The death of a 76-year-old man, who was found on the floor with fractured ribs, has led to concerns over safety of the remaining residents at a Surrey care home. Staff at Eastcroft Nursing Home in Woodmansterne Lane, Banstead, were notified that Stephen Lawrence had fallen on December 21, 2022, after his alarm was triggered. He had sustained multiple rib fractures but despite his complaints about abdominal pain and discomfort, was not admitted to St Helier hospital until Christmas Day. That was his only recorded incident at the home despite hospital scans later revealing older fractures, including to the spine, ribs and sternum.

Despite treatment, his condition did not improve and Stephen died on January 5, 2023. An inquest into his death was opened on February 16, 2023. It resumed on June 9, 2025, and concluded on June 13, 2025 with the court commenting on the delay between his fall and admission to hospital. It found the nursing home, which the Care Quality Commission judged as requiring improvement in 2023, was unable to explain how he had sustained the numerous old fractures which had all remained undiagnosed until his admission to hospital. It also found there to be deficient records on Mr Lawrence’s condition after his fall.

The court also expressed concerns that Eastcroft Nursing Home’s manager provided conflicting accounts over attempts to seek medical attention for Mr Lawrence after his fall – and for suggesting his rib fractures were sustained after he had been transferred to hospital. Coroner Anna Crawford said: “Mr Lawrence sustained significant unexplained injuries whilst he was a resident at Eastcroft Nursing Home. Nursing Home records were deficient in their recording of key events following his unwitnessed fall on December 21 2022. There was a delay in seeking medical advice following the unwitnessed fall on December 21 2022. The Nursing Home manager provided conflicting evidence about efforts to obtain medical advice and did not accept that the acute fractures leading to Mr Lawrence’s death occurred whilst he was at the nursing home. In view of all of the above, (I am) concerned that there is an ongoing risk to current residents.”

Eastcroft Nursing Home, which declined to comment at this stage, are under duty to respond to the prevention of future deaths report within 56 days. The coroner said: “Your response must contain details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out the timetable for such action. Otherwise you must explain why no action is proposed.”

Eastcroft Nursing Home in Banstead (Google)

An Epsom corner shop has been given the green light for longer trading hours – but stopped short of being allowed to serve alcohol 24/7. 

Ruxley Food & Wine, an off-licence on a busy A-road junction at 427 Kingston Road, applied to extend its alcohol license sales to 24 hours a day. The plan included serving customers via a hatch after 11pm, with Uber Eats and delivery drivers able to collect goods through the window. 

But at a meeting on August 13, Epsom and Ewell Borough Council’s licensing committee agreed to a police-backed compromise: alcohol can be sold until 1am Sunday-Thursday, and until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. 

The store’s consultant told councillors the business had traded without incident for three years. He said crime levels in the immediate area were low with “less than one offence a month” and argued serving alcohol, cigarettes and milk late at night “will not attract a disorderly crowd”. 

The consultant explained extending the corner shop’s hours was to attract additional business. Currently the shop can sell alcohol between 8am and 11pm. He said: “Why should members of the public be denied service when most people go to bed at 10pm at night?”

After hearing Surrey Police and the council’s Environmental Health department’s concerns, the applicant decided to reduce its licence application operating hours to 7am-2am the following day Sunday to Thursday, and then 7am to 3am Friday to Saturday.

But at the meeting officers still stressed their worries have not been resolved. Environmental Health officers argued the importance of protecting residents from late-night disturbance and the safety of potential lone shop workers. 

Both Surrey police and Environmental Health warned of potential noise and nuisance for nearby residents – those living on adjoining streets or above the parade of shops.

“If you open up later it does open up the area to potential crime and disorder,” said a Surrey Police representative. She argued selling alcohol 24 hours a day or similar will increase the likelihood of such crimes such as anti-social behaviour.

The committee concluded that granting the full hours could undermine the licensing objectives of preventing crime and disorder, public safety, preventing public nuisance and protecting children from harm particularly during weeknights in a residential area. 

Image: Ruxley Food and Wine shop on Kingston Road. (Credit Emily Dalton/ LDRS)

Budding entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses across Surrey are set to receive a major boost with the launch of the Start-Up Surrey Programme, a dynamic new initiative funded by Surrey County Council and delivered by leading business support provider The IncuHive Group.

This pilot programme will offer free, tailored guidance and practical support to residents who are preparing to launch their own ventures, as well as businesses in their first year of operation.

It will guide founders step by step, with expert-led workshops, one-to-one mentoring, practical advice, and support from others on the same journey.

The programme is expected to engage a diverse range of businesses across Surrey and will cover key areas such as funding, marketing, finance, digital presence, and scaling strategies. 120 businesses are set to receive support in the next six months.

It’s the latest initiative from the Council under its Business Surrey offer, which provides free accessible support to help businesses of all sizes to start, grow and thrive.

Matt Furniss, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Economic Growth, welcomed the launch, adding:

“Surrey has a wealth of untapped entrepreneurial talent, and this programme provides a much-needed platform to turn ideas into action. It aligns strongly with wider efforts to boost inclusive economic growth, support innovation, and build resilience into our local economy – all of which provides benefits to our people and communities.”

George Scott-Welsh, CEO of The IncuHive Group, said:

“IncuHive is delighted to bring this initiative to life. We’ve seen first-hand how the right support, delivered at the right time, can completely change the trajectory of a business. We’re not just helping people start businesses, we’re helping them build viable, resilient ventures that can generate a real income and contribute to the local economy. We are thrilled to be working with Surrey County Council to bring hands-on support and real opportunities to Surrey’s start-ups.”

The Start-Up SurreyProgramme is now open for registrations to all start-ups and businesses in their first year of trading across Surrey.

Participation in the Programme is free for businesses, as it is fully funded by Council via UK government Growth Hub funding.

Anyone interested is welcomed to register for the introductory webinar hosted by the IncuHive team on Wednesday August 27 from 11am to 12pm. Register via the Eventbrite event link.

For more information or to register for the programme, visit https://incuhive.co.uk/acceleration-investment/business-surrey.

Or you can contact the Business Surrey team via the website – https://www.businesssurrey.co.uk/advice-and-support/business-support-form/

IncuHive will deliver the new Startup Surrey programme for budding business founders

The IncuHive Group is a leading business support provider offering mentoring, funding guidance, flexible workspaces, and training across Hampshire, Wiltshire, and Surrey. Their hands-on, high-impact approach has helped hundreds of businesses grow, thrive, and succeed.

Business Surrey is a Surrey County Council initiative focused on economic growth, skills development, and entrepreneurial support to help businesses start, grow, and scale in the region. It’s offer includes a Growth Hub service, which is funded by UK Government.

A busy garage in Ewell that supports a prominent local charity now offers a rather special – and potentially life-saving – service.

Autotest MOT in Ruxley Lane recently celebrated its new car-servicing facility with an open day hosted by directors Stephen Hardie-East and Shelley Hofman, inviting customers, friends and neighbours. Guests enjoyed music, refreshments and a raffle, including a light-hearted competition to guess how many balloons were packed into a car. The event raised funds for the Epsom Medical Equipment Fund, a charity that since its launch in 1979 by Bess Harding has raised over £6 million to buy equipment for Epsom General Hospital that would not normally be funded by the National Health Service. Purchases have ranged from small items to major diagnostic machines.

As Autotest approaches its thirty-fifth year of trading, the charity has returned the gesture of support. It has donated a ZOLL brand defibrillator worth £2,300 to the garage. A defibrillator is a device that can deliver an electric shock to restart a person’s heart in cardiac arrest. This model is designed for public use and gives clear spoken instructions, guiding an untrained person step-by-step through pad placement and giving real-time feedback on the quality of chest compressions. Bess Harding explained that it “verbally walks a rescuer through placing the pads and gives essential feedback on the quality of their compressions to give the best chance of surviving.”

Stephen and Shelley, with Shelley being a qualified first-aider, said they were delighted to have the device on site and thanked the Epsom Medical Equipment Fund for providing it. The charity has also just purchased twenty-nine defibrillators for Epsom General Hospital.

Public access to defibrillators is seen nationally as a key factor in saving lives from cardiac arrest outside hospital. There are around 30,000 such incidents in the United Kingdom each year and fewer than ten per cent of people survive. Medical experts say the chances of survival more than double if a defibrillator is used quickly, ideally within five minutes, together with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Each minute of delay can cut survival chances by up to ten per cent. Despite this, studies show that even when a defibrillator is located within 500 metres, it is only used in about one in ten cases, often because bystanders do not know where to find one or are uncertain how to operate it.

The UK’s national database, known as The Circuit, maps the location of defibrillators so ambulance services can direct people to them during emergencies. There are now more than 70,000 devices registered, with a target of 100,000. Health charities estimate that if public awareness, training and willingness to use defibrillators were more widespread, an extra 1,000 lives could be saved in England each year.

