Tourism SE Offers a Boost to Local Economy

Increasing tourism in Epsom and Ewell, both of which have considerable history and interest, gives a boost to trade and helps to sustain a thriving economy.

When the ruling RA group voted NOT to join Tourism SE, Cllr Anna Jones decided to take matters into her own hands. She says "In April I put forward a Motion to Epsom and Ewell Borough council asking them to become a member of VisitSurrey and Tourism SouthEast. This would have cost £1450 and provided the Borough with expertise, marketing skills and PR contacts as well as being featured on the VisitEngland website. We need to do this so we can promote our fabulous borough to the rest of the country and people coming from overseas. We need to be getting ready for the 2012 visitors. They won't know we exist if we don't tell them! Visitors to the area provide the revenue that sustains businesses that provide jobs."

The Motion asked the borough council to support the hotels, restaurants, taxi companies and other traders that need customers. The ruling RA group said the council could not afford the cost - but they had previously voted to continue to lock public parks in Ewell on a daily basis, at a cost of some £20,000 pa. The Lib Dems are inviting businesses to contribute to the membership, say at £100 each and would need only 15 to make progress.

Cllr Jones concluded "I have come to realise that not only is the RA council making shocking decisions on big spending issues, they are also making daft decisions on small spending issues that could have a big impact on the local economy."