Haslemere Councillor Jim Edwards is most upset that the town is to lose its policeman. Well Councillor Edwards – join the club – because plods are now in short supply around the borough, and that’s before the planned cuts.
Councillor Edwards told his colleagues at a meeting of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee that it was:
“beyond the bone”
for the town’s police officer to be withdrawn.
Fear not Councillor Edwards perhaps WBC could release your Leader – Bobby Know-lessand put him back on the beat as he may well soon be looking for a new job! Perhaps not – when he was on the plod…his nickname was:
“THE OLYMPIC TORCH” – Why – because he never went out!
With a Junior Doctors’ strike looming ever large, this is what Jeremy Hunt MP for SW Surrey has been telling his merry band of followers.
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly six months since the election – what a busy time it’s been in the ensuing months – but lots of progress made locally. More than 70 people have attended surgery appointments in the period covering a range of topics, concerns and issues. So too have there been a number of visits and meetings throughout the Constituency with schools, hospitals, charities and organisations enabling me to listen, learn and support individuals and groups.
Recently, I co-chaired a further meeting of The Godalming Flood Alleviation Sponsor Group which was very productive resulting in a number of important decisions being agreed by all the stakeholders. It is now agreed the proposed plan of action will be presented (following some final work and research) to residents of Godalming at a Public Consultation meeting in January 2016 – date and venue to follow. In the meantime the Environmental Agency has launched a new website for anyone interested in flooding http://www.gov.uk/floodsdestroy
Elsewhere in the Constituency, I am delighted to confirm that following discussions with South West Trains, they have confirmed that they will provide a further 160 car park spaces at Haslemere station and an additional 180 spaces at Farnham station by the end of 2016. This is excellent news and will go a long way to help alleviate the parking concerns and issues so many of you have raised with me over the last year. The exact specification and design of the structure is to be finalised with the respective local councils but I am delighted that we have made real progress in this important area that affects so many of us using the train network.
Pedestrianisation in Farnham too is making some progress. I enjoyed a very productive meeting with Farnham Mayor and Councillor, Pat Frost, earlier in the year when we agreed on the proposals moving forward. I am pleased that Surrey County Council has confirmed it will run a trial, more details of which will follow. I am hoping we can publish details of this early in the New Year.
In Farnham we can hardly wait!
Meanwhile, there was the Party Conference which afforded me the opportunity and privilege to address attendees and highlight a number of issues. It’s been a busy few months in the Department of Health of course…
Is our less than Worshipful Mayor of Waverley Towers intent on shooting himself in the foot? Or, does he think he can just “bounce” back from breaking rules in the council’s book?
WW understands that some at Waverley are less than chuffed at the loose cannon that Mayor Mike Band has become. Perhaps he shouldn’t have taken on the supposed -“uncontroversial” role if he didn’t want to keep his mouth shut.
No – he was determined that his own deadly analysis of the Draft Spatial Strategy – (for our followers the plan of how many homes should be built in the borough and where,) was dropped in front of every councillor at the meeting, even though he wasn’t there. Not too long ago MP Anne Milton did that too!
Seems to WW Mr Mayor, that you have some pretty controversial views. But, given that Chief Planning Officer Matthew Evans (you must work seven days a week in future-according to Councillor Jim Edwards.)That the Plan making process has to be “evidence, evidence, evidence”, based. Those still awaiting the vital reports from the Transport and Habitats Assessments, which determine the Spatial Strategy, have to admit that your final conclusion that everyone in Waverley (except of course the Executive, who make all the decisions,and only pay lip service to the O & S Committee,) would find it hard to disagree with: Here’s what he said:
“Given the land availability constraints identified, surely more work should focus on developing a Spatial Strategy which justifies on sustainability grounds, why the Strategic Housing Assessment figures cannot be met”
Well said Mr Mayor, that’s a pretty good counter motion for the 15 December Full Council meeting. But, maybe someone else should propose it…not you…
Isn’t it blindingly obvious that if the Executive and the Council were to agree the Spatial Strategy in December, they’d be pre-determining Councillors’ future consideration of the evidence? No change there then –
Are the party whip bullies really so powerful that they can win a vote even when it’s no more than a simple test of dishonesty and stupidity. Or will the backbenchers be told that if they cannot vote for the Spatial Strategy – don’t turn up for the meeting! After all it won’t be the first time.
By the way Mr Mayor – you say Dunsfold would more likely meet the needs of Horsham residents’ – does that apply to Cranleigh too? Perhaps you should pop over the border one day – see for yourself – Horsham BC is cracking on and meeting its housing need, with thousands of homes already built – and much of the traffic is already going through your patch in Bramley!
Take off your Robe Mr Mayor – and get back on the benches – either that, or shut the hell up and open fetes!
David Munroe says he will resign from Waverley Borough Council and Surrey County Council if he gets the job. Well, that’s one little ray of sunshine, as there will be a by-election and we hope to God that either an independent or a Farnham Residents’ candidate will get in.