In Epsom and Ewell, the borough council has worked with the Community Heartbeat Trust to install twelve public access defibrillators at locations including Ewell’s Market Place, Horton Pharmacy and Ruxley Lane. The new unit at Autotest adds another publicly accessible location, well-placed in a busy part of the borough, and comes with the reassurance of staff familiar with first aid.

More information about EMEF on its website: emef.org.uk 

Image: Bess Harding of EMEG gives defibrillator to Stephen Hardie-East of Autotest

Frustration is growing towards Thames Water after it announced a hosepipe ban in parts of the South East just months after residents lived through a winter of “huge” leaks and sewage overflows. Thames Water has announced a hosepipe ban will kick in on Tuesday, July 22, covering all OX, GL, SN postcodes as well as RG4, RG8, and RG9, after the UK experienced one of its warmest and driest springs in over a century – followed by England’s warmest June on record. Currently the ban only impacts towns bordering Surrey, but Thames Water has said it may need to add postcodes “if anything changes”.

This year alone, residents in Surrey have endured water supply issues due to multiple pipe bursts, a report concluding water was “unfit for human consumption”, and people putting up barricades to stop raw sewage flooding homes. For some, a hosepipe ban would be the last straw. Sir Jeremy Hunt, MP for Godalming and Ash, said: “Godalming and Ash is not included in the hosepipe ban so far, but I completely understand residents’ frustration when they witness huge water leaks losing thousands of litres locally – Chilworth, Cranleigh, Ewhurst and Bramley in the last week alone – and yet Thames Water are asking us to use water sparingly brushing our teeth. I met with Thames Water CEO Chris Weston recently to press for investment locally because, although work is underway to improve water resilience, what is really needed is to connect our ‘water island’ area with the wider Thames water network – and to urgently replace those leaky pipes.”

Thames Water says its drought plan is designed to ensure the taps keep running for customers’ essential use while also protecting the environment. Water taken from the River Thames for the currently affected area is stored at Farmoor reservoir in Oxfordshire. If the warm, dry weather continues, the company anticipates reservoir levels will continue to drop. River levels are also below average, limiting how much can be drawn from the Thames while the hot weather also causes more evaporation.

Esher and Walton MP Monica Harding said: “The threat of a hosepipe ban shows how important investment in the basics is. Thames Water’s current crumbling infrastructure can’t protect us now, let alone in the future from climate change and population growth. Thames Water has failed miserably in providing the investment needed up to this point and have lost the public’s confidence. The Government should grip the ongoing crisis at Thames Water, place it in special administration, make it a public benefit company, and replace Ofwat with a tough new regulator with teeth, to protect bill payers and give us the clean water we all need.”

Thames Water is also looking to secure future water supplies and said it was working on plans for a new reservoir in Oxfordshire, securing water supply for 15 million people across the South East, including Thames Water, Affinity Water and Southern Water customers. The company is also working on what it calls a vital drought resilience project in London which will be supported by water recycling.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “Leakage is at its lowest ever level on our network, down 13.2% since 2020, but we know we have more work to do. The extended warm weather also brings increased risks of leaks and bursts due to pipe stress and shifting foundations in the ground. We’ve increased leakage teams in our region and we’re fixing 650 leaks a week with our engineers targeting leaks with the greatest impact to local water supplies. We’re also replacing 500km of water mains over the next five years to reduce leakage. We’re using innovative technology and data to find and fix leaks faster. So far, we have installed almost 40,000 acoustic loggers on our water network to help detect leaks and expect to have 100,000 in place by mid-2027. We’ve installed over 1 million smart meters, which are critical in helping us to locate leaks at our customers’ homes. We’ll continue to roll out smart water meters to households in our area, installing or upgrading a further c.1,200,000 smart meters to homes and businesses by 2030.”

Penta Consulting, an Epsom-based provider of global technology talent and managed solutions, has been awarded the King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade 2025, one of the most distinguished honours for UK businesses.

The award recognises Penta’s exceptional growth in international markets and its proven ability to deliver secure, compliant, and scalable solutions across the globe. This prestigious recognition places Penta among a select group of British companies demonstrating innovation, resilience, and commercial success on the international stage. Winners of the award were invited to a royal reception at Windsor Castle and gain the right to use the official award emblem for five years.

“This award is a testament to our people, our partnerships, and our passion for delivering results for our clients,” said Paul Clark, Executive Chairman and Founder of Penta Consulting. “It reflects our team’s dedication to delivering with expertise, integrity, and a global outlook.”

