THAMES WATER UPDATE – BOTTLED WATER STATION LEISURE CENTRE CAR PARK VILLAGE WAY –
Thames Water’s head honcho’s get to sniff the Bramley whiff.
No doubt Jeremy HUNT will be getting SARAH BENTLEY DOWN TO CRANLEIGH NEXT?
Message from Thames Water TO CLLR LIZ TOWNSEND.
“We are really sorry if residents have low pressure or no water in the GU6, GU8, GU27 and RH14 areas. We have opened a bottled water station at Cranleigh Leisure Centre in Village Way, Cranleigh, GU6 8AF. We apologise that this is some way from the affected area, but we have not been able to find a site that is closer and has enough space to allow lorries to safely deliver water. Bottled water is for essential use, like drinking, cooking and hand washing. We will do our best to make sure our supplies are fairly handed out. The supply problems are mainly being caused by technical issues as Ashlands Reservoir near Godalming, which supplies the area around Chiddingfold and Dunsfold. We are sorry that this has caused ongoing difficulties in the area, especially after issues yesterday at Netley Mill Water Treatment Works. We continue to reduce the impact by pumping water from tankers into the local supply network. “
SAID CLLR TOWNSEND: As I have requested, some pallets of water are also being delivered to Elmbridge Village and Cedar Court.”
These are homes for older people.
The future of the borough of Waverley and the wider country could depend on your vote.
What on earth has sewage pollution got to do with voting in Parish and Borough elections?
Because voting out a shedload of Tories in the local elections may send a message to the Government – whose MPs voted against stopping the foul practice, and don’t give us the one where they are now all backtracking because the voting public is not stupid. We have their voting records.
But Local Councillors are not MPs and should not be judged on national party policies a but on local ones.
And why does WW mention the water cut offs as an election issue.?
ITS BAD JOURNALISM.
It most definitely is an election issue. The fact that, yet again, residents of this borough of ours are queueing up for bottled water is very relevant. Planning without adequate infrastructure to serve their basic needs is very much a local election issue. Government Inspectors allow shedloads of homes, and our local councillors are forced to accept recommendations to approve huge developments without the necessary services, sewage, water and adequate public transport. Should our residents just put up and shut up or vote with their feet? So it is bad journalism, is it, Mr Moo – perhaps when the water stops flowing out of your tap, and sewage is being pumped up into your garden as it is in some parts of our borough, you will find a journalist to put a positive spin on it.
Sewage and atmospheric pollution is the consequence of overdevelopment.
You are absolutely right. Are you standing again for the borough elections? If not, why not?
I am not standing for the Borough elections because I could not overcome the lack of transparency, 500-page agendas, excess meetings, indifference to environmental law, health and safety, greenwashing, financial risk and lack of information on pension risk liability. I also became aware that my legal insurance was invalid when the employment tribunal confirmed that councillors are not employees and unprotected by employee health and safety law. The pandemic made this a critical issue.
There is also entrenched barriers for the young and employed to become councillors for which there is a reluctance to remove creating an unhealthy age bias. As such councillors in terms of financial risk and planning have the potential to do more harm than their local MP. The transition from “fix it” to “let us talk about it” was too great. Hopefully this short explanation helps.
Thank you for your helpful and concise explanation for your decision not to stand again, Cllr Edmonds. We and our followers have found your answers on so many occasions during the past four years both helpful and informative. We will miss you. We, too, have many concerns about transparency, particularly regarding staffing issues and the lack of information on pension risk liability. How much longer can local authorities all over the country continue giving final salary pensions – when these have been ditched by the private sector many years ago?
We look forward to receiving regular comments from you in the future. We thank you for your service to the Waverley Borough and wish you a healthy and happy retirement.
Waverley Web thank you for keeping us informed, encouraging public participation and your generous and kind feedback. Unfortunately for some I will continue to encourage delivery of the Rio 1992 Declaration on Environment and Development Principle 10.
“Environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens, at the relevant level. At the national level, each individual shall have appropriate access to information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities, including information on hazardous materials and activities in their communities, and the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes. States shall facilitate and encourage public awareness and participation by making information widely available. Effective access to judicial and administrative proceedings, including redress and remedy, shall be provided.”
The concern for pension liability risk is serious. In February 2023 the Local Government Association advised that “local auditors gave opinion only 12 percent of local government bodies 2021/22 financial statements by the statutory deadline.” The Audit Office says high-quality local auditing is essential for public trust in how taxpayers’ money is spent. Why are so many satisfied that the Local Government 2021/2022 Accounts are unaudited?