r/Essex

I’ve lived here for about 18 years and always been very happy but I’m feeling slightly queasy now about living amongst so many people who voted reform and waiting for the inevitable damage their votes will cause.

Why so many of my previously kind and humane neighbours have suddenly decided to vote this way without even thinking about the appalling words so many of the reform candidates now councillors have said just baffles me. Everyone’s entitled to vote as they want obviously but I’d just love to hear what they’ve voted for and why they think this rabble will deliver it. I mean it possible Nigel , £5m bung, could afford to build a few asylum detention centres in Camden and Brighton but will that fix the potholes or the health service.

To answer my own question I think I will hang about for a while yet as I want to see reform get found out for performative populists they are who inevitably who run out of steam when there is no one else to blame for their own failings.

It won’t be very comfortable dealing with some of the neighbours though.

I’ve always felt like the pace is the biggest difference. Every time I’m in London everyone seems permanently in a rush, keeping to themselves, head down getting from one place to another. In Essex people still seem more likely to chat to strangers, take their time a bit more, and not act like every second of the day is a race. Obviously depends where you are, but the overall vibe always feels completely different to me. What’s the biggest difference you notice between Essex and London?

How did it go for your area?

I haven't seen results for Essex but I was pleased to see Harlow went Conservative.

Our local council leader is a young Tory who has been doing a pretty good job regenerating Harlow. Not seen this sort of investment since the 90s, so it's nice to see Harlow putting trust in him rather than a protest vote for Reform. Well done Harlow. Over to you Dan Swords, don't fuck it up!

edit: whoever reported me to Reddit for "hate". Nice try! I think I've been pretty accommodating speaking to both sides today.

Full of predictable blinders but my favourite line is "All politicians are liars, so you got to pick the best sounding liars." Well done, Tel, you've done just that.

I'm going to scream into a pillow and/or the void.

>A Reform UK councillor who was elected last week has resigned and been expelled from the party.

>Stuart Prior was one of 53 Reform members who were elected to Essex County Council and earned a majority on the authority for Nigel Farage's party. Prior also gained a seat on Rochford District Council.

>But he was accused the week before the elections of creating racist and Islamophobic posts on social media by Hope Not Hate.

>The BBC attempted to contact Prior. He denied being a racist when approached by the Daily Mirror newspaper.

>A party source said earlier that Prior had resigned from the Rochford and Essex councils.

do you use it much as locals

it seems to be on the news a lot for not so great reasons.

Growing up in both Suffolk and Norfolk, something I've noticed is a more-or-less continuous influx of people from Essex. Though I'm generalising here, I've noticed a few identifiable behavioural tendencies that I'm going to list. They obviously don't apply to all Essex folk, and the portrait I'm about to paint is something of a caricature. But these traits have been noticeable enough from movers from Essex that I can depict a recognisable character here.

Newly minted after selling their homes, they'll buy a bigger character property in Suffolk or Norfolk and bring with them certain regrettable ideas about how things should be. They'll often make garish and out-of-character renovations to old houses that have been beautiful for centuries. They'll get rid of greenery, trees, and most things good for wildlife. They'll install some garish luxury appliance - say, a hot-tub or pool - in a beautiful old flower garden. They'll have a hard time understanding why they can't let their dog roam over a sensitive wildlife area. And then, oftentimes, they'll start complaining that their new Norfolk or Suffolk village is a 'backwater', and campaign vocally for a new road or some other concreted convenience. It's almost as if they're trying to bring with them all the noise and ugliness of the place they left.

This is obviously a provocative view, unfair on many people, but I offer it because a good deal of it is unfortunately true. Why?

Looking for advice from anyone local who may be on here 💛

My partner and I were lucky enough to have success with IVF and I’m currently 8 weeks pregnant. I’ve done my NHS referral for hospitals near us (we’re based in Brentwood).

My first choice was Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford - purely because a few friends had really positive experiences there, but they’ve emailed to say they don’t currently have the capacity to take me on ☹️

So now I’m trying to decide between Basildon University Hospital and Queen's Hospital and would really appreciate any honest experiences or advice.

I know everyone’s experience is different, but it’s taken us a long time to get here and I think I just want to feel as safe and reassured as possible going into this next stage 🤍

Hi everyone,

I'll keep it short, I'm doing an internship around Liverpool street over the entire summer coming up, and i'll have to commute from Colchester using Greater Anglia, is there any way I can make this cheaper on myself? I know train prices are expensive but even the monthly passes you can get are a bit hard to look at haha, any help appreciated.

My husband loves Mexican food and wants to go to a restaurant, if possible he doesn’t want some massive chain. He drives so doesn’t mind where abouts it is, but we are in the south of Essex. We are both vegetarian so veggie options are a must.

I am looking for a place that rents cars for a day or two. Any suggestions?

Hi all,

I’m currently considering buying a house in one of the new developments along Ashingdon Road in Rochford and wanted to hear some genuine opinions from locals.

How safe is the area generally? Are there any specific roads or parts that you’d recommend avoiding?

I walked around the area and into the town square and it seemed pretty nice and relaxed even though there were surprisingly a lot of vehicles on the road.

Also how frequent do buses work ?

Would really appreciate any advice before I commit!

Thanks in advance !

Edit : Could I also understand the best travel options for commuting to London around 2–3 days a week? I checked Greater Anglia fares and the return ticket seems to cost about £35–40 per day which feels slightly expensive. Any suggestions for more cost effective ways to travel would be greatly appreciated

I live in Basildon Langdon hills and there were two boys that came round today that did an incredible job at washing out car. They had a black trolly with all supplies in and I think one of them was called Archie.

If anyone knows these boys we’d love their contacts so they can come again!

Thanks