{"id":680,"date":"2026-05-01T17:28:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T17:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?page_id=680"},"modified":"2026-05-03T16:10:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T16:10:02","slug":"news","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?page_id=680","title":{"rendered":"News"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8695503b wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Parish News<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay up to date with the latest news from our Parish and the surrounding areas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-query alignwide is-layout-flow wp-block-query-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-1a5a651a wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><ul class=\"columns-3 wp-block-post-template is-layout-grid wp-container-core-post-template-is-layout-6d3fbd8f wp-block-post-template-is-layout-grid\"><li class=\"wp-block-post post-836 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=836\" target=\"_self\" >Majority of council-backed bus services set to continue serving local communities<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Essex passengers continue to show confidence in local buses with more people using Essex County Council backed services in the last two years. A number of the bus services funded by Essex County Council are set to continue following a recent public consultation. The 41 services under review are some of those Essex County Council<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=836\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-05-09T18:22:44+00:00\">9 May 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-692 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=692\" target=\"_self\" >Essex Primary School places announced &#8211; April 2026<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">98.16% of primary school age children starting reception in September 2026 offered one of their preferences. Almost 16,000 parents and carers across the county will find out the outcome of their primary school applications today (Thursday 16 April). This year, Essex County Council received a total of 15,738 primary school applications. Of these, 14,218 pupils<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=692\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-05-03T15:49:26+00:00\">3 May 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-694 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=694\" target=\"_self\" >Braintree Area Foodbank<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">View our current shopping list below.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=694\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-04-30T15:49:48+00:00\">30 April 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-698 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=698\" target=\"_self\" >New Crisis and Resilience Fund Launched &#8211; April 26<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">A new government\u2011funded&nbsp;Crisis and Resilience Fund&nbsp;(CRF) has launched today (7 April) in Essex. The new fund provides support for families and individuals in financial hardship. It also aims to help communities build long\u2011term financial resilience. The fund is designed to support residents with urgent needs. It will cover the below key areas. Residents who believe<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=698\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-04-17T15:53:36+00:00\">17 April 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-700 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=700\" target=\"_self\" >Age Well Fair<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">View information about Braintree District Council&#8217;s Age Well Fair.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=700\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-04-13T15:54:35+00:00\">13 April 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-704 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=704\" target=\"_self\" >2.6M boost to maintain progress in SEND assessments<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Essex County Council is investing an extra \u00a32.6 million over the next two years. The money will accelerate recent improvements to the Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNAs) process. This is a statutory process conducted by a local authority. It determines if a child or young person up to the age of 25 requires<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=704\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-04-10T15:57:16+00:00\">10 April 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-706 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=706\" target=\"_self\" >Essex Safer Speeds Strategy -Public Consultation &#8211; March 26<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">We are pleased to have launched a public consultation on the new draft&nbsp;Essex Safer Speeds Strategy. The consultation starts today (Monday 16 March 2026) and will run for six weeks, closing on Sunday 26 April 2026. There is more information about the strategy and consultation below. Essex Safer Speeds Strategy&nbsp;&nbsp; Speed is the biggest factor<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=706\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-26T15:58:03+00:00\">26 March 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-708 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=708\" target=\"_self\" >Thousands of road repairs carried out in the last year as extra investment continues<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Additional investment, dedicated crews, and creative innovation saw highways maintenance thrive during 2025\/26 Additional investment in highway improvements has resulted in even more repairs being carried out in the last year.&nbsp; In 2025\/26 Essex County Council committed to carrying out even more repairs and maintenance to keep highways, footways and structures safe. The works delivered<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=708\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-19T15:58:43+00:00\">19 March 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-710 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=710\" target=\"_self\" >Information Young Carers March 26<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Essex County Council is shining a light on the important work young carers do and the challenges they face this Young Carers Action Day (11 March).&nbsp; There are an estimated 10,000 young carers in Essex, some as young as five-years-old. They provide vital support and essential care for their family members. Alongside this, young carers<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=710\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-16T15:59:37+00:00\">16 March 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-820 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=820\" target=\"_self\" >Chairman&#8217;s Community Showcase Event<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">View details for the event below.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=820\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-15T18:15:04+00:00\">15 March 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-712 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=712\" target=\"_self\" >Braintree District Council \u2013 RNIB Workshop<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">What: BRAINTREE: Accessible Voting Workshop and Device Demonstration Day for Blind &amp; Partially Sighted Residents When: 1pm-4pm, Monday 23rd&nbsp;March Where: Braintree District Council, Causeway House, Braintree, Essex CM7 9HB Help make voting more accessible for blind and partially sighted people in Braintree and beyond. RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind people) research showed that at<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=712\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-12T16:00:14+00:00\">12 March 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-714 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=714\" target=\"_self\" >Support available to help residents live heathier and happier lives.<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Essex County Council&#8217;s Public Health team has launched a refreshed offer of free, friendly and flexible local services. These services are designed to help residents take small, achievable steps toward improving their health and wellbeing. Life can be demanding, and many people juggle work, caring responsibilities, and busy households. With so much to manage, personal<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=714\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-09T16:01:05+00:00\">9 March 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-808 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=808\" target=\"_self\" >Residents across Essex encouraged to recycle their metal packaging March 26<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Essex County Council has launched a new countywide campaign to encourage Essex residents to recycle their metal packaging. The campaign is in partnership with Alupro. This is an industry funded, not-for-profit organisation representing the UK\u2019s aluminium packaging industry.&nbsp; In Essex, thousands of tonnes of recyclable metal packaging&nbsp;is wasted each year. For some districts, it makes<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=808\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-03T18:09:36+00:00\">3 March 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-810 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=810\" target=\"_self\" >Schools &#8211; 97% of children offered places at preferred secondary schools in Essex<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Parents of 16,558 pupils are discovering the outcome of their secondary school applications today in Essex (Monday 2 March). 97% of children &#8211; more than 19 out of every 20 &#8211; are being offered one of their named preferences of secondary schools for the 2026 academic year. A total of 83.47% are being offered their<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=810\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-02T18:11:41+00:00\">2 March 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-716 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=716\" target=\"_self\" >Electrifying Essex<\/a><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">A new campaign called Electrifying Essex is highlighting the benefits of switching to an electric vehicle (EV) following an \u00a38.3 million investment by Essex County Council. The significant amount of funding will see 5,000 EV charging points installed in public spaces across the county by 2031. It comes from the government\u2019s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-text\"><a class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/?p=716\">Read more<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-01T16:01:48+00:00\">1 March 2026<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Parish News Stay up to date with the latest news from our Parish and the surrounding areas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-680","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=680"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":723,"href":"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/680\/revisions\/723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toppesfield-pc.gov.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}