Coursera Inc., a global online learning platform, has announced that it is partnering with North East Surrey College of Technology (NESCOT), to both enhance and expand teaching delivery, and to prepare the college’s 9000 students for in-demand careers in the digital economy. 

With NESCOT being a partner in the new Coast to Capital region’s Institutes of Technology, access to Coursera will support the college’s aim to deliver a wider range of advanced technical qualifications and higher education courses. NESCOT’s staff will have access to the full Coursera catalogue, including 22 entry-level professional certificates offered by Google, IBM, Meta, and other leading industry partners. The partnership will thereby create additional opportunities for NESCOT’s staff to develop the skills needed to deliver courses on high-demand technologies including AI, data science, engineering and software development.

Coursera is doubling down on its efforts to support the nation’s further education strategy, with the UK government increasingly investing in its new T Levels programme, and with participation in adult government-funded further education having increased by 4.6% over the past year.

The partnership with NESCOT builds upon Coursera’s relationship with the TEC Partnership, one of England’s largest providers of further and technical education, to expand its contribution to the UK’s further and higher education sector. It will do so by filling curriculum gaps, expanding NESCOT’s provision of job-aligned vocational courses, and bridging the gap between student skills and employer needs. 

By empowering faculty professional development and bridging this gap, Coursera and NESCOT seek to narrow the UK’s technology and data science skills gaps. The 2022 Global Skills Report, released in June by Coursera, found that the United Kingdom’s technology skills proficiency continues to lag behind a majority of European nations, ranking 42nd globally for technology skills, and 24th among the 33 European nations indexed in the report. 

Anthony Tattersall, Vice-President for EMEA, Coursera, said: “As the UK further education sector seeks to empower learners to thrive in the digital economy, collaborating to scale up the delivery of high-demand technology, business, and data science skills is essential. We are excited to partner with NESCOT by helping support their faculty to deliver high-quality, job-relevant skills training to their students, and to evolve the college’s blended learning provision.”

Coursera currently supports the skills development of 2.75 million UK learners. UK institutions already partnering with Coursera include Imperial College London, Queen Mary University of London, The University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Leeds, University of London and the University of Manchester. UK learners are able to access 2,500+ Guided Projects, 5,000+ courses, 625+ Specializations, more than 75 Certificates (of which 22 are Entry-Level Professional Certificates), and 35+ degrees. In the first eight months of 2022, UK learners spent more than 1.1 million hours upskilling and reskilling on Coursera’s platform.

About Coursera 

Coursera was launched in 2012 by two Stanford Computer Science professors, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. It is now one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with 107 million registered learners as of June 30, 2022. Coursera partners with over 275 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates, Guided Projects, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Institutions around the world use Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, citizens, and students in fields such as data science, technology, and business. Coursera became a B Corp in February 2021.

About NESCOT

Nescot is a further and higher education college based in Ewell, Surrey. Each year over 2000 16-18-year-olds study at the campus on a wide range of vocational courses and apprenticeships, alongside 500 adults on university-level programmes. It also provides part-time and professional qualifications to thousands of adults – both on campus, and through distance learning and employer partnerships.

From 1st October 2022, a new turf Hack Canter on Walton Downs will be provided and maintained for leisure horse riders on Epsom and Walton Downs. This will replace the sand Hack Ride, which will permanently close from this date and be left to return to its natural state. Image © Copyright Hugh Craddock (Horses training on Walton Downs)

_______________________________________________________________________________________

FORMAL NOTICE

OPENING OF HACK CANTER AT EPSOM DOWNS AND CLOSURE OF HACK RIDE

After substantial consultation and discussion between interested parties, from 1 st October 2022, a
new turf Hack Canter on Walton Downs will be provided and maintained for leisure horse riders on
Epsom and Walton Downs. This will replace the sand Hack Ride, which will permanently close from
this date and be left to return to its natural state.
This change has been agreed in the interests of the safety of horses and their riders, and all users of
The Downs. The Hack Canter, which is on grass land previously restricted for use only by Licenced
Racehorse Trainers, will be available for use by leisure riders after noon each day. It may also
continue to be used by Licenced Racehorse Trainers before noon on any day: on such occasions, this
will be agreed and communicated in advance by The Training Grounds Management Board.
The Jockey Club reserves the right to temporarily close part or all of the Hack Canter, as a result of
poor weather and/or unsuitable or unsafe ground conditions, or to facilitate any required
maintenance and major repair works.
The terms of this new arrangement have been approved by The Jockey Club, The Horserace Betting
Levy Board, The Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators, The British Horse Society, and The Epsom
and The Walton Downs Training Grounds Management Board.
Those who wish to comment on this change have 28 days from 22 nd August to do so and all
comments and contributions will be gratefully received . Any correspondence must be sent to
Epsom.reception@thejockeyclub.co.uk by 5.00pm on Monday 19 th September 2022.

