As a result of parental appeals, the Schools Adjudicator has announced that over-subscribed Southfield Park Primary School is to start admitting 60 pupils per year instead of 30, starting from September 2009. There will also be a formal catchment area, limited mainly to Clarendon Park and Livingstone Park, plus a few roads adjacent to the school gates. Extraordinarily, within that catchment area, pupils living FURTHEST from the school will get priority over those living nearer!
A recent expert report considered by Epsom & Ewell councillors claims that the prospects for successful local businesses in Epsom town centre are being harmed by "street clutter". This includes unnecessary posts, over-large road signs and especially broken and disused lamp posts etc.
Figures quoted at the June meeting of Surrey County Council by the Executive Member for Transport, in reply to a Lib Dem question, show that Epsom & Ewell now has by far the worst pavements in Surrey.
The ruling Residents' Party is determined only to match funds raised by the business community despite RA councillors having agreed in a private meeting early in 2008 that the borough council could spend up to £10,000.
Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council have called on the Council to respond much more quickly to enquiries and complaints, following a report highlighting failures in responding to residents in a satisfactory time scale.
The financial out-turn for 2006/7 was revealed at the Transport Select Committee recently. All County Councillors know that the poor state of Surrey's roads is the number one bone of contention for local residents. So the members of the committee were stunned to be told that last year was the third year in succession when the budget was under-spent by the Tory executive, this time by £5.2 million!
The Family First service, which helps prevent young people having to go into care, is under threat as Surrey County Council pulls its funding from this project. The service, which is a partnership between the County Council and the children's charity NCH, helps young people who have been excluded from school or who have problems at home.
John Doran, Lib Dem spokesman on Transport, last week proposed a motion calling for more urgency in the development of the Transport Co-ordination Centre (TCC). In October 2004 the Executive of the Council had endorsed the proposal to set up a TCC, which was backed by all parties because it was claimed that there could be a 10% saving on a budget of £45 million.
The Conservatives running Surrey County Council have thrown out Liberal Democrat proposals to increase public involvement in its affairs by agreeing in principle to the webcasting of meetings. They also vetoed proposals to permit members of the public to address meetings of the full Council.
At the recent County Council meeting the majority Conservative group used a report on procedure to remove the right of Opposition groups to introduce motions for debate, without getting their permission first. Until now minority groups have had the right to introduce motions on any issues of concern and have them debated at the time. Now all decisions on whether to debate any motion have been put in the hands of the Tory majority.
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