A Date for your Diary
The Borough Council's Ranger Service will be giving a talk in the Elizabeth Welchman Garden, Downs Road, Epsom, on Saturday 12th September.
26 Aug 2009
News
Epsom and Ewell News
Last Day of Plan E Consultation
The future of Epsom town centre could depend upon the results of the Plan E consultation, which closes on 24th August.
23 Aug 2009
HGV's could be Banned from Ewell Village
A new air quality report covering NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) levels in Ewell village has been published. It shows no improvement on the unacceptably high levels and an Action Plan is now needed to deal with the problem.
10 Aug 2009
A Tale of Small Businesses and An Empty Car Park
With Hook Road car park never more than half full and businessmen wanting cheaper parking in the town centre, the Lib Dems are brokering a marriage between the two.
7 Aug 2009
Lib Dems lead call for review of highways contract after projects come in 21% over estimate
Surrey County Council's local committee for Epsom & Ewell received a report that an overspend of £75,000 was incurred on a range of highways projects undertaken in the borough within the last financial year, so the funds available for the current year have been reduced accordingly. Questioning from the committee revealed that the 21% excess of costs over budget arose because prices quoted for projects are based on estimated costs. The contract agreed by Conservative-led Surrey County Council does not require the contractor to be held to this estimate and allows the contractor to charge whatever the work actually costs.
1 Aug 2009
Council Asked to Sponsor "The Year of the Bike"
Lib Dem councillors put a "motion" to Epsom & Ewell Borough Council in July which called for 2010 to become The Year of the Bike. They claim that schemes in neighbouring boroughs involving "green vouchers" promote cycling as a form of travel, say both Epsom and Ewell need more cycle racks and the cycleways around the borough have gaps in them.
30 Jul 2009
Surrey County Council News
"School special" buses - an endangered species
Proposals to cut "school special" bus services, in some cases from this September, brought such strong public opposition from parents and schools that none of them will be removed before September 2011. However, this is just a reprieve. All "school special" bus services across the county are still being considered for closure, with the Cabinet expected to come to a decision on 13 July.
16 May 2010
Youth Work - Cinderella Services at the Cutting Edge
For years services for young people such as the Youth Development Service have been Surrey's Cinderella. Budgets have been cut, with staff posts left unfilled and then frozen.This year a re-organisation at the top takes away the Youth Development Officers who lead the work in each Borough and District and further managers, replacing all thirteen posts with just four operations managers to run youth work for the whole county.
19 May 2010
Cuts in Respite Care for Disabled Children
Improving services for disabled children was one of the requirements of the Improvement Notice issued to Surrey County Council in 2008, after inspectors said Surrey services for vulnerable children and young people were 'inadequate'. Yet Ruth House, the residential facility for respite care attached to Freemantles School for autistic children, is reducing the number of beds offered from twenty to ten, whilst the opening of Applewood, the new children's home at Banstead built to provide respite care for disabled children with complex needs, has been deferred, even though it has recently been approved by Ofsted as ready for use.
22 May 2010
Conservatives reject Grit Bin proposals
Following the problems caused by the severe weather last winter, which left residents stranded at home and many parts of the County isolated, Liberal Democrat County Councillors called upon Surrey County Council to prepare adequately to cope with ice and snow next winter. However despite their proposals receiving support from two cross-party scrutiny committees, the Conservative administration has rejected them.
14 May 2010
Mr Darcy and Harry Potter say show your support - vote for the Lib Dems on May 6th
Colin Firth, Daniel Radcliffe, Floella Benjamin, Bianca Jagger and many other celebrities are asking you to back the Lib Dems on Thursday.
3 May 2010
Lib Dems join fight for justice for Equitable Life victims
Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles, Chair of the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, joined Sue Doughty, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Guildford, to meet victims of the Equitable Life scandal in Guildford and pledge their support for the campaign to compensate those affected.
10 Apr 2010