T HE housing sector was hailed as one of the big winners in last week's Budget, with the Government announcing support for buyers right across the board.

Centrepiece of George Osborne's latest strategy to breathe life into the property market is the new Help to Buy scheme. It comprises two elements. The first is a new shared-equity scheme, starting next month, designed to help people buy new-build homes up to a price ceiling of £600,000. It means that someone with a five per cent deposit will be eligible for a Government loan of a further 20 per cent – effectively making it possible to buy a new home with a 75 per cent mortgage. The loans can be paid off at any time, and will be interest- free for the first five years.

The second and potentially far more important element is a new £130-billion mortgage indemnity scheme, under which the Government will in effect stand as guarantor for people taking out up to 95 per cent mortgages to buy any property, old or new – again up to a ceiling of £600,000.

Unlike previous schemes, which have tended to focus exclusively on providing help to first-time buyers, the aim is to stimulate the whole housing market – for example, helping so-called "second-steppers" who want to move up to the next rung on the property ladder.

A FORMER member of the female dance troupe Hot Gossip died after hanging herself, an inquest heard.

Trudy Beth Watson was a well known face in the 1980s and regularly featured on ITV's The Kenny Everett Video Show.

She was found hanging from the stair banister by her husband, Tony, at their home in Magdalen Laver on September 11 last year.

The 50-year-old was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 27 years ago.

The inquest heard that for 15 months before her death her acute mental state "would not shift" and in the last five weeks of her life she had attempted twice to take her own life by overdosing.

Later her medication was locked away and she had no access to it.

She saw her GP on September 6 when she told him she was not depressed and wanted to return to work on September 12, the day after her death.

Chelmsford Coroner's Court heard on Thursday that on the afternoon of her death she was at home alone.

She had a psychiatric appointment that afternoon and used that as a reasonable excuse to cancel plans to have her mother over to stay.

It later transpired that she had not attended her appointment.

When her husband returned home, he found her hanging from the stair. A note was found.

A few months before her death the keen dancer was seen publicly taking Zumba classes in Matching Village Hall, where she donated £1 from every member towards the building of J's Hospice, a palliative care facility for young people.

As well as performing with Hot Gossip, which recorded the hit I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper, she also featured as a dancer in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, which was released in 1983.

Assistant deputy coroner for Essex and Thurrock Tina Harrington returned a verdict of suicide.

THE body of a man who died after being crushed to death in a cement mixer has been exhumed as police seek further answers into what happened more than 10 years ago.

The body of Lee Balkwell, a 33-year-old former Essex county junior golfer from Hornchurch, was taken to a hospital for a new post-mortem to be carried out and was reburied the next day at 7am on Tuesday.

The exhumation at Upminster Cemetery forms part of the on-going investigation into the death by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.

Mr Balkwell died when he apparently became trapped between the drum and chassis while cleaning out a cement lorry mixer in the early hours of July 18, 2002, at Baldwin's Farm in Upminster.

His father Les, who has campaigned tirelessly to win justice for his son ever since, said: "It's been more than 10 years since Lee was buried so I'm not sure how much will be left to examine.

"I'm not expecting very much out of this.

"This is very difficult for us but we are prepared to go to every length to get justice for Lee."

The decision to exhume Lee comes after five people were arrested in connection with the death.

In November officers from the Kent and Essex Police Serious Crime Directorate arrested a 43-year-old man from Upminster on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and perverting the course of justice and perjury.

A 66-year-old man, a 63-year-old woman and another woman, aged 49 from Upminster, were also arrested for perverting the course of justice and perjury, as was another man aged 38 from Southend.

All five people were released on police bail until mid-January 2013, pending further enquiries. They have been re-bailed to a date in April.

Detective Inspector Janine Farrell, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "We will now await the full post-mortem report and will then be assessing the results to see how they can help inform the next steps in our investigation.

"We remain open to all hypotheses regarding Lee's death and if anyone has any information regarding the death of Lee Balkwell, no matter how trivial they consider it, even after all this time, they should contact my team on 01634 884033.

"This is a confidential line, where people can leave a message for my officers who will get back to them."

FRIENDS and family of an avid football fan who died after collapsing in the snow have paid tribute to a "genuine and lovely person".

Jamie Bell, 33, of Ouse Chase, Witham, was on his way home after a night out with friends on Saturday when he collapsed in the freezing temperatures.

