Profile avatar
mattleejourno.bsky.social
Award-winning journalist for EssexLive | Asker of "funny questions" - press officer | Ipswich Town ST holder | Views my own | Got a story? DMs open
51 posts 862 followers 159 following
Prolific Poster
Conversation Starter

Absolutely heart-breaking. He was moved by the council to a care home 40 minutes away because it was 'a cheaper option when his needs changed'

Essex county councillors are discussing the possibility of postponing May's local elections and local government reform. You can follow it live here πŸ‘‡

The Times is reporting that 9m+ people could lose the chance to vote in local elections this year. Clacton MP Nigel Farage was very clear when I asked him whether votes in #Essex should go ahead in May πŸ‘‡

Rolling countryside, beautiful villages and (many) highly-recommended eateries. It's easy to see why #Uttlesford is such a popular place to live

Breaking: Two teenagers are among three arrested after the death of a woman on Christmas Eve

The emergency department, acute medical unit and medical wards at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford have had visitor access restricted πŸ‘‡

πŸ‘‹ I'm back! After a wonderful Christmas break, I'm back covering the Essex news beat again. I'm on the NYE/NYD shifts onwards so if you've got any stories feel free to send them my way! πŸ“ž 07553 968061 (WhatsApp) πŸ“§ [email protected] πŸ”’ [email protected]

Breaking: A football hooligan who was involved in 'tragedy' chanting has been named as a serving Essex Police officer. He has been banned from attending football matches for three years.

It seems as though there has been a worrying number of fatal crashes in Essex in recent days and weeks. Tragically a young man became the latest to die on Essex's roads before Christmas with a crash overnight πŸ‘‡

A woman arrested on suspicion of murder remains in custody

The shoplifter tried to get away but was chased down by the volunteer cop in #Southend

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch is making a visit to Essex today. Presumably it won't be a trip for lunch.

Essex's top police officer has warned that around 200 police officers could be cut due to a shortfall in finances

Nigel Farage to Alastair Campbell about Brexit: You are the worst sore loser Also Nigel Farage:

Exclusive: An elderly woman, 90, was made to wait 24 hours for an ambulance as she 'screamed in agony' after breaking her leg. Her son feared she might die from the pain due to the wait www.essexlive.news/news/essex-n...

Farleigh Hospice faces an extra Β£250k cost and it's Chief Executive has warned the Budget puts "a greater squeeze" on their finances

I love visiting new places to eat across Essex and the Phabulous CafΓ© is somewhere I'll definitely be returning to

It's been a busy November for the courts in Essex. Here's a round-up of some of those who passed through πŸ‘‡

A reminder of what Kemi Badenoch said just a few years ago... "It is always a positive thing to see engagement in politics but we run the country based on elections and not petitions..." www.saffronwaldenreporter.co.uk/news/2188696...

Currently sat on a bus and overheard a brilliant evaluation of recent UK Prime Ministers by two young people. There was Boris Johnson who was "told off for going to a party" and then Liz Truss, aka "the woman who didn't stay very long"

A big development in the ongoing Chelmsford murder probe emerged today. It was heard in court that the police's main suspect has fled to Turkey. More here πŸ‘‡

Police continue to question a man on suspicion of murder in #Chelmsford

An adventurous St Bernard had to be rescued by firefighters after deciding the roof was the perfect place to hang out while his owners were out. A crew from Corringham in Essex used a ladder and some tasty treats to persuade the pooch back through the window he escaped from. (πŸ“Έ: ECFRS)

New: A murder probe has been launched in Chelmsford. Full story here πŸ‘‡ www.essexlive.news/news/essex-n...

Exclusive: A woman who killed her own parents 'for gain' and then lived alongside their bodies for four years received more than Β£12k in legal aid. A judge said she took almost Β£136k worth of her parents' pension payments. More here πŸ‘‡

Snowfall makes for some beautiful images, but it’s hard not to think of those sleeping rough and how difficult it must be. Wherever you live, use StreetLink to alert your local council to someone that you are concerned is rough sleeping πŸ‘‡ www.streetlink.org.uk

The Tories have picked Brentwood and Ongar MP Alex Burghart to stand in for Kemi Badenoch at PMQs this week

BREAKING: The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex has had to cancel a public meeting in Chelmsford "in the interests of public safety". It comes after days of criticism of Essex Police. Full statement here πŸ‘‡

A few more ITFC fans are making the switch across, so I made a starter pack for anyone trying to find some fellow Blues go.bsky.app/RW3HJgM

Plenty more names added to this in last day or so for anyone interested…

People of Bluesky. Let's get to know each other better. What is your favourite movie? Quote share your answer only in GIF form

A very good way to find some people from Essex pretty quickly. Very helpful of @essexuk.bsky.social to sort πŸ‘‡

Great to see that staff at Langham Oaks near Colchester have been recognised by Ofsted for turning things around for their pupils πŸ‘‡ www.essexlive.news/news/essex-n...

A teenage boy is in a life-threatening condition after being stabbed in #Ilford. It's thought the boy, 17, was on a bus at the time of the stabbing. www.essexlive.news/news/essex-n...

The new station is on track to open by the end of 2025

New: A murder probe is underway after a woman from Corby was found in the boot of a vehicle in Ilford

A set of 24 purpose-built homes will be built not far from #Chelmsford to support homeless people in the county More here πŸ‘‡

A pretty brutal takedown of the MP for Clacton by the Prime Minister just a few days after this story was published in the aftermath of the US election 😬

Really intrigued by what people are looking for from local journalists (like me) over here. Do you want just news or occasional personal life bits, too? Videos rather than links? Open to any and every suggestion! πŸ‘‡