Why are Surrey based Ministers the focus of extreme policies?

“It has been suggested that Labour ask South East Water for a test of Surrey’s water supply to discover the reason why so many of its MPs are promoting dangerous reactionary, off the wall, ideas,” Murray Rowlands, the Chair of Labour in Surrey says.

“If we examine what they are saying the result is rather scary,” Mr Rowlands adds.

Runnymede and Chertsy – Philip Hammond MP. Transport Minister
Millionaire City businessman Hammond has withdrawn the Government grant for speed cameras. With severe cuts in local government spending many councils will be unable to pay for them in their area. Only petrol heads and Jeremy Clarkson are likely to benefit as dangerous speeding goes unchecked putting us all at risk.

Hammond is about to announce cuts in the Government’s support for rail travel meaning that fares are likely to rise by more than 8 percent.

Epsom and Ewell – Chris Grayling MP. Welfare Minister
Chris Grayling has just announced a regime of spying on people in receipt of benefits. On the other hand conspicuously absent is any attempt by the Con/Lib Government to trace serial tax avoiders.

Surrey’s applause for Audit Commission closure not surprising says Labour

It is hardly surprising that Conservatives in Surrey and at National level welcome the closure of the Audit Commission – the independent watchdog has been Surrey County Council’s fiercest critic.

Only because of The Audit Commission’s thorough investigation of Surrey’s Children’s Department did we discover that it ranked as one of the fourth worst in its care of vulnerable children in the country. Despite this Surrey only managed to drag its standard of care up to “adequate” for one of the wealthiest Counties in England.

Despite this Tim Hall the councillor in charge of change and efficiency for the Surrey County Executive attempts to blame Labour for Surrey’s long list of identified failures highlighted by the Audit Commission. It appears from his comment that Councillor Hall welcomes Surrey Council taxpayers having no objective analysis of how their money is being spent.

Tory Surrey slammed by its own Neighbourhood Survey

The quality of services provided by Surrey County Council has been condemned in the results of its own Neighbourhood Survey.

Here is what the figures reveal:

* Only 37.2% of Surrey residents surveyed believe they are able to influence decisions that affect their neighbourhood.

* There has been a decline in the number of people believing that Surrey keeps them well informed about what they are doing from 41% to 51% in recent years.

* Only 38.7% believe that Surrey County Council provides value for money.

* Overall satisfaction with the way Surrey County Council runs its services is down from 66.8% in 2008/09 to 59.9% in 2009/10.

In the same document serious concern is acknowledged that despite the Government inspection body’s criticism of the County for very poor sex education in 2006, Surrey still has one of the highest rates of pregnancy among girls under 18 in the country.

Savaging schools building programme will effect Surrey

The decision to cut millions of pounds from Labour’s schools building programme will have knock on effects for Surrey. Schools in the Spelthorne area had begun the process of getting bids into the Building Schools for the Future now will probably have to wait many years before the current unsatisfactory buildings they use can be replaced. Specifically Mathew Arnold, St Pauls, Bishop Wand, Thamesmead, Sunbury Manor, and Thomas Knyvett, were getting ready to join the programme.

All across Surrey the demand for additional building to meet an anticipated increase in pupil numbers will not now be able to be adequately met. At the moment many classes are conducted in unsuitable prefabs often with graffiti and holes in the walls and windows. Very often in winter pupils have to sit in these classrooms with their coats on because there is no adequate heating.

Despite Education Minister Michael Gove’s claims that there is no link between poor accommodation and academic failure, recent research indicates a clear relationship exists.

Conservative plan for ‘free schools’ attacked in Surrey

Matt Willey, Shadow Schools Minister Michael Gove’s opponent, has criticised his policy of setting up “free schools” alongside state schools in Surrey.

“We have an example in Camberley of what happens when private organisations are not able to achieve satisfactory standards in the schools they take over,” says Mr Willey. “Management of France Hill was given to 3 Es CTC in order to improve the school’s performance and its financial position. The results of a recent disastrous Ofsted Report reveal that granting control of the school has conspicuously failed to make any improvements either academically or financially.”

“3Es appear to have now walked away from Kings International College here in Camberley. The meeting with parents to announce that the school is now to be managed by Tomlinscote College included details that part of the land Kings International’s land is to be sold off in order to reduce its financial deficit.

Surrey Heath candidate fights to save local Royal British Legion Club

Matt Willey, Labour’s prospective candidate for Surrey Heath, has vowed to work to prevent The Legion Club in Victoria Avenue Camberley from being sold for development.

“Labour recently wrote to The Charity Commission questioning why the Legion Club’s organisation has been given a green light to sell the land on which the 70 year old club stands for demolition and development. It was pointed out to them that the objectives of The Legion place a priority on providing services for the community in which they exist. We failed to see how boarding it up and selling it to a developer meets this objective.

“It is with great disappointment that we received the Charity Commission’s reply saying The Legion Club organisation had the right to dispose of it for development in this way,” he continued.

Labour seeks Surrey transport chief’s head after Christmas chaos

Councillor Victor Agarwal Labour’s Stanwell Councillor is hoping that he will be joined by Liberal Democrat and Independent Councillors in calling for Ian Lake to consider his position as Surrey County Council spokesman on transport. Questions about Surrey County Council’s performance are to be raised at its next meeting in Kingston upon Thames.

This follows the Council’s shambolic response to the bad weather before Christmas.

“Ian Lake issued a statement assuring people in Surrey that the County Council was prepared for the bad weather being predicted by the Met Office,” Councillor Agarwal states. “Hundreds of miles of road were to be gritted and salted and supplies of salt and grit made available everywhere to households according to a media statement he released.”

“The reality of the County’s performance was startlingly different. Because of a concentration of what were designated as priority roads other busy roads that became like skating rinks and highly dangerous were ignored.