The old "tunnel" or "subway" alongside the railway footbridge linking Stones Road to the Longmead Estate and Miles Road has been saved for future use when the footbridge reaches the end of its safe life. The railway arch forming the subway, which was installed in 1859 when the railway line was built, has been closed since 1911 and was about to be filled in permanently by Network Rail. However SCC's local committee in Epsom & Ewell has accepted the recommendation from SCC's structural engineers to strengthen it instead.
Residents threatened by the proposed closure of Ewell Court Library turned out in force to lobby the recent meeting of SCC's Epsom & Ewell Local Committee. The were not disappointed, for the committee unanimously passed a motion proposed by the Mayor and seconded by Cllr Colin Taylor calling upon SCC's Executive not to confirm their Business Delivery Review's proposal to close Ewell Court Library.
The threat to the 467 bus route was discussed at the recent meeting of SCC's Epsom & Ewell Local Committee. They unanimously passed a motion proposed by Cllr Colin Taylor calling upon SCC's Executive to ensure that local residents in the West Ewell and Ruxley areas can continue to access the various essential services in Ewell village and Epsom town by public transport.
Moves for Epsom & Ewell council to join with other local councils in challenging the Government decision to build the proposed new Critical Care Hospital at St Helier were blocked by the ruling Residents Party at the recent meeting of the Borough Council. Despite various attempts by Lib Dem Councillors Lionel Blackman and Jonathan Lees to debate the issue, rules of procedure were used to prevent the matter being discussed.
The planning application for a new Grandstand at Epsom Downs racecourse is due to be considered by the Planning Committee on Thursday 9th March. The proposal is for a new modern pavilion and grandstand structure, replacing four older buildings and complementing the Queens Stand built about 15 years ago. The new building would also contain conference facilities for use on non race days.
It had been hoped that the controversial planning application to develop part of Priest Hill for housing might be considered at the next meeting of the Planning Committee on 9 March, but this has had to be deferred until the Planners receive all the information they require.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on the 10th of December a £340 million increase in this year's provisional grant for county councils, of which Surrey's share is £7.3 million, according to the Council's figures. The Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council, Cllr Janet Maines says: "This is good news for Surrey residents who have been hit hard by Conservative Council Tax rises. The Liberal Democrats will put pressure on the Conservative Administration on Surrey County Council to use this money to keep Council Tax as low as possible, while making sure local services are protected. The Liberal Democrats have also recommended to the Conservative administration that they should put some funding into preventative measures that would keep the budget under control for future years."
Following a motion tabled by Lib Dem County Councillor David Timms, Surrey County Council has now publicly acknowledged its concern over a number of serious weaknesses in its Children's Services that were identified in a recent report by the Audit Commission and the Social Services Inspectorate. The Council has also committed itself to monitor progress towards overcoming these weaknesses.
At Surrey County Council's meeting on 21st October, Lib Dem Councillor David Timms challenged a statement made by the Conservative administration strongly suggesting that Surrey's Children's Services were a model to be emulated nationally. He asked why the Tories had not awaited publication of the results of a joint review of Surrey's social service department by the Social Services Inspectorate and the Audit Commission, before making this kind of boast.
A Liberal Democrat motion to Surrey County Council on energy efficiency tabled in October 2001, is now about to yield action and substantial savings to Surrey's taxpayers. These savings should amount to £250,000 or £300,000 per year, out of an annual spending of the order of £6.5 million.
A Community Services Task group has been set up to examine the work and development of Connexions. It is worrying that 40% of Surrey's resources for young people are already committed by the Tory administration to Connexions, yet another quango, and they are aiming for 80%. To make matters worse, we still do not know details of requirements for Connexions Centres, i.e. what is a Connexions Centre and how should it be planned? Also many operational issues are unresolved.
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