It's Official - Epsom and Ewell have the Worst Roads in Surrey
A survey conducted by the county council of principal roads puts our borough at the top of the list for road defects.
18 Nov 2006
News
Epsom and Ewell News
Let's Fight Together
Epsom & Ewell Lib Dems have called for a unified approach toward the future of Epsom General Hospital. They have invited all local political parties and interested organisations to meet for a round table discussion in December.
18 Nov 2006
Green Waste Collection comes to Epsom and Ewell
At the end of November the council will be starting green waste collections. Residents can "buy" a brown 240 litre wheelie bin or a bag and have green waste collected fortnightly.
18 Nov 2006
Tories nearly take Ruxley from the RA
The RA candidate, Michael Guest, who resigned last year as a councillor in Woodcote ward, has been returned to the council for Ruxley ward, but only by a small margin and after a recount. The turn-out was low at less than 20%. Unlike the 2003 election, when the closest challenger was Labour, this time it was the Tories - who nearly took the seat.
29 Jun 2006
Liberal Democrats Demand Explanation About Road Repairs
Surrey County Council Liberal Democrats have called on the Tory-run County Council to reassure the public, following the disclosure of details highlighting the appalling service from one of Surrey's highways contractors, Carillion.
7 Jun 2006
Supermarket plans thrown out
Following a lengthy debate, punctuated by interjections from a packed public gallery, Epsom & Ewell's planning committee have voted to reject the controversial proposal for a large supermarket in the Upper High Street on a majority decision. As for all planning applications, this proposal had to be determined purely on planning grounds, despite immense public interest and pressure. Council planning officers had recommended approval, but most members felt that the size of the planned store would create more additional traffic than that part of the town could cope with.
19 May 2006
Surrey County Council News
Tories sack Lib Dem Vice-Chair for highlighting lack of disabled access to County Council buildings
The SCC Lib Dem group's deputy leader Hazel Watson recently highlighted the inadequacy of access provision for disabled people to Surrey County Council buildings (see "Lib Dems get disabled access high on agenda", March 23rd 2004). The Tory administration running the County Council seem to be unhappy with being criticised for not taking action on this issue. Despite their claim to be an "Exemplar of Modern Democracy", they have removed Mrs Watson from her position as Vice-Chair of the relevant SCC Select Committee.
4 May 2004
Privatisation of County Council Services
Tory-controlled Surrey County Council is continuing to privatise the services it is legally required to provide. The Council's educational services have been privatised, see "Surrey Schools Services sold to Defence Contractor" dated 31st July 2003. With effect from 1st April 2004, they are now provided by VT Four S Limited. The Liberal Democrats are concerned that the Tories are obsessed with privatising more and more services, even though the Council seems increasingly to be encountering problems with those it has already privatised.
23 Apr 2004
Will the new County Hall be Energy Efficient?
At the County Council meeting on March 23rd, Lib Dem councillor Colin Taylor commented that pictures of the new County Hall show a glass-clad building. Such buildings tend to feel too hot in summer and too cold in winter - or use lots of energy maintaining comfort.
24 Mar 2004
Lib Dems get disabled access high on agenda
After six years of campaigning, the Liberal Democrats at County Hall have succeeded in convincing Surrey County Council to undertake urgent work to make its properties "disabled friendly". The County Council has approved a Liberal Democrat motion that puts disabled access high on the County Council's priorities. A report recently commissioned by the County Council highlighted the current situation of the County's public buildings.
23 Mar 2004
False Claims By Surrey Tories
Surrey County Council Conservatives' claims that extra funding has been put into education, social services and road maintenance by sweeping cuts in administration and bureaucracy could be described politely as misleading or perhaps more accurately as downright lies, according to Councillor Janet Maines, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council. Most of the extra funding in the budget has come either from the government or from prudential borrowing says Mrs Maines.
18 Feb 2004
Lib Dem Leader's Statement on Surrey County Council's budget 2004/5
Councillor Janet Maines, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council, commenting on the County Council budget said, "I welcome the single figure increase in the Council tax for Surrey residents, which is good news for people on fixed incomes including pensioners. But I have opposed the budget because the Conservative administration at County Hall has not gone far enough to reduce bureaucracy and inefficiency within the Council. The base budget has not been examined in detail as was agreed by the Council one year ago. A number of multi-million pound contracts are not being adequately controlled by the Council. Although the Council is now making a welcome start to introduce cost-saving preventative measures such as key worker housing and energy efficiency promoted by the Liberal Democrats, it has been slow to do so."
10 Feb 2004