Passers-by found Mr Bell unconscious in a lane near the Cherry Tree pub, Cressing Road, where he had been drinking and called the emergency services, but he died a couple of hours later in Broomfield Hospital.

Mr Bell, who loved watching and playing football, was a popular figure in the Witham community and will be missed by many.

He was "part of the family" for Hope Smith, 17, who called Mr Bell "Uncle J".

Hope said: "He wasn't actually my uncle but I have known him all my life and he was best friends with my uncle and their friend Lee – it was the three of them all the time.

"He used to sleep at our house nearly every night and would spend Christmas with us. He was part of the family."

She continued: "He was a really lovely lad, he was always caring towards others and when I last saw him a few weeks ago he was just his normal, happy, bubbly self. He was a genuine and lovely person."

In a heartfelt written tribute to Mr Bell, Hope added: "You are one of my favourite people – the greatest uncle. You never deserved what happened to you. I love you, Uncle J, thank you for all the unforgettable memories."

Mr Bell had been out with friends at the Little Elms pub in Dorothy Sayers Drive on Saturday, before going to the Cherry Tree, which he left at around 11.50pm.

Manager of the Little Elms Kieran Tame said: "He had only recently started becoming a regular here – I think because his mates were coming here too.

"He seemed like a lovely young bloke. It's a tragedy what happened. He was just having a day off with his friends."

Shocked friends took to Facebook to pay their respects to Mr Bell, who worked at RDC, an IT recycling company based in Braintree.

Colleague Lisa Knight wrote on her wall: "Work will be difficult tomorrow. Jamie worked at RDC too and was very well thought of. It's a massive loss for anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him."

She added: "Thirty-three is no age and I know everyone likes to say how great a person was after they die, but he truly was one of the special ones."

A spokesman for Essex Police said: "Police were called just after 12.30am on Sunday following reports that a man had been found collapsed in a lane close to the Cherry Tree public house in Cressing Road, Witham.

"Officers were notified by paramedics after the man had been discovered by members of the public.

"He was taken to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for treatment but sadly was declared deceased at the hospital at around 2.30am.

"The 33-year-old, who is from the Witham area, had been drinking at the pub earlier in the evening and had left the premises at approximately 11.50pm.

Police are not treating the death as suspicious.

Gary Sanderson, a spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service, added: "First and foremost, our thoughts are with his family at this tragic time."

A GAS explosion blasted windows and doors off Chelmsford Rugby Club on Saturday, injuring three and forcing the evacuation of 40 lunch guests.

Private chef Alan Thornton, 61, was cooking for the vice-president's lunch when a gas bottle valve exploded in his face, igniting the cookers and causing a blast which ripped out internal walls, doors and windows.

"It was so hard it knocked me out and everything was in slow motion – it happened so fast," he said.

But, with his arms and hair on fire, he managed to squeeze the valve back on – trapping the remaining fumes and potentially saving the clubhouse in Timsons Lane from a major disaster.

"The room fell in and we were trapped, we couldn't get out at first," said Mr Thornton, who is receiving "painful" treatment to burns on his face and body.

"It was sheer panic, my arm was alight and my hair was alight. If I hadn't managed to screw the valve back on, half the club wouldn't be here today."

All parties booked at the club before the end of the rugby season have been cancelled and home fixtures are being relocated.

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CHIEFTAINS player-coach Gary Clarke was delighted after his side clinched the league title - but is still hungry for more success this season.

A 6-0 win at Solent & Gosport Devils on Saturday made sure the Chieftains were champions, and just for good measure, they followed it up with a 4-2 win over Wightlink Raiders on Sunday to end the season with just one home league defeat to their name.

But with a League Cup final double-header against Romford on Saturday and then the play-offs still to come, Clarke still wants more from his team.

"I'm thrilled. That's what we set out to do at the start of the year, so that's one box ticked which is fantastic.

"It's been a long time since Chelmsford won a title like this so it's really good.

"We knew going down to Solent on Saturday that we would do the job with a win and could celebrate on Sunday, but even though we did win on Saturday, we still wanted to maintain our good home record which we're very proud of.

"Even though the game itself didn't mean that much we still wanted to win it and end on a high.

