About LRA

A voice for Loughton
LRA was formed because residents felt that the local government process did not consult with the people living in Loughton. LRA pioneered the demand for openness in local government and strove to get hold of the information necessary to make decisions. To do this, we decided to field local councillors on all tiers of government.

Who we are and the Executive Committee

Why we have Cllrs!
The simple answer is “to try to look after Loughton”. A lot of Council work goes on behind the scenes, and our Cllrs can have an effect from the early stages of proposed changes onwards; they also work hard on problems raised by individual residents (as those of you who get our regular email news bulletins will know). LRA Cllrs are able to access information about local issues and act as a voice for Loughton in the council chamber. See LRA’s aims and objectives.

We have a majority of seats on the Town Council, which quietly gets on with a range of services in the town, from children’s playgrounds to the hanging baskets on the lamp-posts to advising on planning & licensing applications.

We are the second largest group on the District Council, which decides on planning & licensing applications and looks after council housing, refuse collection, street-cleaning, community safety, and much more.

We are not “the Opposition” to the majority Conservative party. We are Independent and non-political and if the majority party are getting things right we are very happy to support them. Equally we will fight long and hard to change proposals with which we disagree.

When it comes to voting, although the LRA Groups try to present a united front, we have a tradition of voting according to our consciences and what we consider to be in the best interests of Loughton. LRA doesn’t mandate its councillors to vote one way or the other.

We also hold a seat on the County Council.

Making a difference - can you help us?
Have you thought of standing as an LRA Cllr on the Town or District Councils? Inevitably, some of our Cllrs move on elsewhere, or want to stand down for health or age reasons.

So if you care about your town, then please think about joining our teams on the Town Council or District Council next May. To find out more, without commitment, just ring LRA Cllr Chris Pond on 020 8508 2361 or email contact@loughtonresidents.co.uk

Training is provided and you would be part of a strong and experienced group.

Consulting residents
We used to hold a monthly open forum at the Farmers Market, where local people could express their views, give us information and raise issues with councillors and committee members – we intend to re-start the markets as soon as we can. In the meantime you can contact us at contact@LoughtonResidents.co.uk, or get in touch with one of your local Cllrs (we publish the names and contact details of our councillors and other committee members on this website and in our newsletter, Loughton Life.

When planning and licensing applications are made to the District Council, those applications affecting Loughton are reviewed by the LRA Plans Group (LRAPG). The LRAPG is a group of your LRA volunteers.

LRAPG acts separately from LRA Cllrs in relation to planning and licensing proposals because LRA Cllrs have to take planning and licensing decisions solely on the basis of the evidence presented at planning committee meetings. However, when a contentious proposal becomes a formal application to the District Council, your councillors will ask searching questions and, where appropriate, the LRAPG will ask residents for their views. More

Bringing people together
We want to unite the community rather than divide it.

We feel that national political parties are divisive at the local level. If LRA is opposed to an issue or development, it is our policy to offer sensible alternatives, and we strive to turn active proposals into reality.

How LRA handles contentious issues. More

More on LRA
Background - the early days
Our Loughton Life newsletters and Loughton News emails

We also maintain links with other organisations, and work with them on specific issues. Among them:

Buckhurst Hill Residents Society
CPREssex
Hills Amenity Society
Loughton & District Historical Society
London Green Belt Council
National Organisation of Residents Organisations
Theydon Bois Action Group