The cost of sending pupils to school
Surrey County Council (SCC) has been ordered to pay out £1,500 by the social care ombudsman for a ‘service failure’ in defaulting its legal duty to provide SEND transport to … Read More
Category: Finances
Failing children costs Council taxpayers half-million
Fines paid out by Surrey County Council for repeatedly failing children and young people topped half a million pounds in the past year – more than doubling its previous worst … Read More
Banded together to fight the band
A decades-long council tax battle has been won netting residents of a retirement village up to £9,000 each after it was ruled all 113 people there had been in the … Read More
Annual audit of Epsom and Ewell Borough Council
The annual Grant Thornton Auditor’s Report on the workings of Epsom and Ewell Borough Council has delivered a positive assessment of its performance across financial sustainability, governance, and value for money, … Read More
County Councillor Community funding
Surrey residents can now apply for cash grants to improve their local area through the Your Councillor Community Fund. Last year the Fund supported over 380 community projects via Surrey County Councillors, totalling £404,330. … Read More
Spelthorne in financial trouble
Inspectors have been sent to Spelthorne Borough Council as concern grows over its ability to deal with its extreme debt and borrowing. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities … Read More
Little solace for Guildford from fraud report
Weak governance and poor scrutiny at Guildford Borough Council created a ‘quick fix culture’ that allowed potentially millions of pounds to be defrauded from the public purse while vulnerable housing … Read More
Surrey County Council staff strike poll
Staff at Surrey County Council are voting on whether to go on strike after receiving a revised pay offer which union bosses say is not good enough. Union chiefs representing workers, … Read More
Community fund open for bids
Epsom & Ewell Borough Council is inviting community groups and organisations to bid for neighbourhood funds raised by the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), to deliver projects that will support new … Read More
Clash Over Funding and Priorities in Surrey PCC Race
On the eve of the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner election, candidates are locked in a battle of ideas over funding allocations and the strategic direction of law enforcement in the … Read More
Surrey County Council’s new CEO defends “unlawful” email
Surrey County Council’s soon to be in post Chief Executive and current Wiltshire Council’s CEO has insisted that an email he sent to staff in November 2022, which was recently judged … Read More
Surrey Councils holding unclaimed tax refunds
Councils in Surrey are holding nearly £1.5million in overpaid tax that can be claimed back. People who moved to a different borough after paying their tax are supposed to be … Read More
Was County HQ sold for a song?
Surrey County Council faces scrutiny over its £25 million sale of a former headquarters site after it was revealed it could have a gross development value of £250 million once … Read More
How many £s does it take to change a Council light bulb?
The cost of changing Council light bulbs was the subject of some concern at Tuesday 26th March’s meeting of the Strategy and Resources Committee of Epsom and Ewell Borough Council. … Read More
‘Crisis point’ in local government funding
Parties from across the spectrum called on the next government to change its funding model for local councils, claiming it is “not fit for purpose”. Councillor Robert Evans (Labour, Spelthorne) … Read More
It’s not a fair cop? Cllr. Coley on police funding
Did you know that Surrey is the only police area in the country where local residents pay more towards policing than central government? The share of the burden is 55% … Read More