"But we've got the League Cup final this weekend. Last time we played Romford in the league we beat them 8-1. They're our local rivals and they won't want that to happen again.

"They are always feisty affairs so it'll be a good game."

With the title now secured and being favourites to add the play-off crown to their trophy haul, Clarke is already hoping to build on this success next year.

"We always want to remain at the top," he added. "There's three tiers in ice hockey, with the Elite League and the EPL above us.

"They are all based on higher crowds, based on the size of the arenas if nothing else, and the wages they can offer is a lot higher, so for us to step it up another notch is very difficult.

"We have to live within our means and make sure that whatever league we are in we can compete at the top.

"Going forward, I see us playing in the same league next year and hopefully we'll be playing for all pieces of silverware again.

"What I'm proud of more than anything is that I'm pretty confident that our wage bill is only the third or fourth highest in the league, that in itself is a very good achievement.

"But more importantly a lot – I'd say probably 60 per cent - of our players are local lads.

"They're Chelmsford through and through, they came through the development system and now they're playing senior hockey for the club.

"It's always the aim to try and keep as many of the local guys on the ice at Riverside as possible."

THERE was celebration among campaigners as plans for a Tesco Express in Wantz Road, Maldon, were rejected by councillors.

The decision to refuse the proposal to transform The Cups pub into a mini supermarket followed months of protests by residents who argued it would take business from the high street, and threaten safety on the narrow roads.

Speaking in opposition to the plans at the district central planning committee meeting on March 20, resident Bob Wyness said: "This is not about a convenience store, it is about the safety and quality of life of local people.

"There will be a substantial loss of amenity to residents and the additional cars attracted by a second shop at this junction will cause absolute chaos.

"This shop will not bring new trade to the town. It will draw trade from existing shops and if the Costcutter closes we lose our post office too.

"The increased traffic and parking will also exacerbate the danger to the many young and infirm people who cross the road here."

District councillors at the meeting agreed with many of the arguments, and spoke of the "stress and worry" residents had gone through as they waited for a decision.

Leading the debate, Councillor Stephen Savage said: "We can't allow 7.5-tonne vehicles to drive along that road, it would be a traffic offence.

"I'm wider than parts of it so how can you get a large lorry down there?"

Councillor Mark Heard added: "We have had 55 letters of objection to this and I can understand why.

"There is clearly going to be a problem with noise and the proposals for a 10m fence to be built."

Turning to the filled seats in the council offices Cllr Pearlman added: "I remember the town council meeting last year when everybody showed up to fight this, there was standing room only.

"Now these poor people have had to go through all that stress and worry again, we need to make a decision and vote on this now."

In a recorded vote the rejection was almost unanimous, with just one abstention from Cllr Cain.

"The design is contrived and cramped on the site. It's just not an application that constitutes good planning," added county councillor Penny Channer, who attended in a non-voting capacity.

The decision was met with a round of applause from campaigners who had attended the meeting at Maldon District Council offices.

When asked if it would appeal the decision or provide a comment on the council's decision, Tesco did not respond to the Chronicle.

A CHURCH in Braintree was the focus of a white wedding with a difference.

St Michael's Church in Braintree was the setting for the marriage of Bibiana and Sam Bajoba, both 26, whose families are from Nigeria.

The couple arranged to be wed at St Michael's Anglican church in Braintree by the Reverend Charles Mason, before having a reception at The Fennes country house in Bocking.

But what made it unusual was the presence of the BBC, filming for a series called A Very British Wedding, which highlights the variety of multicultural weddings that take place in British society today.

Revd. Mason said: "Sam and Bibi realised that they couldn't have their reception at The Fenns and get married at their church in London – that was going to be much too far. Then they realised that finding a church wasn't like picking a restaurant."

But despite going against convention, Revd. Mason agreed to marry the couple, who live in east London, on the condition that they travelled to worship at St Michael's for at least six months.

Only then was he informed about the film crew who would be attending.

"We were committed to the wedding before we were committed to the filming," he laughed.

"It took up a lot of my time, but it was enjoyable. It was very interesting because we have all probably seen things like that happening in other countries, like when the Queen visits, but to have it in your own quite traditional church, where everybody is joining in and dancing in the pews, it is very natural to them but quite strange to us."

Sam and Bibi's wedding took place in July last year, and while Bibi, a dentist, wore a traditional white wedding gown, guests donned traditional Nigerian dress and the service featured some of their Pentecostal-style worship.