The Jockey Club
22 nd August 2022

Since 1946 Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II missed only three Derby Races held in Epsom. In tribute to Her love of the event the magnificent Queen’s Stand, opened in 1995, was so named. This Platinum year it was officially renamed The Queen Elizabeth II Stand. Sadly, she missed this year’s race-meeting on the occasion of her unparalleled seven-decade long reign. Undeterred the Borough of Epsom and Ewell held a fitting celebration with the lighting of the Platinum Beacon on the Epsom Downs. A feature that will remain a constant reminder of Her Late Majesty’s steadfast service to the Nation and beyond. Over these years it has been the habit of many locals to wait beside a road, hoping to see the Queen on her way to or from the Derby. The lucky ones receiving that famous Royal wrist-ache saving back-handed wave!

The Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, Michael More-Molyneux has issued the following statement:

“On behalf of the people of Surrey, I have expressed our profound sympathy and sincere condolences to HM The King on the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. His Majesty and all the members of the Royal Family are very much in our thoughts and prayers at this sad time. May she rest in peace.”

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council has issued the following statement:

The Councillors and staff of Epsom & Ewell Borough Council (EEBC) are deeply saddened at the news of the death of Her Majesty The Queen. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family at this time.

Flags in the Borough are being flown at half-mast and books of condolence are available for everyone to sign at the Town Hall, Bourne Hall and the Wellbeing Centre. An online book of condolence is also available at https://www.royal.uk.

The Mayor of EEBC, Councillor Clive Woodbridge, has said, ‘Her Majesty was no stranger to Epsom, rarely missing a Derby. She was a much loved and respected monarch, and I know the vast majority of the residents of this Borough will be profoundly saddened by today’s news.

‘As well as our sovereign, Her Majesty was also a mother, grandmother and great grandmother; on behalf of the people of Epsom & Ewell, I extend our sympathies to members of the Royal Family on their personal loss.’

The Interim Chief Executive of EEBC, Jackie King, has said, ‘As Members attend to the democratic process in the Council Chamber, they do so under a portrait of our late monarch; a poignant reminder of duty and personal commitment.

‘I am very aware of the esteem in which Her Majesty is held by the Council’s staff, and on their behalf, I offer our sympathies to the Royal Family.’

Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP for Epsom and Ewell has written to constituents. “I am sure you will want to join me in expressing very great sadness at the death of the Queen. She has been such an important part of our national life and will be hugely missed.”

Friday 9 September is World EV day, a global movement to celebrate switching to electric vehicles and driving change. In Surrey, almost half our emissions come from transport, and about half of that is from private vehicles. So, reducing the emissions from the way we travel about – whether that’s by walking or cycling more, using public transport or switching to an electric car – can help to drastically reduce our carbon footprint.

Electric vehicles produce virtually no exhaust emissions, so are much cleaner than petrol or diesel cars. And lots of people are choosing to make the switch.

Recent Government data shows a 62% increase in battery-operated electric vehicles in the UK, compared to the same period last year and, for the first time, registrations of new electric vehicles outstripped registrations of new diesel vehicles.

To support residents’ switch to electric vehicles, Surrey County Council is installing on-street chargepoints across the county. Phase one of the installation programme will see 80 chargepoints installed across four boroughs – Woking, Guildford, Spelthorne and Waverley. Phase two has already started and includes plans to install 110 chargepoints across six boroughs in the coming months.

Residents can suggest a location for an on street chargepoint near them via a dedicated online map – Have Your Say Today – Surrey EV – Commonplace. Over 1700 suggestions have already been submitted and the information is being used to inform future EV chargepoint installations.

Matt Furniss, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth, said: “On World EV Day, it’s important we recognise the progress we have made in supporting residents to switch to electric vehicles, and the ongoing work to ensure we meet our goals. Transport is such a huge contributor to our carbon emissions in Surrey, so changing the way we travel and reducing our emissions from transport is a key area for achieving our climate change targets.

“We have recently invested over £39m in buses including a new, electric on-demand bus service in Mole Valley.”

Surrey County Council has a target to be a net zero carbon council by 2030 and a net zero county by 2050, in line with government targets.

Access to chargepoints for electric vehicles is essential in order to give resident’s the confidence to make the switch, especially those who do not have access to their own driveway or for whom it’s not appropriate to install a chargepoint at home.

Current estimates are that we would need 10,000 chargepoints in the county by 2030 to meet demand from electric vehicle owners.

Read about one resident’s experience of switching to electric, and why she’s a total convert now! Resident Blog: Going Electric… (commonplace.is)

The Ashley Centre in Epsom provided premises in the Mall to Surrey Stands With Ukraine rent and bills free since 7th March 2022. Now the unit is required for retailing. The Ashley Centre continues its generosity to the people of Ukraine by permitting the Epsom based charity to operate a kiosk in the public court. In addition the Ashley Centre owners are providing a large partitioned office space in Global House in adjacent Ashley Avenue. Here, Surrey Stands With Ukraine and the Epsom Refugee Network can carry on their activities. Processing donated goods destined for Ukraine and providing English classes and advice sessions to Ukrainian refugees.

