A public consultation entitled Development Management Policies Development Plan Document. Consultation begins today. Surely they could have given it a better title! Until they do, we're calling it "Plan D" for short.
Following a request from the Liberal Democrats and others, the closing date for comments has been extended until 21st September 2012.
Following the closure of public toilets by the Residents Association run borough council, they are back on the agenda thanks to a Motion from the Liberal Democrats. Debate could take place on 17th July but is more likely to be deferred in order to prepare a report with more details about the proposals
With local Conservatives urging residents to block the consultation on the future of Upper High Street, local Liberal Democrats are now fighting for the consultation to stay alive. Plans for Upper High Street, Depot Road and Church Street are in the second stage of consultation which ends on 13th July.
To celebrate the Recreation Ground becoming a Queen Elizabeth II Field in Trust, a sports day is being held at Alexandra Rec on 15th July.
Our photo gallery of the parade in Epsom on 23rd June to celebrate 75 years of the borough of Epsom & Ewell.
The Liberal Democrats have launched a petition to save the Surrey Performing Arts Library which is under threat of closure by Surrey County Council. Surrey residents have reacted with dismay on hearing of the threatened closure and that the County Council's consultation exercise will give residents just two weeks to respond. The Library, which is currently based near Dorking at Denbies Wine Estate, houses a truly unique collection of music, theatre, orchestral and dance materials available for public loan. It also holds a specialist Vaughan Williams collection and permanent display covering the life and works of Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), commemorating his strong links with the area where he lived and where he composed some of his most important pieces.
Liberal Democrat county councillors have expressed their concern after an independent body, Healthwatch Surrey, criticised the county council for a lack of engagement and consultation after changes to the provision of sexual health services. Healthwatch Surrey has written to the county council outlining their criticisms in relation to HIV services. The letter states that:
Ofsted has today published a letter summarising the findings of the recent monitoring visit to Surrey Children's services. This is the 8th monitoring visit since the County Council was inspected in 2014 and found to be inadequate in the Ofsted report published in 2015. In the latest monitoring visit, Ofsted inspectors noted recent improvements. However some changes have taken too long to achieve and children continue to receive an inconsistent response to their needs and for some, potential risks are not explored quickly enough. Cllr Chris Botten, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Children & Schools, said:
Liberal Democrat county councillors in Surrey have criticised the ruling Conservative administration for recruiting a £55,000 "Head of Strategy" post when at the same time planning staff redundancies and cutting services by millions of pounds. The advert, which has been posted extensively online and in the national press, seeks to recruit a "highly politically astute" individual who will be a "skilful networker" and "support the leadership" of the County Council. The salary offered is between £55484 to £66644 for a working week of 36 hours, with a laptop and mobile supplied.
Over two thousand residents have signed a Liberal Democrat petition against Surrey County Council's proposals to close four popular and well-used Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) in Bagshot, Cranleigh, Dorking and Warlingham. The County Council is also planning to reduce the opening hours of all the remaining CRCs, as well as scrapping the daily free waste allowance in order to save £2m from its budget. Cllr Stephen Cooksey, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for the Environment, said:
Liberal Democrat county councillors have expressed their concern after it was revealed that 6 care homes in Surrey are rated as "Unsafe" by the Care Quality Commission and have contracts with Surrey County Council. The information was revealed following a question tabled by Cllr Hazel Watson, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council, to the Conservative Cabinet this week.