"As an experience it was very refreshing, and I hope that what came across in the film was that we sought to accommodate them," added Revd. Mason, who has since wed another couple in a similar Pentecostal fashion.

Episode Two of A Very British Wedding is available to view on BBC iPlayer until April 9.

JUDGING by the sub-zero weather, "ice-pick" might have been a better way to describe Sunday's successful village pick, Our Pride at Stake 2013.

More than 180 volunteers, including Brentwood & Ongar MP Eric Pickles picked their way through snow-filled ditches and verges, tidying up the village.

In less than three hours they cleared the parish of Moreton, Bobbingworth and the Lavers just in time for the Easter weekend.

Volunteers assembled at Moreton Primary School and split into teams to collect litter dropped along roads around Bovinger, Bobbingworth, The Lavers, Moreton and towards Fyfield and Ongar.

Thanking helpers after the event, Bobbingworth parish councillor Colin Thompson said: "The challenge was to ask ourselves, 'Are we content to live in an environment littered with rubbish dumped by passers-by?'

"Despite the weather, people have embraced the task and reached our goals. This wasn't just about physically picking up litter, but about leaving a legacy for the future," he said.

The turnout worked out to be roughly one in every five parish residents.

Also at Our Pride at Stake were children of Moreton Primary School who used the event as an opportunity to study the environment.

A fish tank, a pool table, two steam irons, a TV, cooker, fridge and tennis balls were among the items picked up en-route.

GREAT DUNMOW driver Alex Lynn enjoyed a fine start to the FIA Formula Three Championship by finishing third in the final race at a wet Monza.

The 19-year-old, a race winner in British F3 last season, started from third on the grid and kept his head on a streaming wet track. Conditions were almost impossible to race in and, after a spate of mid-race accidents, the safety car appeared.

With the rain increasing in intensity, it was stopped because conditions were too dangerous.

"My team-mate Raffaele Marciello, who was leading, had the advantage of being able to see. Pascal Wehrlein behind him, was pushing hard because it was his last F3 race before he goes to race in the DTM," said Lynn.

"I was trying my best just to keep on the track and not take any stupid risks. It's nice to get on the podium after a race like that."

Qualifying on Friday was dry, and Lynn was able to take seventh on the grid for race one, fifth for race two and third for race three, in his Mercedes powered Prema Powerteam Dallara.

"We had a bit of bad luck with traffic in the first qualifying session, which sets the grid for races one and two," he said, "and that's a shame because we've been on the pace since we got here for testing. But in the second session, I got a reasonable slipstream from someone.

"I did an even better lap but didn't get a tow. If I'd been able to benefit from that I reckon I'd have got pole."

Unfortunately, Lynn had nowhere to go at the first chicane on the opening lap of Saturday's race.

He finished the first lap down in 14th place, but a charging drive brought him back into the top ten, points paying positions, and he made further progress to finish eighth with some great overtaking manoeuvres.

In the first of Sunday's wet races, Lynn moved up to fourth place but dropped to seventh after going straight on at a chicane. He made it back up to sixth when Will Buller made a mistake, but the race finished under the safety car, preventing him from making any more progress.

"I scored points and it was just a case of survival," he said. "I would like to have finished higher but there wasn't much more that I could do."

Nevertheless, Lynn was one of the few drivers to score points in all three races of the opening round, giving him a good start to the season. I've picked up points in every race and, although I would have preferred the results to be even better, I can't complain. It was really difficult to drive in those two races on Sunday; the amount of water was incredible."

Lynn is now looking forward to the second round, which takes place at Silverstone, scene of his British F3 win last season, in support of the World Endurance Championship on April 12-14.

"At Silverstone we should have strong pace," he said. "Prema's car is really good and I can't wait to get out there."

A WOUNDED and scorched chef crawled through the rubble of Chelmsford Rugby Club's kitchen on Saturday following a gas explosion.

While cooking a roast for the club's vice presidents' lunch, Alan Thornton, 61, was unscrewing a propane gas cylinder when it malfunctioned.

The air pressure forced the valve to unwind furiously before it launched and struck him in the head.

Only half-conscious, he screwed the valve back on, but the gas that had escaped caused a huge explosion, forcing the evacuation of 40 guests.