David Munro was Chairman of the Conservative Group at Surrey County Council last year, raking in around £30,000. Seems he might be on his personal gravy train, chasing even more money and entitlements. He is also largely responsible for the ‘Great Royal Deer scam’ in Crest Nicholson’s East Street Plans, when he was Chairman of the SCC/WBC local Committee, which hid the fact, that the new road scheme in the CN’s charade is impractical.
Cllr Pat Frost
‘Frost Bite’ (aka Cllr Pat Frost) succeeded him and perpetuates the lies. WBC’s ‘love-in’ with Crest Nicholson, resulted in its refusal to consider any genuine solutions to Farnham’s traffic problems for 13 years. Now the same pretence, is the basis of the Draft Spatial Strategy. There you are then… lies, lies and more damned lies…
In the meantime, David Munro is now promoting Jeremy Hunt’s barmy ideas for gridlocking other parts of Farnham, where they have SCC evaluating the daft concept of making a short section of a three-way system into two-way.
Bit like making part of the Shepherd & Flock roundabout two-way. Oh My God, we shouldn’t mention it or they may take us up on it…
That was the overriding message from Waverley councillors at a meeting on Monday evening to its planning officers.
Cllr Jim Edwards
Said Councillor Jim Edwards:
I want to say to Paul Wenham (he was referring to the plumply salaried CEO of WBC), this Local Plan has dragged on long enough. I don’t care if the officers have to work seven days a week – this thing is going on and on – For Christ’s sake, get on with it!
Others warned planning officers that if they didn’t meet the Government’s deadline, Waverley would have development imposed upon them.
Others questioned the validity of the increase in housing figures from 420 to 519 per year, and others who would not countenance the largest brownfield site in the borough being used for development. This included a string of reasons why it shouldn’t be used by Waverley’s Mayor Mike Band, (who, by the way, completely ignored council rules prohibiting him from making any controversial remarks during his mayoral year). So he put them in writing…
Farnham councillor, Carol Cockburn said officers must do more work to ensure the Dunsfold option was brought forward and on which the public had been consulted and was overwhelmingly in favour.
There is not a site in the Borough that ticks as many boxes as Dunsfold Park. It was large enough to provide the necessary infrastructure to ensure its sustainability, and the countryside around the towns and villages around Cranleigh and Farnham need not be sacrificed and could retain their character.
Chief Planning Officer Matthew Evans said the figure of 519 new homes every year was ‘non negotiable’ and warned that traffic congestion could not be used as a reason for refusing development. Others said ‘a colossal number’ of homes – over 1,200 could be inflicted on Cranleigh – and the roads could not cope there either.
Cranleigh councillor Brian Ellis said:
He feared for Cranleigh as it did not have the planning constraints enjoyed by others. Developers are hovering over Cranleigh like bees around a pot of jam.
Well, if anyone should know, Cllr Ellis should. He has been chairing secret meetings for months at Waverley with a bevy of developers, including: Berkeley Homes, Crest Nicholson, Crown Hall Estates, Threadneedle, Knowle Park Initiative, Thakeham Homes and Uncle Tom Cobbley and all except, we believe, Dusfold Park.
In a complete volte face, he then spoke of Cranleigh High Street’s traffic problems – and that with another 1,200+ homes and their cars traffic would move at a snails pace along the High Street.
If homes were allowed, the high street would be at a standstill- equalling a Co-op Delivery van every half an hour – we may have strong support for Dunsfold Park – but what about the people of Alfold and Dunsfold.
Cllr Ellis failed to mention that one of the developers at his ‘secret meetings’ was the very developer that wants to double the size of Alfold by building over 500 homes there. What a disingenuous bunch of b******s politicians are… Can we trust the future of our towns and villages to the likes of Ellis & co? Can we really?
Bramley Byham said he might be a voice in the Wilderness – the silence that ensued, showed he was – but he wanted to see Dunsfold as a Research Park/Business Hub and didn’t wants its traffic clogging up Bramley. No problem there then ‘Bozo Byham’ – no cars needed for business or research then! Do we parachute stuff in?
Would you believe, he then actually said:
It would be better to inflict the pain of traffic on Cranleigh.
Well that’s alright then, because they will leap over Bramley. Then all about, started to lose their sanity, when Councillor Ellis said if Britain left the European Union there would be no need to provide habitat around Farnham for the Dartford Warbler because it would be moving North.
And then, just when we thought the lunatics had finally taken over the asylum – a beam of light shone upon the chamber in the form of Councillor Mary Foryszewski, who said: Ignore Dunsfold Park at your peril – for heavens sake, let’s get some vision around here!
Vision! What the hell is vision? WBC wouldn’t know what that was if it jumped up and bit them in the a***.
And then, just when we thought the lunatics had finally taken over the asylum – a beam of light shone upon the chamber in the form of Councillor Mary Foryszewski, who said: