Surrey County Council workers to strike?
Staff at Surrey County Council could walk out after a “record number” of people backed strike action – unless the authority makes a significantly improved pay offer, unions have said. … Read More
Author: Chris Caulfield - Local Democracy Reporter
Local Government monopoly board at play?
Surrey County Council has added another building to its property portfolio after buying the Victoria Gate site from Woking Borough Council in a deal that will net the bankrupt authority … Read More
Water company blind to Mole pollution?
A single Surrey river and its tributaries have had more than 4,500 hours of raw untreated sewage dumped into it by Thames Water already this year, according to a campaign … Read More
Woking’s whopping bail out and tax rise
Woking Borough Council has raised its share of tax by 10 per cent. It comes as the bankrupt council was offered an “exceptional” £785 million Government bail out The major … Read More
Gatwick Airport Expansion
The six-month inquiry into Gatwick Airport’s plan to double capacity is underway. Airport chiefs at the country’s second busiest airport want to modify its northern runway so that it can … Read More
Computer lets down County Council workers
Surrey County Council’s new £30 million payroll system has left staff “wiping tears of frustration and helplessness” over missed payments, it its claimed. It is claimed that the payroll system … Read More
Primary school blighted by drive-by fly-tipper
A “horrible, antisocial” pile of rubble was fly tipped outside a popular Surrey primary school by a lorry in a drive-by dump and run. Neighbours heard a truck driving down … Read More
Police probe abuse of public funds
Suspected fraud and alleged breaches of procedure in Guildford Borough Council’s housing maintenance team have snowballed, culminating in a police investigation. Last year, the council instigated a staff investigation following … Read More
Thames Water’s reputation going down the drain
Thames Water’s spending on infrastructure is “woefully inadequate”, its behaviour a “disgrace”, and direct lines of communications to MPs “unhelpful” – a meeting into the “largest ever” water outages in … Read More
Minister gets heavy on a Local Plan delay
A Surrey borough where the house prices are “amongst the highest in England” has been ordered not to delay its home building programme. The Epsom and Ewell neighbour borough of Mole … Read More
How far will £500m go for Surrey Councils?
Additional government funding for local councils will “go some way” towards easing the pain felt by local authorities struggling to balance their books – although calls remain for greater reform. … Read More
Surrey Police funding: not a fair cop
The “outdated” underfunding of Surrey’s police is “unfair” to residents according to the May 2021 elected Conservative Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend. The Government announced its funding for … Read More
Surrey’s debts match Woking’s but its position is secure?
Surrey County Council expects to add a further billion pounds in “additional” debt to its balance sheets but experts have praised its financial sustainability and suggested it is better placed … Read More
Surrey’s £1/4 m fines for failing children
The failings of Surrey County Council’s children services has meant the under-fire authority paid more than £250,000 in fines, compensation, and redress payments to families it let down last year. … Read More
Drills in the Hills lawful
Oil drilling near the Surrey Hills can proceed after the Court of Appeal dismissed a legal challenge to stop fossil fuel extraction from Dunsfold. Climate emergency campaigners are still hopeful that … Read More
Dorking Halls to get refit
The “jewel in Mole Valley’s crown” is set to shut over the summer as it undergoes a £3.24million safety refit. Dorking Halls has been recommended for the “minimal” amount of … Read More