If you are a passionate Conservative in Waverley, living in Farnham or Haslemere you will have been invited to join the new Tory Farncombe and Godalming Voice Group. Unfortunately, the group is currently private, with non-card-carrying members not yet admitted.
Do people of Farncombe & Godalming not possess a voice on social media?
Is their voice not as critical of local government shenanigans as it should be?
Great to see it boasts such members as the disgraced former County Council Tory Leader Andrew Povey who was unceremoniously kicked out by his own Tory colleagues for his dubious behaviour. Welcome to the Farnham & Godalming ‘Tory Voice Group World’ where only the card and baggage carriers are welcome?
However, this is not a new social media strategy for the local Conservatives, as the much-derided Haslemere Fact Check page has already demonstrated. It is like putting George Osbourne in charge of Private Eye – a great wheeze but just not very funny. Or maybe making your grandad the sole administrator of a Facebook Rant group. And – where would we all be without the regular slapping gums of Elstead’s Aunty Elsey?
Meanwhile, here at the Waverley Web which actually listens to council meetings, report debates and reads committee papers, scratch our heads at their latest rantings over at the Haslemere Fact Check. A site you are excluded from commenting on if you don’t happen to agree? Is it seriously suggesting Paul Follows should resign because somebody failed to put in a travel plan as part of a forthcoming planning application?
Is that the best it can come up with?! We’ve got 10 draft unpublished posts more coherent than this.
How about someone asks a really Big Question:
Q Who exactly agreed to bring in Waverley’s new and flawed Planning Information Technology – The Horizon Scheme?
P.S We have on record details of one Tory Waverley Borough Councillor and former Mayor, who was a member of the Labour Party elsewhere in Surrey, joined the Conservative Party, (was kicked out of the party – twice) and then became an Independent councillor and then a Conservative!
Whilst Haslemere Fact Check is a strange forum you’ve rather missed the point with the plans at the Royal School on Farnham Lane. He/she is not saying he Cllr Follows should resign because of a lack of a travel plan as far as i can see – most obviously because there is a travel plan.
The broader issue which I think the fact checker is alluding to relates to the delay in LPP2 which was of course an attempt to stop development at Red Court and replace it with development at the Royal School. The Inspector has now approved Red Court – and Waverley chose not to challenge that decision – so we won’t dwell on that.
At Farnham Lane the issue was the administrations support for a ludicrous travel plan which has been deemed unsafe and an unenforceable by Surrey highways. The administrations support was based on their strange urge to push through development at the Royal School’s other site. For now Surrey Highways have put a spanner in the works as having objected to the fact travel plan it looks as though the schools cannot merge on one site, and the amendment to the s106 which has been applied for is seemingly on hold for now.
Therefore Cllr Follows’ plan to delay LPP2 in order to “save” Red court and develop the Royal school would seem to have failed on both accounts for now, and at great expense to the taxpayer as the 9 month delay and second consultation could have easily been avoided.
Is it a resigning matter? No, not in isolation. But the general and repeated incompetence of the administration may be.
I actually find Haslemere Fact Check very informative digging up the various goings on at Waverley. Leader Follows needs to be held to account for Waverley’s poor record. I find it incredible that the Head of the Royal School has written to parents stating they have an agreement with Cala Homes to develop the Hindhead site. (Still not approved as part of LPP2) Their travel plans are a mess as Surrey Highways have, quite rightly, thrown their plans out. How the Royal School can say they will be moving kids from Hindhead to Farnham lane for Sept 2023 without a travel plan shows they are desperate to stop haemorrhaging kids who are leaving as they worry there won’t be a Junior School much longer. The Royal School are also very quiet on their plans for their daycare and nursery provision.
Just to get the facts straight about the new ‘Voice’ Facebook pages (Waverley Voice, Godalming & Farncombe Voice and Elstead Voice – hopefully more to come!) – you do NOT have to be invited to join. Anyone can apply to join these pages as you do many other FB pages and all views are welcome.
No one will be blocked or removed as long as they follow the Group rules.
Oh yes, I am pleased to report that Cllr Jenny Else is still in possession of all her own teeth, so no slapping gums in this house !
That is good news. Here at the Waverley Web we too welcome anyone and everyone – in fact, we sincerely wish there were No Politics at the local level. If only the whole council was Independent with one aim – work to improve the lives of the residents of Waverley. Pleased to note that Jenny Else is not bumping her gums with her constant criticism of the ruling group.