Penta Consulting CEO Aminash Patel added:

“This has been our best year on record and we’re in a great position to keep this momentum. We’re proud of being recognised for our international business, but we also do everything we can to make an impact locally. We support Epsom Pantry, a local food bank, the Jigsaw Trust, and many other local causes. We’re on an exciting trajectory, so we’d encourage anyone interested in technology job opportunities to continue to check our website.”

The King’s Award win comes as the latest recognition in an incredibly successful year for the Surrey business. Penta Consulting has also been recognised with several other accolades in the first half of 2025:

• Sunday Times Top 100 – recognising Britain’s fastest-growing companies
• Sunday Times Best Places to Work – medium-sized business category
• London Chamber of Commerce and Industry SME Business Awards – Best International Business and Overall Winner

About the King’s Awards

The King’s Awards for Enterprise were previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, and were renamed two years ago to reflect His Majesty The King’s desire to continue the legacy of HM Queen Elizabeth II by recognising outstanding UK businesses.

About Penta Consulting

Penta Consulting delivers bespoke technology resource solutions to the global ICT industry. With 12 international offices, the company supports over 1,000 technical resources across more than 80 countries. Specialising in digital transformation, cloud, and AI, Penta’s core services include Professional Services, Managed Solutions, and Managed Resource for leading global technology brands.

Image:  Paul Clark, Founder and Executive Chairman of Penta Consulting meeting His Majesty the King at Windsor Castle

A Surrey film studio used by Netflix, the streaming giant behind hit shows such as Stranger Things, Bridgerton and Adolescence, will be made permanent after full planning permission was granted. The site was originally approved on a short-term basis because of its green belt location, and Runnymede Borough Council’s desire to see the area eventually become an office hub as part of its Longcross Garden Village plan. The cratering demand of office space, plus the growing rise of Netflix, saw the land be taken out of green belt – meaning the temporary restrictions no longer applied and its long-term future could be secured. Officers told the Wednesday June 25 meeting: “This building was erected in 2020 under a temporary permission and has been used continually since. Permission was granted originally for the building on a temporary basis for reasons of visual amenity and so as not to prejudice the ongoing phased redevelopment of the Longcross north site. Since then there has been a change in site circumstances in respect of the commercial redevelopment of the site. The building supports the existing studio use and therefore there are no reasons why the building can not remain on a permanent basis.”

The site was previously occupied by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) with many of its old buildings used by Netflix as film studios including buildings within the Surrey Heath. The Longcross North site together with the former DERA land south of the M3 including Longcross Barracks, form the designated Longcross Garden Village and has been removed from the green belt through the 2030 Local Plan. The building is near to the northern boundary within the wider Longcross North site. The officer added: “The appearance of the building is appropriate in the context of the wider film studios site.” The application was unanimously approved.

Longcross Studios (image Google)

Cruise industry giants have teamed up with three colleges to highlight the sector as an exciting, rewarding career pathway for school leavers. This included 12 Travel and Tourism students at Nescot college in Ewell, who have just completed their first Cruise Career Springboard programme, allowing them to dip their toes into a potential career in the cruise sector by visiting several incredible ships, hearing from industry leaders and seeing head office and shoreside roles in action. 

The Cruise Career Springboard programme was developed and masterminded by Edwina and Matthew Lonsdale at Mundy Cruising and has been supported by key industry figures, who have come together to invest in the next generation. This includes representatives from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and leaders from numerous operators including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Cunard, P&O, Princess, Seabourn, MSC Cruises, HX Expeditions, Uniworld, AmaWaterways, Windstar and Viva. Former Managing Director and Vice President of Celebrity Cruises, Jo Rzymowska, an inspirational speaker and Non-Executive Director at Hays Travel joined the programme to mentor the Nescot students. Participants have also benefited from the wisdom of former Managing Director of Regent Seven Seas Cruises UK, Graham Sadler, and Debbee Dale, leading trainer for the sector. 

The course, which took place over nine weeks and included students from St John Bosco College in Battersea and Itchen College in Southampton, also aims to improve diversity and inclusion, introducing learners from varied backgrounds to the wide range of on-board and shore-based opportunities. This could be anything from engineering to entertainment, HR to health and safety and destination management to deck duties.

This year the students visited six cruise ships and learnt about the product offer covering expedition, luxury, mainstream and river cruise liners.  They also undertook classroom work, visited and heard about operations at company headquarters and prepared for a final presentation to industry professionals where they will pitch the opportunities for career pathways in the sector. Plans are already in place to embed the learning and experience into Nescot’s future delivery and to launch a Level 4 qualification in Travel & Tourism with a pathway in the cruise industry from 2026.  

