes for Hatfield Broad Oak Parish between now and 2041. Due to the granting of Hammonds Road outline permission and two units at Takeley, this number is reduced to approximately 90.

The number is not negotiable, but the location can be dictated by the Parish when we have an approved Neighbourhood Plan in place.

As part of the Neighbourhood Plan process a “Call for Sites” was undertaken. The sites offered by landowners in response to this latest Call for Sites were then assessed for suitability by an independent consultant.

This information (which will be enclosed as a hard copy in the Parish Magazine this month, with an option for paper submission) sets out the pros and cons of the different site options.

Please submit your preferences by Sunday the 30th of November.
https://forms.office.com/e/g8JSvm1yVu

14/10/2025

Council Tax Support scheme consultation - Information from UDC

Uttlesford residents can have their say on how much support we should give to people who might struggle to pay their Council Tax bill.

The Local Council Tax Support scheme (LCTS) is designed to help the most vulnerable. For 2026/27, we're proposing to maintain the current scheme on the same basis as this year.

This means that we:

freeze the contribution rate so the amount that LCTS claimants pay towards their Council Tax bill will be kept at 12.5%. This remains the lowest contribution rate in Essex
continue to protect pensioners, the vulnerable and disabled residents and their carers on a low income. Their contribution rate will remain at 0%
We want to know what you think of the proposals.

The easiest way to do this is via the online questionnaire which can be found on the Uttlesford District Council website, or by emailing any comments to [email protected]

For people who do not have access to the internet, paper copies of the questionnaire are available by calling 01799 510510.
The consultation closes at 4:30pm on Friday 21 November.

Tell us how much support we should give to people who might struggle to pay their Council Tax bill

10/10/2025

We are pleased to announce that there will be no by-election as the seat was uncontested. Vanessa Ambler will be joining the council as a councillor for the Village Ward.

Welcome and congratulations Vanessa!

03/10/2025

We have an Ordinary Parish Council Meeting on Wednesday the 8th of October, 8pm at St Mary's School.

Please send all public questions to [email protected] by midday on Tuesday the 7th of October.

30/09/2025

A by-election for the vacancy on the Parish Council will be held on the 6th of November.

To stand for election, a nomination paper must be completed and handed in to the Council Offices, Saffron Walden, in person by the legal deadline of 4pm on Friday 10 October.

If you are intending to stand, please email me at [email protected] as I will send you a template for a profile for me to share on our page, so residents can clearly see and compare their candidate options.

Please see all details and paperwork on the link below:

By-elections will take place on Thursday 6 November following requests to fill vacancies by election at Debden and Hatfield Broad Oak Parish Councils.

30/09/2025

Unfortunately our external auditors have informed us that they have been unable to complete the audit within the deadline. I'm aware that we are not the only parish affected.

Clerk

29/09/2025

**NOTICE OF VACANCY ON HATFIELD BROAD OAK PARISH COUNCIL**

Notice is hereby given that a vacancy has occurred in the office of parish councillor arising from the resignation of Susan Brown.

An election to fill the vacancy will be held if notice in writing of a request for such an election is made by ten Local Government electors for the electoral area (the village ward) and received by the Proper Officer, C/o Electoral Services, Uttlesford District Council, Council Offices, London Road, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 4ER, by not later than 4:30pm on Friday 17 October 2025.

If an election is not requested by ten Local Government electors, the vacancy will be filled by the parish council as soon as practicable after the expiry of the date referred to above.

Amy Ferraro
Clerk to Hatfield Broad Oak Parish Council

26/09/2025

We have been informed by Uttlesford DC that unfortunately there will be no garden waste weekend service as planned this weekend. This is due to the unavailability of staff to carry out the service.

25/09/2025

There will be an Extraordinary Parish Council Meeting on Tuesday the 30th of September