"The room fell in and we were trapped – we couldn't get out at first," he told the Chronicle.

"It was sheer panic, my arm was alight and my hair was alight.

"The other guy with me was scrambling around."

Mr Thornton, executive chef at Waller's Catering, escaped to safety with a younger assistant left with minor injuries.

Despite ongoing pain from his burns, Mr Thornton returned to his Rochford-based office on Monday.

"My mum just about recognises me," he explained.

"I've had big patches on to cool the body down so I don't go into shock and to stop my skin falling off.

"The skin is off my arms and my nose is smashed-in."

The former Chelmsford resident counts himself lucky to be alive and said he would have perished along with the club if he had not squeezed the valve back on.

"I don't know how I did it – otherwise the club would not be here today," he said.

The lunch, held on Saturday afternoon, initially expected 60 guests to watch Chelmsford face Lowestoft and Yarmouth's XV, yet only 40 showed up to the Timsons Lane clubhouse after snow forced the game's cancellation.

If the game had gone ahead, the teams may have been gathering in the changing rooms below the kitchen during the explosion.

Fire crews were called at 1.08pm after panicked guests were evacuated in seconds.

Fire-fighters, complete with thermal-image cameras, then spent nearly an hour cooling the three cylinders in the kitchen.

Two people were treated for slight injuries, but Mr Thornton was the only person taken to hospital.

Club president Andy Green, 61, was on the building's balcony when its windows blew out.

He said the walls shook and added: "The person next to me said, "what was that? A bomb?' "

He also said it was amazing there were not more injuries.

"All I can say is it was just luck," he said.

Following an emergency meeting on Sunday, club chairman Malcolm Davies said: "People are very shocked."

"The club was funded partly by charity events.

"It's hard to see some of that work undone," said Mr Davies.

"We are a tight-knit club and we are very proud of what was raised.

"It obviously knocks you back.

"But we are a resilient club and I'm sure we can get it back on a working basis."

Mr Green added: "We don't get stopped, we will be back in style for the new season – don't you worry."

SPRING is here, (though it may not feel like it) and gardeners and food lovers who want to enjoy a feast of fruit and veg in the summer need to brave the wet and the cold and start work now.

Ian LeGros, Hyde Hall curator, gives us his tips for what to do in the garden in March.

1. Strawberries: Wimbledon and Pimm's may seem like a very long way away but believe it or not March is a really crucial time for those who want to enjoy strawberries in the summer. Normally you have to wait a year to get a crop, but by buying '60 day' plants that have been kept refrigerated you can get a crop as quickly as, well, 60 days.  After cropping the plants can be left to crorp for another few years.

2. Gardeners who have planned ahead can gather Parsnips, leeks, spring onions, sprouting broccoli and kale are all at their best. And if you fancy something sweet forced Rhubarb is delicious right about now.  New gardeners can start sowing parsnips now and planting rhubarb for 2014.

3. Apply a nitrogen feed to plums, cherries, cooking apples and pears as they're hungry feeders. This will help fruit swell this year and encourage flower buds for 2014.

4. Give raspberries, blackberries, loganberries and blackcurrants a treat and mulch with well-rotted farmyard manure or garden compost

5. Plant onions, shallots and garlic sets as well as Jerusalem artichoke tubers. Red onion sets are tricky and best planted at the end of the month.

6. Make sure you have a steady supply of potatoes by laying out both early and second early varieties in a light cool place, like an attic or conservatory, and waiting for them to sprout.  Maincrop potatoes are also best sprouted, but the tubers are gathered in early autumn for storage over winter.

7. Spring is a bit late this year so it's not quite time to start sowing new vegetables. You can get the earth ready though by digging it well and covering for a couple of weeks with cloches, clear polythene or fleece to warm it up ready for your seeds.

8. If the weather has been wet avoid walking on your soil as you'll compact it and just create work for yourself later on.  Alternatively by using some planks to work off you can avoid damage.

9. Slugs absolutely love the wet weather we've been having and will be poised and ready to much their way through any new seedlings you may plant out as soon as if the weather gets warm enough. There are all sorts of ways to protect your crops, pick the one that works best for you and get it in place now or you'll be feeding the slugs, not your family.

10. Weeds should start shooting up now and if not tackled, will quickly take over your garden. Little and often is the key to effective weed control so begin now, winkling out dandelions and docks, and hoe off weed seedlings through the summer.