Image: SSWU volunteers Rob and Anne-Marie Carlin with Epsom and Ewell Mayor Clive Woodbridge beside the new kiosk in the Ashley Centre 3rd September.

Alan Avis of Surrey Stands With Ukraine spoke to Epsom and Ewell Times. “We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the public, the Ashley Centre for our rent free accommodation and to Epsom and Ewell Borough Council for waiving all business rates. In six months SSWU has raised £200,000 and sent 40 vans to Ukraine filled with an estimated £1,000,000 worth of essential humanitarian supplies. The mission continues in our new and excellent facilities”.

The manager of the Ashley Centre, Jacqui McGeeghan told The Times “We are proud to have such strong links with the community and when we were approached to support the community and Ukrainian families we did not hesitate. The Ashley Centre has provided a dedicated space, The Ukrainian Hub, to allow the local team to operate a central donation point. In addition, the space acted as a platform to reach out to our loyal visitors and raise awareness for the efforts to raise money, food and medicine for local Ukrainians, and supporting their own families living in Ukraine in this difficult time of war.

It has been an absolute pleasure to be able to assist the charity and to date, the local initiative has been exceptionally well supported. As a result, the organisation has collected much-needed supplies and supported many of the Ukrainian families in the Epsom & Ewell community at this most crucial time”.

Epsom and St Helier hospital staff will be encouraged to get their flu jab after a “terrible” Australian flu season which can be a sign of things to come in the UK.

Among concerns that covid is now “old news” staff will also be encouraged to take their coronavirus booster in a campaign to encourage take-up in front-line staff.

A board meeting of the Epsom and St Helier hospital trust on Friday (September 2) heard that Jacqueline Totterdell, group chief executive of the St George’s and Epsom and St Helier hospitals group, had “nearly died” when she was admitted to hospital with flu a couple of years ago.

She said this experience gave her “a real passion” for making sure people took up the jab.

The chief executive added: “We always look towards Australia for what sort of flu season they’ve had, and they’ve had a pretty terrible one.

“That, for me, is a real driver about how we can encourage more of our staff to have the flu jab.”

Non-executive director Peter Kane raised a concern that coronavirus may be “yesterday’s news” and asked about how staff at the trust would be reminded of the importance of the coronavirus booster and the flu vaccination, which can be given at the same time.

Arlene Wellman, group chief nursing officer, said communications would begin going out to staff and that the best practices would be pulled from both St George’s and Epsom and St Helier trusts.

The two trusts formed a hospital group last year with the aim of sharing and working together on services.

According to the NHS, more people are likely to get flu this winter as fewer people will have built up natural immunity to it during the pandemic.

It can be life-threatening for some people, particularly those with certain health conditions.

The chief executive also confirmed the next board meeting in November would be updated on the trusts’ winter resilience programme, which is already being planned, and included looking at having the capacity to vaccinate all staff.

The coronavirus booster will be offered to certain groups including residents and staff in care homes and front line health and social care workers.

The meeting also heard about staff at St Helier “doing their absolute best” in a hospital building that was often not fit for purpose, with leaking roofs and lifts that were not big enough to fit hospital beds.

In July it was announced that a planned new hospital in Sutton has been delayed to 2027 at the earliest.

Board papers: https://www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/board-papers-and-agendas

Sunday 4th Sept, Epsom & Ewell’s climate action group put on a hard-hitting and thought-
provoking street-theatre performance in Epsom centre. Right in the middle of town, on the big crossroads near the clock tower, a colourful backdrop had been erected, depicting landscapes ravaged by drought, forest fires and flooding. Against this backdrop, a dozen actors played out a silent lament, mourning the victims of climate disasters in the global South. The emotional impact of bodies on the ground being covered by shrouds was further amplified by a slow, powerful drumbeat and a bugle playing ‘the last post’…

Not surprisingly, this performance drew strong reactions from the public. Some felt greatly
strengthened in their perception that a changing climate is a grave danger to us all, and the cause of worldwide injustice. However, there were also some who disapproved of the graphic nature of the performance and who felt that ordinary people were made to feel bad for things that are really the responsibility of governments and commerce?

As far as the local climate action group (Epsom & Ewell XR) is concerned, all views for-and against are welcomed, as they feel the gravest danger to us all will come from indifference to the issues.

Further actions and street-theatre are being planned.

Epsom & Ewell XR can be contacted at epsomewellxr@gmail.com

On Friday 2nd September Mark Easton, the BBC’s top home affairs reporter, swooped down on Epsom and Ewell. Our Borough suffers from nimbyism and we could easily meet our housing targets, was his report’s message. The Epsom and Ewell Times takes his two minute report to task.

First – he opens his report while standing on Epsom Common off Woodcote Side. The implication being that this area could in part be developed for housing. Did he not check it was a Local Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest?

Secondly, he travelled to Station Approach Stoneleigh and suggests the rejection of a plan to build a four storey block of flats was mistaken. The plan was rejected in February 2022. The developer Woolbro Homes ( a part of St James Group Ltd which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the multi-million Berkeley Group Holdings Plc) did not exercise its right of appeal to a Planning Inspector.

