Epsom & Ewell
Liberal Democrats

Your Monthly update from your LibDem Borough Councillors - covering March 2022

1 Apr 2022

Dear friends, we trust you and your families and friends are staying healthy as COVID continues to spread. Although, for those not too elderly or vulnerable, the current strain "just" seems to mainly cause a long flu-like illness, it is still extremely unpleasant and so we encourage safe behaviour (and see the county article below about the government's ending of free Lateral Flow Tests (LFTs).

In the meantime, here is our update on developments during March.

Borough updates:

  • One of the council committees received an update from the Epsom & St Helier Trust on their current work levels and plans for their new buildings. You can see the slides here.
  • At the monthly Planning Committee meeting, the planned block of flats on the corner of Kiln Lane and East Street was rejected. Approval was given for 3 large houses on back gardens between Links Road and Higher Green, despite extremely strong local opposition.
  • The Community & Wellbeing Committee approved a plan to introduce Heritage Tours in the summer (building on a Motion to Council from Julie and David last year).
  • That committee also received an update on the Afghan refugee scheme and helping the homeless in the Borough. Details can be read on the council website here.
  • The Council will also be working with the Lawn Tennis Association to see if a grant from the latter can be used to improve all the council's tennis courts. This is early days but any improvement may be coupled with a more rigorous booking and payment scheme.
  • The Allotments Forum met last week. Occupancy rates are very high and the waiting list is very long. Contact Julie for more information.
  • There was a victory for the community at the Strategy & Resources Committee when it was unanimously agreed to grant Epsom Wells Community Association a long lease over the Wells Centre. The ruling RA party had previously tried to knock the building down and develop a large block of flats on the land, but this faced strong local opposition and cross-party opposition.
  • The same meeting also agreed to grant an exclusive catering and hospitality contract at Ewell Court House to the same company that runs the catering at Nonsuch Park. It was interesting that no other bids were received.
  • A reminder about that CIL scheme that was used for resurfacing Rifle Butts Lane. Applications for the new round of funding is now open with details here. The closing date for all applications is 31 May 2022. Contact Julie or David if you have a scheme you'd like us to support.
  • A working group has been convened to look at changes to the Council's Constitution. One thing Julie and David would like to see changed is to make it easier for residents to ask questions at committee meetings.

County and other local news:

  • As the government withdraws the automatic right to free LFTs, the LibDem group at Surrey County Council (SCC) got a motion approved to find ways of tackling the worst consequences of this.
  • Ofsted have published their latest inspection report into SCC's children's services and rated the Council's service as one that 'requires improvement to be good'.
  • The county's next round of possible changes to parking can be found here. At the meeting (full details here)there was concern that many decisions of the Local Committee currently taken in public are due to be taken behind closed doors in future. The political administration at SCC is responsible for these changes.
  • A reminder of the roadworks on Headley Road to provide the entrance for the new car park for the Woodland Trust site on the Downs.
  • The fiasco around the Chalk Pitt rumbles on, with difficulties even in arranging meetings for all interested parties to thrash out the next steps.

National issues:

  • Some things never change. Johnson's absurd and distasteful comments comparing the war in Ukraine to Brexit was a useful reminder of the lack of quality of our national leadership.
  • This is echoed by the disparity between the openness and charity of tens of thousands of UK residents offering to take in Ukrainian refugees, with the pathetic, painful and ponderous process the Home Office is taking over visas. Unlike EU countries who have simply waived the whole visa process.
  • You have all probably digested the unattractive and unhelpful nature of the Spring Financial Statement by now. You can read the LibDem response here while the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies analysis is here.

Julie and David

Friday 1 April 2022

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