In his recent newsletter, our MP, Sir Jeremy, took yet another side swipe at the administration of Waverley Borough Council. It is now a regular occurrence.
Having recently offered himself up as Patron of the Rowley’s Day Centre in Cranleigh, he has lambasted the borough council for reducing funding for the community centre for older people, even though Waverley has funded two organisations that operate from the centre. Users that underpin its viability.
But what he didn’t tell them, probably because he doesn’t even know. Is that under the Conservative Administration, the older people’s centre was brought to its knees? Following this, it snatched back the valuable 80+ year lease held by Trustees of a publicly funded building, halved Rowley’s funding and rid itself of AGE UK Waverley.
Rowleys was built with money raised by the residents of Cranleigh. Thanks to the Conservative Administration and its former Head Honcho, Mary Orton, Cranleigh’s building is now owned by – yes, you guess WBC and possibly soon by a Unitary Authority somewhere out there in the boondocks.
The council was then obligated to fund the upkeep of the building. Since doing so, Waverley’s new administration has spent many hundreds of thousands of pounds on its refurbishment and repairs.
Last year, the vast sum of £165,000 was spent on the roof and other repairs.
So, may we here at the Waverley Web respectfully suggest that before you rant in your newsletter, you give the council that you seem to be unable to work with, let alone support, a ring to acquaint yourself with the facts, not the fiction you spout.
Peddling porkies has become a daily occurrence for Sir Jed since losing his seat as a bean counter in Government. Now his daily ritual is to denigrate and belittle the borough council, whose residents he represents. What chance of world peace when even grassroots political opponents cannot work together?
Will the King of Buy to Let ever get over the fact that Waverley is now run by someone other than the Conservatives?
Here’s what he said:
As for closing, like so many charitable organisations, it will be down to Rowley’s supporters and its dedicated staff and volunteers to keep it from closing down. As they have succeeded in doing for many years. Because, as we have experienced, Governments and now local authorities come and they go. Waverley Council’s days as a stand alone authority are now numbered.
The big mistake, a colossal mistake, Rowley’s Trustees made was ever to relinquish ownership of its cherished building and hand it to Waverley’s Conservative Administration.
In whose hands will Rowleys and all the other Waverley buildings and assets ultimately end up? That is the question.
Pot calling kettle black given the number of swipes WW and the LibDem mafia regularly take at JH lol
Pointing out the truth is often difficult to take.
Something PDF must experience on a regular basis.
Waverly council 30 years sitting on the problem on stovolds hill home farm time again!
Yes Jeremy is our only hope !
All county property and that of it’s boroughs will be identified as to worth as part of the division to two authorities.
Merging such means there will be obvious duplication and thus a sale of unrequited assets. This money will mostly go on paying interest on debts (including a proportion of Woking) and the remainder to social care and SEND (if common justice applies).
I suspect all community property will be offered to their occupiers first and then sold to the highest bidder otherwise.
There being absolutely no spare cash.
Surrey is a test bed and as such things tend to break and go seriously wrong. The Government will hopefully learn from these mistakes. There will be casualties.
Welcome to hell.
MeaninglessMud
Well, isn’t that good news! The community fundraises all over the borough to build a centre like Rowleys, and then it is taken over by the council, allowing them to raise even more funds to buy it back. Is it any wonder that the public is so sceptical about giving money to charities?
There are certain current local authorities that sell off their assets (and Rowleys is a valuable asset) and if the Government decides to go down Tim Oliver of Surrey County Council which is favoured by our MP as well as a couple of Borough’s to split the county into Two authorities, there is a real risk we will lose not just Rowley’s but a lot of other valuable assets to bail out the two Borough’s that are technically bankrupt Woking and Spelthorne. The option put forward by various Borough & District councils for three unitary areas within Surrey would give us a chance but we will still be lumped with one bankrupt borough Woking.
But Farnham now has a real MP who is doing an excellent job.
As we live in Farnham, we have experienced his good work for ourselves. He is certainly an asset to our town.