Perhaps they accepted the grounds for refusal which included overdevelopment, overbearing and incongruity. Moreover, the applicants had failed to sign a commitment to affordable housing.

Thirdly, the report of the BBC showed Cllr Liz Frost objecting to a 22 room residence for students near Epsom’s University for the Creative Arts in Ashley Road, Epsom. The reportage gave the impression that housing needed to meet ordinary housing targets was being denied. UCA indicated in connection with the case that it is attracting mainly foreign students to its new business courses. See Epsom and Ewell Times report on the meeting HERE

Lastly, Mr Easton claimed no Councillor was available for comment. The Epsom and Ewell Times know of at least two Councillors who attended the Planning Committee meeting who were NOT asked. Mark Easton is not available for comment as his direct contacts cannot be found. Grace Manning-Marsh of LandTech, was interviewed by Mr Easton, she was critical of Epsom and Ewell’s failure to authorise developments on Green Belt. She did not ring back when asked to talk to us.

Buildings “Absolutely not fit for purpose”, a meeting has heard as staff at St Helier hospital are trying to provide care. NHS bosses were told about a labour ward with a leaking roof, an intensive care ward where temperatures reached 35 degrees and lifts that were too small for hospital beds.

There are also corridors “cluttered” with equipment and staff “doing their absolute best in circumstances they should probably shouldn’t be asked to work in”. The board meeting of the NHS trust which runs the site took place on Friday (September 2) after members had done a walk around of the hospital to inspect first-hand.

It followed the announcement that a new planned hospital in Sutton, which would see the Epsom and St Helier sites’ services downgraded, will now not be ready until at least 2027. The trust formed a hospital group with St George’s hospital last year, which it was stressed in the meeting was not a merger between the trusts but a way of working together on services.

Jacqueline Totterdell, group chief executive of the St George’s and Epsom and St Helier hospitals group, had been on a visit to the St Helier site’s gynaecology and maternity wards, including pre- and post-natal and labour wards. The hospital leader said that staff based at the site a pre-fabricated building staff “do pretty well”, despite a lift that is 50 years old, regularly breaks down and “is a real risk”.

Ms Totterdell added: “When it really rains they have buckets and pads down because it rains and there’s not much else we can do with that roof.” While she said there were some issues around staffing, and around sick leave, annual leave and maternity leave, those she spoke to said they worked in good teams and generally enjoyed working. She added: “That’s just the context that they work in.”

Phil Wilbraham, an associate non-executive director on the board, called the hospital’s intensive therapy unit (ITU): “The good, the bad and the ugly”. He said going from the old unit where the beds were too close together and there was little air conditioning and exchange of air was a “massive contrast” to the new area, completed in 2020. Mr Wilbraham said: “When you go to the new ITU, you see how it should be.”

He also said he’d heard about patients being brought into the unit and put in rooms where it was 35 degrees in August, and said in this environment patients couldn’t be expected to recover as quickly as they should. He added: “I would say the staff seemed to be extremely calm, organised and professional. It’s the classic of people doing their absolute best in circumstances they should probably shouldn’t be asked to work in.”

The meeting also heard about “clutter” in corridors and the demands of trying to balance bed space with break rooms for staff and storage at the site. Group chairman Gillian Norton highlighted a lot of the “clutter” was actually essential equipment. She said: “The whole discussion just illustrated why we need our new hospital at St Helier. We’re trying to provide outstanding care, which we largely do, but in buildings that absolutely are not fit for purpose.”

The board also heard from Derek Macallan, a non-executive director, about a patient who had been in the hospital for six months and not yet been able to be discharged because he was waiting to get his home situation sorted out. Mr Macallan said as well as patients in the renal department not being able to be discharged because they did not have the necessary social care available on release, he too noticed the poor state of the buildings.

In reply, he heard that when discharging patients the hospital trust could be dealing with up to 17 separate district and borough councils because patients extend out into Hampshire and Berkshire.

On the paediatrics ward, Andrew Grimshaw, group chief finance officer, saw that specific beds had to be bought to get in the lift, because the generic hospital beds didn’t fit. He said he’d heard from staff that the planned Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Sutton would solve a lot of those problems and challenges.

Managing director at the trust, James Blythe, told a Sutton Council meeting in July the trust was still “waiting for feedback” on the next steps and funding of the project from central government.

Following a strike of mail workers and a picket at Epsom’s East Street Sorting Office CWU workers picket the telephone exchange on the other side of the street. See our report on postal strike HERE.

The dispute, which involves more than 40,000 CWU members working for BT and Openreach, was triggered by BT’s imposition of real-terms pay cuts for all CWU-represented grades, claim the Trade Union.

CWU claim that instead of following normal negotiating protocols – under which a draft deal that is fair and acceptable to both sides is arrived at through discussions, and then recommended by the union to its membership for their ratification – this year BT abruptly terminated the talks after just six short meetings. Firm proposals had only been tabled by management in the latter two of those meetings.