Julie Kapsalis, Principal and CEO at Nescot said: “This programme is very close to my heart as a cruise addict – I’ve recently returned from my latest fantastic adventure. It’s wonderful to share my love for this sector with my students. University isn’t always the right route for everyone at eighteen, particularly once the cost is factored in. With that in mind, we aim to be innovative at Nescot, working closely with businesses to show students there are other exciting options out there. This includes apprenticeships and entry level roles which can be inspiring and fun with exceptional progression pathways. The Cruise Career Springboard has offered once-in-a-lifetime experiences, expert mentorship and the chance to learn about and try roles beyond the course. It’s clear that the Cruise industry offers students a world of opportunity and we’re working together to help them grab it.”  

Edwina Lonsdale, Managing Director of Mundy Cruising and Cruise Career Springboard creator said: “Many young people look at the cruise sector and don’t realise it could be a career option for them, so we set out to change that. We want a diverse, enthusiastic workforce, both at sea and shoreside so linking up with colleges made perfect sense. I’ve been blown away by the continued industry reaction and how many individuals and operators have come on board to help us. We’re incredibly grateful, as with their support, the Springboard programme can launch more careers than ever. I have also been struck by the enthusiasm and participation of the students – they have a great future ahead of them.” 

Eva Williams, Travel & Tourism Student at Nescot said: “Nescot’s partnership with the Cruise Career Springboard programme has been amazing! We were so lucky to visit all the different ships and have big names in the industry chatting to us. I was genuinely surprised by how many people work behind the scenes to keep everything running – whole teams making things happen without ever stepping on deck. I’d never really considered the cruise industry as a career option before, but it’s definitely on my radar now. I love the idea of playing a part in helping people’s dreams come true.”

Working in the cruise industry allows young people to access a wide range of careers and utilise skills that cover a range of jobs and functions. As a global industry, it also offers opportunity to work with colleagues around the world and to travel. Many who join the cruise line industry might begin on ships, but then pivot into shore-based roles as their career develops, or family commitments make travel more difficult. The industry can provide a lifelong, varied and dynamic career.  

Industry professionals interested in finding out more about the Cruise Career Springboard can contact Edwina Lonsdale – edwina@mundycruising.co.uk

In addition to Travel and Tourism courses, Nescot offers a wide range of college courses for school leavers and adults, including Animal Care, Business, Computing and IT, Construction, Performing Arts, Childcare, Health & Social Care and Beauty Therapy. To find out more about studying at Nescot call 020 8394 3038, visit www.nescot.ac.uk or email adviceteam@nescot.ac.uk

Image: Students from Nescot, St John Bosco and Itchen Colleges are joined on Silver Spirit by Edwina Lonsdale – Mundy Cruising, Mentors Graham Sadler and Jo Rzymowska, Peter Shanks – Silversea Cruises and Julie Kapsalis – Nescot.

Epsom Metro Bank’s Local Director, Sammie Zejnuli champions the need for more women business owners

Women-owned businesses are a significant and growing force in the economy, with women entrepreneurs leading a diverse range of industries and contributing to innovation and economic growth. In 2022, the Rose Review reported that a greater number of women in the UK founded more businesses than ever before, despite immense economic uncertainty.

While over twice as many female-led businesses were founded in 2022 than in 2018, we still need to go further because female entrepreneurs represent huge economic potential for the UK: £250 billion could be added to the UK economy if women matched men in starting and scaling businesses.

The Rose Review identified four key areas that women reported they needed more support in to be successful in business: mentoring, access to funding, networking and childcare.

I have witnessed first-hand some of the issues that women face when starting up a new business – particularly around access to funding. Women-led businesses often struggle to secure funding compared to their male counterparts, facing a “funding gap” at every stage of their business journey, and women are often more reluctant than men to take on debt to start up their own business.

There are organisations which can exclusively help women starting out. Both the Women in Business – the UK’s leading women in business network – and many chambers of commerce have women in business groups centred around local meetings. While the Women’s Business Network hosts online meetings every fortnight. For start-up funding there is the Female Founders Fund, Innovate UK and the Enterprise Hub, but grants will be subject to criteria.

My role is all about relationship banking which is central to the customer service we offer at Metro Bank. We have local directors and local business managers in each of our stores just to support the local businesses in our communities. We are active in our local communities and offer a unique perspective – working with key business influencers to help our business customers access what they need to grow and succeed.

