Spelthorne Council was behaving outside of the spirit of the guidance
Public Accounts Committee hear more evidence about excessive borrowing
The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) held a second hearing into Local Authority commercial investments on 15th May, with Spelthorne very much in the minds of the committee members and all the witnesses. With £1bn of borrowing, Spelthorne stands out from other councils and the committee and the witnesses did not view this as a good thing.
Mr Robin Whiteman, the Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountancy (CIPFA). has told the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that Spelthorne "has borrowed too much".
In a public hearing held on 11th May, Rob Whiteman was absolutely clear that in his opinion Spelthorne's borrowing was not appropriate in terms of the risk or the level of borrowing. The full hearing can be watched on the Parliamentary website and a transcript of the hearing can be read here.
Responding to reports of "very little progress" with the latest round of UK-EU trade talks, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said:
"The Coronavirus crisis is leaving the most vulnerable at risk. Thousands of families will face financial hardship and people are rightly worried about their loved ones.
Spelthorne Liberal Democrats and their colleagues at Surrey County Council have been calling for some weeks for the Charlton Recycling Centre and others to reopen. This pressure has finally paid off as Surrey County Council, who manage the site, have announced a restricted reopening from Monday 11 May. Initially, only garden and landfill waste will be processed but it is hoped that a full service will be reinstated soon with accompanying social distancing measures in place at all times.
Commenting on this decision, Spelthorne Liberal Democrat Councillor Tom Fidler said "Whilst initial closure was considered the only option at the point of lockdown in March, it has become increasingly evident that a significant increase in fly-tipping and people resorting to burning rubbish has been experienced in the Borough and beyond. It has been felt more recently that this decision needed revisiting given the environmental and financial impact. Local Lib Dems have been calling for a rethink, urging our colleagues at Surrey to press for reopening. Finally, this pressure has borne fruit.".
Picture: Cllr Tom Fidler at Spelthorne Eco Park, Charlton
Despite the Council's policy of requiring 40% of new homes on major developments to be affordable, not a single unit will be for affordable housing
Spelthorne Council have announced a major planning application to build 140 homes plus commercial office space at the site of the old BUPA building. Details of the announcement can be found here.
The call follows reports that doctors, nurses and paramedics will automatically have their visas extended, free of charge, for one year.
The coronavirus crisis is an unprecedented threat and people are rightly worried. In times like this, we cannot thank front-line staff enough for going above and beyond to look after us all.
Extending the visas in the NHS is welcome, but the Government must also do so much more for the social care system and urgently rollout adequate PPE and testing.
Ed Davey responds to Foreign Secretary's update on coronavirus
Responding to yesterday evening's update on coronavirus from the Foreign Secretary, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said:
"Reports from many British citizens stuck overseas bring home the reality of the global scale of this crisis. Many have been in a desperate position, unsure whether they will be able to secure accommodation or access adequate supplies.
"The Foreign Office must ensure that British citizens will be able to return home, wherever they have been stranded, without exception.
Will you help Cllr Tom Fidler by completing an Evidence Form?
Councillor Tom Fidler's Right of Way application has finally gone live on the Surrey County Council website for people to submit evidence forms that the footpath running through the field at Stratton Road to Laytons Lane. This legal procedure means that the footpath is added as a legitimate right of way that should be legally recognised and protected on the definitive map. This would mean that this route has to be protected.
The path has been most commonly used for access to Bishop Wand school. One entrance is on Stratton Road, near the junction with Rooksmead Road. The other entrance is on Laytons Lane through the fence (Plans must include the stretch of road leading up to past the school to the houses on Laytons lane - See example at the bottom of the page).
However, for this project to succeed, Cllr Fidler needs as many evidence forms completed as possible. These forms, and any other sources, can be submitted to the Countryside Access Team to prove that this path has existed and been used for over 35 years (at time of writing).
Commenting Tom Fidler said: "The more evidence forms, the stronger the case. We also need to cover as many years as possible, so the further back historically people have genuinely used the path, the better!
I see people walking this route daily, and know from discussions with parents of Children at Bishop Wand, Dog Walkers and people trying to keep fit and active how important this route is to our community. The more information we have on this and any historic photos that show the route would be much appreciated"
The County Council are confirming if they will allow digital submissions given the current emergency, but in the meantime, please photograph and keep a copy of the forms as a permanent record. Therefore if you can complete the form, please send to thomas.fidler1@gmail.com and he will send on the files to the officer responsible. Please however keep the paper copy as these may need to be sent on at a later stage.
It is not limited to 1 per household so each individual can submit a form and the link can be shared however you wish. There is no minimum age either so if your children use (or did use historically) this route to go to Bishop Wand, Hawkedale or Springfield school, they can still submit an evidence form.
Alongside this Right of Way project, Spelthorne Liberal Democrats are working hard across Sunbury to ensure that our key pedestrian routes are protected and that Sunbury remains the green and open area that makes it such a wonderful place to live.
In the meantime, the whole Spelthorne Liberal Democrat team are available to help those feeling at risk during this difficult time. We are working with many local agencies and the Council to help support residents as much as possible, but do not hesitate to get in touch if we can be of any assistance.