BT claims the flat-rate settlement of £1,500 equates to between 3.8% and 8% dependent on where individuals sit on the pay scale.

The CWU therefore calculates that even the biggest beneficiaries of this year’s imposed flat rate pay award have only received around 5%  – with the vast majority of CWU-represented grades receiving only a little over 4% and some below 3%. That compares with spiralling inflation that saw the Government’s preferred (typically lower) CPI measure hit  10.1% in July  (RPI  12.3%) and  even the Bank of England predicting CPI will top 13% within months.

In 2021 members received no consolidated pay rise at all, and even the agreed settlement in 2020 was slightly below inflation. In fact, since 2020, BT pay for CWU grades has increased by just 6.6% (including the £1,500 imposed award for 2022).  Without any improvement to the imposed £1,500 award, this represents a real-terms pay cut since 2020 of 6.9%  based on RPI, and 2.8% based on CPI. This is despite BT’s declaration of a £1.3bn annual profit, a £761 million dividend payout for shareholders and a 32% pay increase for the CEO.

The CWU conducted its first company-wide industrial action ballot in BT Group since 1987 in June. In Openreach, where 28,425 CWU members were entitled to vote, participants recorded 95.8% ‘yes’ vote for industrial action on a 74.8% turnout.  In  BT, where 10,353 were issued with a ‘yes’ vote of 91.5% was recorded on a 58.2% turnout.

As a result, the first national industrial action in BT Group for three and a half decades took place on July 29 and August 1 and again on Tuesday August 30 and Wednesday August 31. 

Spelthorne councillors are “not behind” the authority’s plans for 9,000 homes in the borough, according to a neighbouring council.

An Elmbridge Borough Council response to Spelthorne’s draft local plan also raised concerns surrounding the wording of the plan, which was introduced as making Spelthorne “a less attractive place to live”.

At an individual cabinet member decision making – planning and environmental health meeting on Thursday (September 1), portfolio holder Councillor Karen Randolph agreed the wording of a letter to be sent to Spelthorne Borough Council regarding its local plan, which is currently going through public consultation.

The neighbouring councils have a duty to co-operate on each other’s plans for homes, with Elmbridge focussing its response on the areas of the plan which could have cross-boundary implications for the borough.

Cllr Randolph’s letter said that Elmbridge appreciated there was a “balance to be struck” when preparing a local plan, and that, like Elmbridge’s the Spelthorne plan “centred around place-making and responding to the climate change emergency”.

She added: “However, it would appear that Spelthorne councillors are not behind the draft local plan and have been led by a continued over-emphasis on the perceived requirement that its housing need must be met in full.”

The letter went on to quote Spelthorne’s local plan, for 9,270 new homes in the borough, which said: “Whilst it is appealing to consider producing a plan that does not meet our need in full, this will not be a sound strategy and would be rejected by the Planning Inspector.”

Elmbridge’s local plan went through its regulation 19 representation stage up until the end of July, and will now be sent to the planning inspector for feedback.

A spokesperson for Spelthorne said since June 2020, a ‘collective team’ of officers and councillors from every ward had spent more then 100 hours in task group meetings, and debated the plan at cabinet and environment and sustainability committee meetings.

They said this was to ensure the draft local plan and draft Staines development framework were “the best, most robust and most defensible they can be”.

The letter from Elmbridge said the authority would query how Spelthorne’s approach to meeting its housing requirement was consistent with central government policy, and how, overall, it had been “positively prepared”.

The letter said the plan outlined that development within the town centres would consist of “sterile, high-rise blocks”, something, according to the letter, “that no Councillor wants to support”.

Catriona Riddell was brought in last September by the then leadership at Spelthorne to do three workshops with councillors on developing a shared vision around not just the local plan but working with local communities.

The document she had worked on with councillors was not voted through for inclusion in local plan documents at a full council meeting on December 9, 2021.

Speaking before this week’s Elmbridge meeting, she said in terms of a council’s local plan being “positively prepared”, this would include community responses to consultations, the plan’s approach to growth and its “overall vision for a place”.

She added: “It’s very much about when a local council gets to an examination, they’re sitting there saying: ‘This is the plan we want, this is our plan.

“This is going to make a difference to the local area in a positive way. And it’s ours.’”

The plan releases around 0.7 per cent of the borough’s green belt for development.

The Elmbridge response said none of these were on the boundary of the two authorities, and highlighted Spelthorne considered this to allow the building of family homes with gardens, and lower building heights in Staines.

The response also questioned the release of green belt in Land to the west of Long Lane and South of Blackburn Trading Estate for the building of 200 homes, over sites such as Land to the South and West of Stratton Road, Sunbury and Land off Worple Road, Staines.

The other sites could take 260 and 256 homes respectively, according to the response, which queried that they had been discounted because they may “not aid distribution of development across the borough” and because of negative feedback at a previous preferred options stage.

Cllr Randolph’s letter said: “The approach taken appears inconsistent and that these sites have been discounted on the basis of the reception of the community.”