Personally, I have seen that women in business prefer a warm introduction. Having someone they can talk to face to face about any business concern is really appreciated by our female customers. We can help our female business customers create warmer introductions to the advisers they need – be that angel investors, accountants and solicitors, to name a few.

Here in Epsom, some of the most successful women business owners are solicitors, as well as those in tech and the beauty industry.

We regularly hold networking events in our stores for local business owners and I would encourage any woman thinking about starting up a business to come along and have a chat with the women who have made the leap and can offer help and advice at every stage of business development.

Our experience also shows us that women can prefer to deal with women. Emergent female business owners often speak of their frustration at not being understood or even believed by the men they have dealt with in trying to get their new business off the ground.

We know our focus on a more personal approach is working and our relationship banking has helped us cultivate more female business customers – one in four of our sole proprietors are women and nearly one in five of all new business current accounts were opened by women last year.

Every woman’s path is different and the hard work and challenges should not be underestimated. But the chance to be financially independent, in control of your work-life balance, and the immense job satisfaction is surely worth the chance. So, if that business idea has been buzzing around your head and you are thinking about taking a leap – go for it.

Sammie Zejnuli, Local Director, Epsom Metro Bank

Merging Reigate and Banstead Borough Council with its neighbour Crawley has been ruled out – in a decision that has left drivers behind the move “disappointed” with the Government. This week leaders from the 11 boroughs and districts, together with the county council, were told the Government planned to survey residents over merging into either two or three mega councils.

The council was told it would not be allowed to move forward with its preferred option because it had also backed the creation of three unitaries – and the rules stated councils could only support one idea, and they had to cover all of Surrey. The government also said the plan lacked enough detail on cost savings. They had wanted to form, at £13 billion plus, the largest economy in the sub-region, and to be conjoined by the world’s busiest single runway airport in Gatwick.

The news was relayed to the councils by the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon. He said: “I understand this will be disappointing; however, this consultation process allows for consultees to comment on whether the Secretary of State should implement one or other of the two proposals received, including the proposal co-signed by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council. If, in the future, there remains an interest in changing the boundary between Surrey and West Sussex, there are other mechanisms for doing so and this process does not prevent that. I also note your desire for the Gatwick Diamond economic area to be within the area of one Strategic Authority so as to best provide for economic growth. I want to make clear that the decision not to include your proposal in the consultation does not preempt devolution options for the wider area, including establishing or expanding a Strategic Authority that includes all councils making up the Gatwick Diamond.”

Leader of Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, Councillor Richard Biggs said: “We are disappointed that the Government will not be including our joint proposal with Crawley within the consultation. I am pleased that we took the opportunity to highlight to Government the important contribution that our combined area makes to the national economy, as well as its economic growth potential. While we accept the Government’s decision, we will continue to advocate for joined up economic and infrastructure planning and investment across both authorities. In terms of local government reorganisation, we are now focused on trying to secure the best available model of local government in Surrey – which we continue to strongly believe is three unitary councils. A three unitary model in Surrey will achieve the best balance of delivering value for money for our residents whilst maintaining strong local connections and identities and delivering high-quality service.”

Chris Caulfield

Epsom and Ewell Times adds:

The Gatwick Diamond is a term used to describe a key economic area in the South East of England, centred around Gatwick Airport. It includes parts of Surrey and West Sussex, notably towns such as Crawley, Reigate, Redhill, Horsham, and Haywards Heath.

Key features of the Gatwick Diamond:

• Economic significance: It is one of the UK’s most dynamic business regions, home to over 45,000 businesses and supporting around 500,000 jobs.
• Transport hub: Gatwick Airport, one of the UK’s busiest international airports, makes the area a major transport and logistics hub.
• Sectors: It hosts a mix of industries, including aviation, engineering, financial services, professional services, and advanced manufacturing.
• Strategic location: Situated between London and the South Coast, with excellent rail, road, and air links.

Purpose of the name:

The term is used by local authorities, business partnerships, and regional planners to promote regional cooperation, attract investment, and plan infrastructure in a way that supports sustainable economic growth. The Gatwick Diamond Initiative is a public-private partnership that actively markets the region for inward investment.

So, when Reigate and Banstead refer to the “Gatwick Diamond economic area”, they are aligning with this identity and economic cluster, arguing that the area’s interests may be best served by a unified strategic authority.

Additional reporting – Sam Jones.

Gatwick Airport (Credit Gatwick Airport)