MANAGER Glenn Pennyfather hailed Jamie Slabber after his superb finish earned the Clarets three vital points.

Slabber came off the bench as City struggled to break down an Eastbourne side who looked more than happy to settle for a point – especially after Frankie Raymond was shown a straight red card for a crude challenge on Jack Ainsley.

And City's top scorer had the quality to change the course of the match in the blink of an eye, expertly collecting Joe Whight's ball into the box on his chest and beating a defender at the same time before lashing a left-foot shot past Danny Potter.

It was a moment of class that stood out like a sore thumb in a lacklustre Melbourne Stadium encounter, and Pennyfather was delighted with Slabber's impact.

"Jamie has got that, everybody knows he's probably the best goalscorer in the league," Pennyfather said. "He's the best finisher and I've had the luxury of leaving him on the bench tonight.

"The other two lads [Michael Bakare and Rob Edmans] have played fantastically well in the previous game but Jamie's come off the bench and grabbed the winner.

"That's what Jamie's about, he's a good finisher and I'm pleased for him."

For the second week running, an army of volunteers had battled the elements to get a City game on, this time around 50 turning up, shovels in hand, to clear the pitch of snow.

And although the pitch was playable, it was probably to blame for the Clarets spurning their best two early chances. First Bakare teed up Kyle Vassell but he failed to properly connect, and then Edmans played Bakare in, but he fluffed his lines too when one on one with Potter.

Eastbourne were forced into an early change when Charlie Gorman limped off, but his replacement Elliott Charles was a huge threat, and he almost created a chance just before half-time in moderately controversial circumstances.

Justin Miller gave the ball away to Charles, who fed Simon Johnson on the right. Johnson played the ball down the line towards a clearly offside Jonte Smith.

As Smith ran towards the ball the flag went up, but as Charles hared past his team-mate, the referee waved play on, and Charles' low cross found Raymond at the far post, but Ainsley was able to clear from in front of the post.

Charles saw a deflected shot well saved by Stuart Searle early in the second half, but his side were down to ten men when Raymond leapt into a challenge on Ainsley and the referee had no hesitation in sending him off.

Slabber had replaced a limping Edmans just before the red card, but 16 minutes from time he provided the decisive moment with his fine finish.

Eastbourne's time-wasting unsurprisingly came to an abrupt halt after Slabber's intervention, and Charles teed up Johnson to force Searle's best save of the evening.

The resulting corner caused a touch of panic too, but Searle kept it out and the Clarets held on for the win.

Next up for Pennyfather's men is an Easter double header as they travel to leaders Welling United on Friday before welcoming fellow play-off hopefuls Dover Athletic on Monday.

"They're all tough games," admitted Pennyfather. "But they're not going to come much tougher at the moment than Welling and Dover.

"Jamie Day and his boys have done fantastic at Welling, they're in an excellent position and it looks like they're going to win it.

"You never say never in football, but it's going to be a difficult game. If we've got any chance or we're going to give anybody else any chance, we've got to go there on Friday and get a positive result."

LEOPARDS coach Robert Youngblood has told his team that they must win their three remaining games if they are to stand any chance of home court advantage in the play-offs.

The Big Cats host Brixton Topcats at the Brentwood Centre today (5pm) before there is a double-header the following weekend in the North East.

Youngblood is in no doubt that they need three victories.

He said: "We have three games left and we have to win all three to finish in the top four.

We want home court advantage in the play-offs as we've had some great crowds at Brentwood."

The Leopards had a losing weekend, suffering an 83-81 loss at Bristol Academy Flyers before going down 73-56 at home against Worthing Thunder the following day.

"Against Bristol, I thought we played really hard and refused to lose" said Youngblood. "We didn't give up but unfortunately three bad calls down the stretch cost us the game.

"But against Worthing, we came with no energy."

"We were flat and couldn't make shots. Worthing played really well, and they've won eight in a row now, but it's back to the drawing board for us."

The Big Cats will look for their third victory of the season against the Topcats on Friday having beaten them 77-63 at home in the Trophy and 84-63 on the road in the league.

Leopards are running a camp for six to 16 year olds before the game. See www.leopardsbasketball.co.uk for further details.