The Spelthorne spokesperson said: “Between them, the [draft local plan and draft Staines development framework] have been considered by councillors at either cabinet or committee on six different occasions to ensure that members were comfortable with the direction of travel and the progress being made at every stage.

On May 19, 25 of the 33 councillors at the authority’s full council meeting voted to send the plan to public consultation.

The council spokesperson added: “The local plan strategy proposed seeks to meet Spelthorne’s housing needs in full and is considered to be a measured approach that takes into account the views of stakeholders and the evidence developed through the local plan process.”

Public consultation on the plan has been extended up to September 19.

Spelthorne local plan: 

Elmbridge meeting agenda: 

Spelthorne December meeting: https://democracy.spelthorne.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=133&MId=3470

Salts battle hard but Lobsters progress in the Vase. Redhill 2-1 Epsom & Ewell. Isuzu F.A. Vase – First Qualifying Round. Saturday 27th August 2022. Report Source: www.eefconline.co.uk Reporter: Richard Lambert

Our first Vase match of the season also became our last as we were defeated by Redhill at Kiln Brow on Saturday, but our opponents will know that they had to work for the full ninety minutes before coming through in a match that was ultimately only decided by a defensive error.

In fact, over the ninety minutes we had the greater chances and against a team in the top four of Step Five at the time the match kicked off, it was hard to tell that there was a full step between the two opponents. Although that didn’t count for much in the end, our boys deserve a lot of credit and know that performances like this will result in a promotion at the end of the season, which was and remains our ultimate goal this season.

We made four changes to our starting line up with the injured Steve Springett, the unavailable Andy Hall and Adam Grant and the suspended Richard Pingling replaced by Johnny “Sonic” Akoto, Aaron Bogle, Tiago Andrade and Athan Smith-Joseph respectively. However, I have referred to our strength in depth and we looked as good this week as we had seven days previously at Worthing United.

Following a minute’s silence for a Redhill Vice-President, Les Smith, we had a couple of early half chances with Ryan Smith’s strike at goal and a nice bit of interplay between Jaevon Dyer and Andrade finished with a Dyer shot that was well blocked by the Redhill keeper Mike McEntegert. At the other end Matt Walton saved a low shot from Fred Hill with his feet after we were caught out by a long ball.

Our next chance fell to Zach Powell but he scuffed his shot from a good position before a defender made a great challenge to deny Dyer in the act of shooting. Then Dyer turned provider but Smith-Joseph couldn’t quite direct his header on target at the far post. Next to try his luck was Smith from fully thirty yards although it was just wide of the post.

On the half hour Dyer struck another shot which I can confirm was creeping inside the post, but a defender’s leg blocked the effort and the hosts broke with speed, earning a corner which was headed wide by Antonio Simeone. Then Walton was in action again, blocking away a shot from Jason Kaate, before Lyndon McGugan made a superb challenge after it looked as though Smith-Joseph would be able to finish easily when the ball fell kindly for him. Both of these Redhill players were with us briefly during the Covid friendly phase, although neither made a competitive appearance for us.

Dyer was giving the Redhill defence a lot of work and just before the break he was brought down by Sol Patterson-Bonner who earned the first yellow card of the day, but overall both teams looked solid in defence as we went in for half time with the goalless scoreline.

This looked like being a really tight encounter, decided by maybe just one goal, so when we took the lead in the 51st minute it looked like it might be pivotal. Dyer was again involved as he connected with a low ball in and his shot was well saved for a corner and from the Smith delivery Brad Peters rose highest to head home his third goal of the season from eight yards; his finish across McEntegert was unstoppable.

We could and maybe should have extended our lead a minute later when the ball was fed to Smith-Joseph, but his shot from ten yards was kept out by the keeper’s feet. However, the game turned in the 56th minute. Dyer was brought down inside the penalty area, but it didn’t look enough for a penalty for me. Meanwhile Redhill broke at pace and within seconds Yannick Monga ran in from the right and struck a low drive across Walton into the far corner. We had led for just five minutes.

Still we made chances as Andrade’s delicious pass to Smith-Joseph was in stride, but his shot from six yards was straight at the advancing keeper and our flying winger was denied again by a saving defensive challenge minutes later. A couple of substitutions followed as Dyer and Jubril Adamson departed, but we failed to carry the same attacking threat that Dyer had posed and then in the 80th minute we tried to play out from the back, only for Max Oldham stole the ball, ran in and drilled the ball below Walton from close range for what proved to be the winner.

Moments later our Captain Gideon Acheampong to pick up a harsh yellow card for trying to get the ball off Oldham and nudging him over, although it should be noted that Oldham also received a card, but disaster then occurred in the final seconds when our defender tried to reach the ball to block an upfield clearance and he was adjudged to have caught the Redhill player, picking up a second card in the fourth minute of injury time. Clearly our Captain was angry at the decision, which I also thought was the wrong one. As it is Acheampong will now serve a one match suspension.

It is always unfortunate to depart the FA Vase. It is a competition that we have an indelible link with, having been one of the first two finalists in 1975 and we recognise our part in its history. However, as a Step Six team currently, promotion has to be our top priority and if we were going to get the rough end of a decision like that, then at least it didn’t cost us league points. Hopefully we can put this result behind us when we face Oakwood on Monday morning as we go for our fourth League win in a row.

