Epsom Liberal Democrats are campaigning to stop waste from other boroughs being brought to the transfer station in Blenheim Road. They have asked SITA (the waste company employed by Surrey County Council) to find a different route for the huge Britaniacrest lorries to use instead of Hook Road and Epsom town centre.
When Liberal Democrat councillors proposed that local residents should be permitted to ask questions at meetings of the whole council, they were voted down.
Lib Dem councillors in Epsom are delighted that the council has agreed to upgrade leisure facilities in the Epsom area. A meeting of the Leisure Committee on 29th January agreed to spend £40,000 repairing and renewing tennis courts and boundary fencing at Alexandra and Court Recreation Grounds, £48,000 on a new hard-surface 5-a-side pitch also at Alexandra and £100,000 on a new playground in Rosebery Park.
The Council ran two "workshops" on 19th January to discuss the Upper High Street development area. They received such an encouraging response that the doors had to be closed at the 3.00 pm session. Those who couldn't get in were asked to attend the evening meeting instead. This too was packed out, with standing room only. Cllr Julie Morris, a member of the Council's working party that set up this event said "The turn-out was really tremendous. The Council should learn from this and in future automatically arrange similar events for all major development sites in Epsom and Ewell".
The extent of domestic waste from outside the Borough being brought to Epsom's waste site has outraged Town ward councillors. Figures for the last 9 months show that for every 100 tonnes of local waste, another 160 tonnes is added from other parts of Surrey. Lib Dem Cllr Julie Morris is horrified that over 60% of the Juggernauts and Dust-carts coming down Hook Road to the refuse site on Blenheim Road are not necessary for handling local waste. "Why should Epsom's narrow residential roads suffer from extra lorries bringing waste from Tandridge, Reigate & Banstead, Mole Valley and Elmbridge?" she asked.
Epsom & Ewell Liberal Democrats arranged a public meeting on the subject of the development proposals for Dame Annis Barn and 18 Burgh Heath Road. The meeting took place on Tuesday 23rd January at 7.30 at the Phoenix Club in Depot Road
It appears that Lib Dem pressure to make the Tory administration think twice before they propose any further cuts to bus services in the County, may be bearing fruit. No further cuts have been made to bus services and Transport Consultative Groups have been set up. The Conservative administration was persuaded that the review of public transport taking place after the drastic cuts made last year should be widened to include all transport provided within Surrey, and the Task Group is soon to announce the findings.
Surrey County Council did not reply to the government's recent consultation on school transport. Despite the Liberal Democrat motion to Council (see "Liberal Democrats Speak Up for School Transport" 11th June 2004) noting that a response should be given by June 25th, the matter was instead referred to the Executive and hence missed the deadline.
The lack of youth workers has contributed to the failure to deliver the expected services for our young people. Added to this, Connexions, a new service for young people, after a year of operations has also failed to be a visible service.
The Lib Dem group proposed a motion at the County Council meeting on 15th June to urge the Government to retain free school transport. However, the Conservative administration at County Hall refused to debate the subject in time to respond to the Government's consultation's deadline of 25th June.
The Liberal Democrat group have called on Surrey County Council's Conservative administration to allow Local Committees to run their own local Youth Services. The Lib Dems are also demanding an explanation about the budget for the Youth Service this year.
Liberal Democrats are calling on Surrey County Council to oppose government plans to remove free school transport for children in Surrey. The Government is currently consulting Councils across the country about their plans to introduce new legislation for school transport. Liberal Democrats are concerned that the removal of free transport would be a financial blow to many families and would worsen Surrey's traffic congestion problem.