In a controversial end to the game, Bristol ended Leopards' four-game winning streak on Saturday.

Simon Cummings, who hit 17 points in each period on the way to leading the Leopards' scoring, drove to the basket in the final five seconds and appeared to be fouled twice, before being called for travelling, to effectively hand the game to Bristol.

That was not even the most controversial moment of the final minute.

Greg Hernandez made a steal with 38 seconds on the clock and he appeared to be fouled on the break at half-court.

Bristol coach Andreas Kapoulas pleaded to the referee to not call an intentional foul and he was called for a travel.

Hernandez finished with 17 points and Rowell Graham added nine for a Leopards team who were without Duane Camile, Jamal Anderson and Taner Adu.

The consolation for Youngblood's team was that his side won the head-to-head decider against the Flyers by a single point which would prove crucial if they finish level at the season's end.

In contrast, there could be no complaints about Sunday's home loss against Thunder as a big crowd at Brentwood saw the visitors lead from tip-to-buzzer, never looking back after scoring the first six points.

Cummings led the way again with 15 points, but needed 20 shots to get them while Graham was the only other Leopard in double figures with ten points and four steals.

After trailing by as many as eight in the opening period, a Youngblood buzzer-beater made it 19-13 at the break.

Things did not noticeably improve in the second period, with Thunder's lead growing to ten midway through the quarter, but Carl Josey's score with 26 seconds on the clock, made it 32-28 at half-time.

Ish Fontaine made it a three-point game with 85 seconds gone, but a 13-2 run put Thunder back in control and they never looked back.

A RUNDOWN hall is at the centre of a new battle between the council and the community.

Accusations of land theft have been hurled at the Tory administration at Brentwood Borough Council after it demanded an unconditional surrender of the lease for Hutton Community Centre.

The dispute also follows a decision by the council to spend £165,000 on renovating the Harrison Close venue with the intention of opening it up to community groups.

However, the former tenant, Hutton Community Association, which has not paid ground rent since March 2012 according to the council, says the council forced it out of a centre that was built by public subscription in the 1970s.

The row has also seen councillors exchange verbal blows in the chamber, with claims of a cover-up resulting in leader Louise McKinlay suspending a public policy, projects and resources meeting.

A heated meeting on Wednesday, March 13, came to an abrupt end after Liberal Democrat leader David Kendall was refused an opportunity to discuss the matter.

Mrs McKinlay said the item did not fit the criteria of "urgent business" as proposed by Mr Kendall.

Conservative councillor Chris Hossack, ward member for Hutton East, accused councillors Kendall and Brentwood First councillor Russell Quirk of using the issue as a political football before Mrs McKinlay departed the chamber.

Hutton Community Association member Andrea Bowers said instead of being able to draw on the substantial experience and financial clout of the Essex Boys and Girls Clubs the council instead insisted it relinquished the lease to put in its own clubs of choice.

The EBGC is an organisation that supports more than 100 youth clubs across Essex and east London, including Brentwood and Billericay.

Ms Bowers said: "It was our building, we built it, we maintained it. In short the council have stolen it from us. This is land theft."

Brian Partridge, the corporate director of strategy at Brentwood Borough Council, told Andrea in an e-mail on November 2 last year that the council was requesting an unconditional surrender of the lease by November 9.

He wrote: "If this does not occur then the council will take formal action to recover the lease on the basis of the association's failure to keep the building in repair in accordance with its obligations and non-payment of ground rent since March 2012.

"We had hoped to be able to resolve this matter amicably, without the need for formal action, but it now appears that this will not happen and that formal action by the council will be required."

Ms Bowers believes the building has been unfairly taken into the hands of the council.

The existing Hutton Community Centre Association, which closed the centre following lack of funding, told the council they were looking to secure its long-term future but was told no funding was available.

It closed amid infighting between the Brentwood Youth Project and Hutton community representatives claiming a stake in the hall's operation.

The dispute came to a head in February 2009 when, armed with a solicitor's letter, friends and a police escort, former Brentwood Youth Project manager Barry Bowers stormed into the centre and removed thousands of pounds of items, including two plasma TVs, eight sofas, seven coffee tables, ten radiators, bar stools, memorabilia, pictures and carpets.

The Hutton Community Association was formed in the wake of the incident and approached Essex Boys and Girls clubs for support.