Epsom & Ewell: Matt Walton, Gideon Acheampong ©, Johnny “Sonic” Akoto, Ryan ‘Butch’ Smith, Brad Peters, Aaron Bogle, Athan Smith-Joseph, Zach Powell, Tiago Andrade, Jubril “Jibs” Adamson, Jaevon Dyer

Subs: Gavin Quintyne for Jaevon Dyer (69), Ricardo Fernandes for Adamson (69), Josh Alder for Powell (85)

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council signs the Anti-Social Behaviour Pledge.

Councillor Clive Woodbridge, Mayor of Epsom & Ewell Borough Council has signed an Anti-Social Behaviour Pledge which commits the council to supporting victims of anti-social behaviour.

The pledge is a set of principles put forward by the victims’ charity ASB Help. ASB Help have previously assisted the Community Safety Partnership on complex community trigger applications.

A community trigger can be activated if an incident has been reported three or more times within a six month period and not received a satisfactory response. This gives the victim the right to demand that agencies deal with persistent anti-social behaviour.

The pledge’s aims are as follows:

• Promote awareness – Actively encourage the use of the community
  trigger to residents and partner agencies
• Legality – Confirm an organisation is legally compliant and embracing
  the spirit of the community trigger
• Ensure accessibility – Publicise the community trigger so the most
  vulnerable know what it is and how to invoke it
• Develop the process – Embrace the full potential of the community
  trigger by continually reviewing and learning from best practice
• Generate inclusivity – Use community trigger review meetings to work
  collaboratively and strategically, formulating solutions to end the anti-
  social behaviour
• Establish a precedent of using the community trigger to put victims first
  and deter perpetrators

Councillor John Beckett, Chair of the Environment and Safe Communities Committee, said “Anti-Social behaviour is not welcome in Epsom & Ewell and we work hard with partner agencies to both reduce and prevent it. Anti-social behaviour can be anything from neighbourhood issues and noise nuisance to tall vegetation, bonfires, flytipping and inconsiderate parking. 

“I would like to reassure victims of any sort of anti-social behaviour that we are there to support them. Signing this pledge is a reminder for us as a council and for our partners in the Community Safety Partnership to work more closely with ASB Help and ensure victims are effectively assisted.”

For more information on how to report a community trigger please see https://epsom-ewell.gov.uk/residents/communities-health-and-wellbeing/epsom-and-ewell-community-safety.    

Baroness Sheila Hollins has joined Freemen of the Borough, the local MP and others in their Patronage of The Friends of Horton Cemetery. Baroness Hollins is a leading figure nationally and worldwide in the field of psychiatry. A former President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the British Medical Association, she is an adviser to The Pope on the protection of minors and is a cross-bench member of the House of Lords.

The Charity’s 50+ strong research team leader, Kevin McDonnell, said “We are truly honoured that the charity’s objects have Baroness Hollin’s endorsement. Especially as on 6th September we launch our project “Out of Sight, Out of Mind“, supported by Historic England and Kings College London. The story of the Cemetery and the Stories of the lives of those buried there are becoming significant locally, nationally and internationally. We have researchers and followers here, across the United Kingdom and overseas. An extraordinary heritage putting Epsom on the world map.”

Dr Alana Harris, Director of Kings College’s Liberal Arts Department said “The project aims to restore dignity to the 9000 patients buried beside Epsom’s Hook Road, in Europe’s largest asylum cemetery. Our project seeks to recapture these stories and to create a crowd-sourced memorial, overcoming historical amnesia, neglect, and inaction. We are seeking volunteers (who will be trained, and work in pairs) to lead public engagement ‘chat and craft’ workshops, which will discuss the history of the ‘Epsom Asylum’ cluster and its cemetery.”

You can find out more at an information session on Tuesday 6th September 4pm-6pm at St. Barnabas Church, Temple Road, Epsom KT19 8HA and you can contact the Project via www.hortoncemetery.org

Epsom Posties go on strike. Photo above: Local workers and Labour Party activists outside Epsom’s East Street Royal Mail sorting office today. The biggest strike of summer so far will began today as 115,000 postal workers came out for a  “dignified, proper pay rise”. Members of the Communication Workers Union – which represents Royal Mail Group workers – have started a series of national strike action .

This will be followed by further strike action on Wednesday 31^st August, Thursday 8^th September and Friday 9^th September.

The decision follows the union’s recent ballot for strike action over pay, which saw members vote by 97.6% on a 77% turnout to take action.

The union is demanding that Royal Mail Group make an adequate pay award that covers the current cost of living increases for our members.

Management imposed a 2% pay rise on employees, who were classified as key workers throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, through executive action earlier this summer.

In an economic climate where inflation looks set to soar to 18% by January 2023, the imposition would lead to a dramatic reduction in workers’ living standards.

CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said: “On Friday, we will see a tremendous outpouring of workers’ unity in villages, towns and cities across the country. There can be no doubt that postal workers are completely united in their determination to secure the dignified, proper pay rise they deserve. We can’t keep on living in a country where bosses rake in billions in profit while their employees are forced to use food banks.

“When Royal Mail bosses are raking in £758 million in profit and shareholders pocketing in excess of £400 million, our members won’t accept pleads of poverty from the company. Postal workers won’t meekly accept their living standards being hammered by greedy business leaders who are completely out of touch with modern Britain.

“They are sick of corporate failure getting rewarded again and again. Royal Mail’s leadership have lost the dressing room – and unless they make efforts to get real on discussing a pay rise that postal workers deserve, serious disruption will continue.”

CWU Deputy General Secretary Terry Pullinger said:  “Our members worked miracles during the pandemic and know full well what they are worth. They are fighting for a no strings, real-terms pay rise – something they are fully entitled to. Those managing Royal Mail Group are treating our members with contempt by imposing such a minimal amount. Royal Mail Group have failed to recognise the strength of feeling and have clearly lost the dressing room on pay, so they have left us with no choice but to fight. Our members deserve a pay rise that rewards their fantastic achievements in keeping the country connected during the pandemic, but also helps them keep up during this current economic crisis. We won’t be backing down until we get just that.”

Royal Mail has responded according to the Financial Times: “The CWU had rejected a pay award worth up to 5.5 per cent, which would have added about £230mn to Royal Mail’s annual “people costs” at a time when the business was already lossmaking. This decision by the CWU is an abdication of responsibility for the long-term job security of its members. In more than three months of talks, CWU has failed to engage meaningfully on the business changes required.

“We’re really sorry for the disruption that this strike action is likely to cause to you. We want to reassure you we will do everything we can to minimise disruption and get our services back to normal as quickly as possible.

Royal Mail has well-developed contingency plans, but they cannot fully replace the daily efforts of its frontline workforce. We will be doing what we can to keep services running, but customers should expect significant disruption. 

On days when strike action is taking place: 

• We will deliver as many Special Delivery and Tracked24 parcels as possible
• We will prioritise the delivery of COVID test kits and medical prescriptions wherever possible
• We will not be delivering letters (with the exception of Special Delivery) 

What you can do:

• Post your items as early as possible in advance of the strike dates 
• Continue to post your items at Postboxes or Post Offices, however collections will be less frequent on days when strike action is taking place”

A Tadworth man who stole empty CoVid vaccination vials and sold them on Ebay gets a suspended prison sentence. What do you do when you get given one of those proof of postage receipts in your local post office? Crumple it up and stuff it in the bottom of your bag? Pop it in the recycling pile by the back door when you get home? Diligently file it away somewhere safe?

Luckily for our investigators convicted thief and fraudster Steven Flint took the last approach, but unluckily for him, his neat and tidy admin was eventually his downfall.

Flint was working as a contract security guard at three vaccination sites in the county during the peak of the Covid vaccination roll-out in January and February 2021 when he stole a large quantity of empty Covid vaccine vials to sell them on eBay.

Investigators initially used Post Office CCTV footage and eBay account details to connect Flint to the crimes and he was arrested on suspicion of theft and fraud at one of the sites he worked at in February 2021. Flint had completed 13 shifts before he was arrested.

During a subsequent search of his house, police officers found empty vaccine vials and multiple receipts for packages posted to Flint’s eBay buyers.

Surrey Police detectives also discovered that Flint had fraudulently used the details of an acquaintance to set up a new eBay account to cover his tracks.

Steven Flint, 34 of Bidhams Crescent, Tadworth was found guilty of theft on 19 July at Staines Magistrates Court. He had previously pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation. He was sentenced to one year imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, at Staines Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 17 August.

Flint was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

Detective Inspector Paul Gordon from Surrey Police’s proactive investigation team said: “Covid vaccine vials remain the property of the NHS. Due to their sensitive medical nature, this ownership is maintained before, during and after the vials are used. Taking these items could only have been theft.

“Flint’s crimes took place when the very successful national vaccine programme was in its infancy and any actions which jeopardised public confidence in the vaccine roll-out were treated with the utmost seriousness. We, along with our health service partners and the vaccine manufacturers, reacted extremely quickly to the situation, working together to identify and arrest Flint.”

Lorna Hart, Surrey Heartlands Covid Vaccination Programme Director said: “The NHS will never charge for a Covid-19 vaccination and patients should only ever accept a vaccine from an NHS vaccination service.

“Thanks to the success of our NHS vaccination programme, frontline teams have done an incredible job, delivering over 2.2 million Covid-19 vaccines to people across Surrey Heartlands.

“As part of the autumn booster programme many people, including everyone aged 50 and over, will be offered a Covid-19 booster, as well as a flu jab, to help increase people’s protection against respiratory viruses ahead of winter so we would encourage anyone who is invited to get vaccinated. We also continue to offer the Covid-19 vaccine to anyone who is eligible.”

Written by Karen Parker of Surrey Police