Your Monthly update from your LibDem Borough Councillors - covering August & September 2022

Dear friends, after our break for August, here is our update on local and "not so local but still relevant or interesting" developments covering August and September.

Council & Borough updates:

• The planned August break from Council meetings continued for much of September as part of the National Mourning. Where meetings were cancelled Julie and David still sent in their queries on the papers to the officers.
• One Planning Committee meeting was held on 1^st September, to discuss a plan to build student accommodation on the site of Green Gables, Ashley Road. The matter was deferred to enable some Members to have a site visit, even though it can be clearly seen from the public road!
• The meeting was recorded as part of a piece by BBC News at Six, even though the Committee was not warned of this. The journalist, Mark Easton, concluded his piece by saying that he had asked to speak to a Councillor but none were available. This was news to David since no-one had asked him, it seems the Officers and Chair had decided unilaterally to limit any discussion with the media.
• On 16^th September the Council sent a further letter to residents about the Chalk Pit, which you can read here. Despite everyone near the site complaining about the noise and pollution, the Council's officers don't consider the level of disruption meets the threshold of "statutuory nuisance". Residents are encouraged to continue to report the noise and dust via chalkpit@epsom-ewell.gov.uk as well as to the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60
• The Strategy & Resource Committee meeting on 28^th September was meant to discuss a proposal for a Compulsory Purchase Order on the disused Horton Cemetery - with the Officers recommending that no such action should be taken. However, there were some serious concerns with the information being provided to the Committee and so the matter was deferred to a later date.
• Julie and David's bids to use some of the Community Infrastructure Levy funds to improve the signage in all the allotments has got through the first stage. The process is long-winded but we are confident that we will succeed, as we did for Rifle Butts Alley. The aim is to have the new notice boards installed by the end of the year.
• The roll-out of 14 Memorial benches across the Borough to recognise those lost from COVID has started.
• Julie and David continue to try and the Climate Emergency at the centre of the Council's decisions, but there is still limited action. For example, new boilers have been approved for the Sefton Road Community Centre, but when David asked about making improvements in insulation, this did not seem to be a priority. Further, there seem to be more "working party" meetings to discuss the exciting matter of the Council's Constitution than there are on the more pressing matter of Climate.
• If you want to help improve the operations of the Council, please consider standing at the next elections in May 2023 - contact Julie or David for more information and to see how you can "make a difference".

County and other local news:

• The various local Surrey LibDem parties are gearing up to resist the Tory's plans to force through fracking. There could be 16 sites earmarked for development. Goodbye countryside, hello more green-house gas emissions.
• The County wants to appoint a new Conservative Cabinet Minister for Finance who has a worrying record in her previous role running Woking Borough Council. Her fellow- Conservative Minister Kemi Badenoch described her approach while managing Woking's finances as falling within the scope of "excessive risk", "disproportionate debt" and were a result of pursuing "novel and risky investments". The LibDems on the County Council are resisting this appointment.
• Many of you are fed-up with the process to get parking restrictions reviewed or amended. David recently raised this issue with the relevant RA County Councillor who while agreeing that it was not good, simply said that this was the process so we have to live with it. This is not good enough, your elected representatives should be working to improve how decisions are made, not just accepting structures as they find them.

National issues:

• We think you have probably had enough of the Kamikwasi "mini-budget" and Liz Truss's local radio interviews so we won't depress you further this month.
• Just one piece of good news…the National Trust think we may have a wonderful autumn colours this year.

Our monthly podcast recommendation:

With the ongoing cost of living crisis, some of you might find The Big Green Money Show from Radio 5 of interest.

Have a good weekend, stay warm!

Julie and David

Saturday 1^st October 2022

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