Thank you to all who voted for her, and for the army of volunteers who put so much effort in.
The work starts now.
You can watch her gracious acceptance speech via this link.
The long-running saga of the proposed supermarket in the Upper High Street appears to be drawing to a close. Until this week the appeal by the developers against the council's refusal of planning permission was expected to be heard in February. However they have apparently decided to withdraw their appeal.
Court Ward's new Lib Dem councillors are bringing their advice surgeries to the Longmead Centre in Sefton Road. The first surgery will be held on Saturday 8th December between 10.00 am and midday. The surgery is free and no appointment is necessary. The December surgery provides an opportunity for local residents to talk about the Hollymoor Lane redevelopment for which the borough council has now received a formal planning application.
Epsom & Ewell Borough Council has agreed that providing facilities for young people, specifically 11 - 19 year olds, should be a priority over the next few years in local recreation grounds. The proposal, put forward by the Lib Dems at October's meeting of the Leisure Committee, will be taken forward by the council.
Hazel Watson, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council, has called for the Council to reduce the level of mineral extraction in the County over the next decade. The County Council's Conservative Executive has determined that the level of minerals extraction should be set at 2.24 million tonnes annually. The Liberal Democrats believe that this is too high.
This white paper is not only flawed, it is also dangerous - dangerous to the health of our education system and dangerous to our children's education. An admissions "free for all" will cause widespread segregation and unequal educational opportunity. Please note our two Labour councillors - unequal educational opportunity! I think you will agree that these are not traditional Labour values - but there again this is New Labour isn't it?
The Government's new Education white paper is a massive document, with a great many proposals in. I guess only Paul Gray and the Executive member at this point could give an indication of the work that will go on to form a detailed response, and the length of time this will take. It's a paper that's full of ideas and ideology. There's a quite a way to go in terms of legislation and setting up the new systems, and a lot of decisions still to be made. In putting forward this motion, we have chosen to focus on three areas of concern, which - in educationspeak - will be particularly challenging to Surrey and may lead to undesirable outcomes.
We believe everyone deserves high-quality healthcare, accessible when and where it’s needed and free at the point of use.
The Liberal Democrats have laid out a bold and ambitious plan to restore the UK’s natural environment and ensure that everyone can access a clean, healthy, and thriving green space.
For many people, Buy Now Pay Later is a useful and convenient solution, offering them flexibility with their purchases. But consumers need stronger protections.
