Bus Cuts: Reprieve
A BIG thank you to all who responded to the bus cuts petition. Surrey has come up with a stop gap solution that protects most of the services until August. However, there is nothing in place beyond that.
21 Feb 2017
A BIG thank you to all who responded to the bus cuts petition. Surrey has come up with a stop gap solution that protects most of the services until August. However, there is nothing in place beyond that.
A National Solution to Social Care Crisis Needed Urgently Many of us will be relieved that Surrey County Council have decided not to raise our Council taxes by 15% but the increase of 4.99%, which has now been agreed, will still be a huge blow to some who are finding it difficult to make ends meet. Over the last 6 years council tax in Surrey has gone up 19.3%, whilst many have seen little increase in wages. In spite of the increases we are facing a staggering £123m cuts to services in the next 12 months.
Local fire services in Runnymede could come under severe pressure as the Conservative led Surrey County Council has decided to close Staines Fire Station. Currently there are 4 fire stations across Runnymede and Spelthorne covering the 2 boroughs.
Whilst the local tips continue to charge for disposing additional bags of rubbish the Lib Dems have discovered that the charge is actually illegal. Legislation was passed in March 2015 by the then coalition government which prevented councils from charging residents to use household waste recycling centres, either at the point of entry, exit or disposal.
Hundreds of houses to be built impacting roads & hospitals It is great news that more housing is being built across the country. However there are local concerns about the number of large developments proposed by the Government.
Surrey's Tory led Council has approved the turn off of many Surrey street lights between midnight and 5am, causing discomfort among residents who feel unsafe in a dark environment. Residents have not been consulted about specific lights in their area as the details of the streets affected will not be announced until a month before the planned switch off. Runnymede's switch off is scheduled for February 2017.
81,853 low income households in Surrey are paying too much for their broadband because the Government has not forced providers to offer cheaper tariffs, an analysis by the Liberal Democrats has found.
Only around 732 families in Surrey have been supported to better insulate their homes under the government's flagship Green Homes Grant scheme, new figures have revealed.
Small and medium-sized businesses, from tech start-ups to hairdressers and cafes, in Surrey will pay an extra £47 million a year due to the rise in national insurance, research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has found.
Surrey Lib Dems have responded to the county council's local transport plan. "It says all the right things about where Surrey needs to get to in terms of transforming travel and transport for residents and businesses but falls short in setting out the steps for getting there." See full response.
The Lib Dems have questioned Surrey County Council's process of selecting a new highways maintenance contractor which has resulted in the three final bids coming from companies all with a history of failing Surrey residents.
The Lib Dems have called Surrey County Council's draft County Deal for Surrey bid a 'power gr ab'.