In the return of his regular column, the chairman of Maldon District Council, Councillor Mark Heard, reflects on the results of the Wickham Bishops and Woodham by-election, which saw the Conservatives gain a seat on the council.

Hello again.

I paused writing this column because of legal restrictions during the pre-election period but now the elections are over, I am delighted to be back again to keep you updated with the chairman's news from and about the district council.

The council staff did a fantastic job organising the election and the count, which also included a by-election for a Maldon town councillor.

Following the results last Thursday, we have a new district member - Conservative candidate Simon Morgan - who was duly elected as the new member for Wickham Bishops and Woodham, having beaten three other candidates.

Councillor Morgan takes over the seat from Karl Jarvis following his resignation in January. Karl was a former Conservative but later a non-aligned Independent councillor.

I offer my warmest congratulations to Councillor Morgan for his successful campaign and welcome him to the district. The current make-up of the council is 16 Independent councillors (five of which are non-aligned), and 14 Conservative councillors (three of which are non-aligned) - plus one vacant seat.

We will be holding our first district planning meeting for all members on Thursday, 3 March and a full council meeting on Thursday, 31 March. We will continue to livestream the council meetings, which have been very popular.

I would also like to highlight the work undertaken by the council because of the recent storms Eunice and Franklin.

On Friday, 18 February a red weather warning was issued covering the Maldon district. Officers immediately updated our business continuity plans to reflect the increased risk, contacted staff and key partners and made operational decisions such as closing cemeteries and the council offices for the day.

Throughout the storms our website and social media channels were updated giving the public up-to-date advice and information.

During the period covering 18, 19 and 20 February, officers responded to calls for help - either responding directly or working with other appropriate agencies.

Several visits were made to properties by our building control team investigating dangerous structures.

Our parks team dealt with fallen trees in parks and cemeteries, collapsed fences, walls, flood risk and damage to the Burnham town pontoon.

The council also gave assistance to residents without power.

Working in partnership with Essex County Council's emergency planning team and UK Power Networks, our community engagement team made home visits to check on vulnerable persons.

In one specific case, officers helped a care home to become reconnected to the power supply through reporting and highlighting concerns for residents.

I am pleased that the council was able to respond to this emergency and I would like to thank those involved in the response who once again came together at short notice as one team to respond.

Councillor Mark S. Heard