Mrs Bowers said: "The council refused to extend the lease of EGBC and said it had plans for the centre itself.

"The Boys and Girls club option would have represented a marvellous opportunity to bring a community facility to the area for lots of different clubs.

"It would have offered funding to secure the future of the building without having to use tax payers' cash.

"We sat down to transfer the lease but the council wasn't looking to hand over. It doesn't work, I feel there are going to be two main groups which will tear the club apart again.

"If you can't take on board mistakes, you are extremely arrogant.

"Primarily this is for the community – it's the residents of Hutton who are going to be losing out here."

LOUISE McKinlay, leader of Brentwood Borough Council, said: "The club became the responsibility of the borough council during local government reorganisation. We want to invest this money to make a community hub for everyone.

"The Hutton Community Association had a lease but they had to surrender that lease because they did not meet the repair criteria and if they are not going to meet the we are going to demand the lease back.

"It is not their club and we are not going to be prepared to have a gun held to our heads over it.

"We had discussions with the Essex Boys and Girls Clubs and what transpired is that the money wasn't actually there.

"Everyone is really passionate about the centre they want to see it being used for the benefit of all, not to have it just sit there in the derelict state that it currently is. As for David Kendall, this has to come back to the relevant panel. It is about following the proper process.

"As for Keith Parker there were no rules broken – it was all done properly. He put a tender in for the work, won it and was awarded the contract."

LIB DEM leader David Kendall said: "When it was proposed that £165,000 should be allocated from the capital programme to refurbish the Hutton Community Centre at the budget setting meeting on February 12, I asked for the matter to be deferred to a committee or panel for a proper discussion by members, so that all the details could be properly considered. My request was turned down by the Tories.

He also raised questions about the successful £12,000 bid from Conservative councillor Keith Parker's firm to erect the fencing around the building.

He added: "The fact that I asked for a deferral did not mean that The Liberal Democrat group was against any investment in the centre. We simply wanted to try and ensure that past mistakes were not repeated and that there were proper checks and balances in place in terms of how the money was spent and how the work was done.

"If £165,000 of the borough council's money is being spent on a community centre then all the members of the borough council had a right to know the relevant points and be given an opportunity to discuss them at a panel and committee meeting."

PLANS by Ongar Town Council to take ownership of the lorry park in Greensted Road have controversially been scrapped.

After months of negotiations costing the taxpayer about £6,000, the deal, under which the town council would have bought the neglected freehold land for £1 from Essex County Council, fell through because of restrictions outlawing development on the site.

According to Gerard McEwen, county councillor for Ongar and Rural, the town council was keen to build on the contaminated former gasworks site to cover the costs of cleaning it up.

Pollution levels apparently only became clear when the town council carried out a survey after they won the bid in April 2012.

Former county council chairman Mr McEwen, who is retiring in May, described the breakdown in negotiations as "a very sad state of affairs".

He added: "They have been negotiating for a very long time and I really hoped they had a deal agreed.

"There was a restriction in place that prevented building on the land and the town council bid for it on that understanding, and it was the same for everyone else too."

Mr McEwen said if the restrictions had been lifted for Ongar Town Council, the situation would have looked like a "carve-up".

The future of the plot, which has been used as an unauthorised rubbish dump and unregulated car park for more than 30 years, remains uncertain.

Former town councillor Bob McDonald, of The Spinney in Ongar, who has been campaigning for the lorry park to be landscaped and incorporated into the Cripsey Brook Nature Reserve, said he was "disappointed but not surprised" at the announcement.

He added: "I think it's a disgrace on both the town council and county council's parts and all I hope now is that Essex County Cou ncil take up their responsibilities and do something to tidy that site up."

Ongar town clerk Aimi Middlehurst said that "great care" had been taken to ensure "all avenues were thoroughly explored", but the clean-up costs would have had to be passed onto residents through taxation.

She added: "This decision was taken by the council due to the excessive cost of the necessary improvements to the site.

"Essex County Council insisted on restrictions that would limit the council's ability to raise funds towards the essential improvements.

"With the limited grant funding available for this type of project, it was agreed that this was not financially viable and the town council was unwilling to burden the residents of Ongar with large ongoing council tax increases.

"The town council will continue to liaise with the county council and Epping Forest District Council to try and preserve the site for parking to support local businesses and residents in the area".