Epsom and Ewell opposition parties are united against the Parliamentary intervention of the “True and Fair Party”. Prospective parliamentary candidate Gina Miller opened her campaign office in Epsom and Ewell this week, promising to set up shadow MP surgeries to help residents struggling through the cost-of-living crisis. The office is based at Regency House, 17 West Street, just off Epsom High Street. In the coming weeks and months, Gina will hold shadow MP surgeries face-to-face and online, from the office and in locations across the constituency.

Gina famously defeated the Government twice in the Supreme Court when the Conservatives attempted to unlawfully override and then shut Parliament. Ministers’ disrespect of the law, entitled attitude and lack of care for the electorate led Gina to form True & Fair. The party campaigns against political corruption and highlights the lack of accountability in our system.

Gina, who is also Leader of the True & Fair Party, said: “In October, True & Fair announced its first slate of election candidates. They are standing in constituencies where traditional opposition parties have struggled to mount a serious challenge to the Conservative incumbent in recent elections. Epsom and Ewell voters can unite under my candidacy, which will be shaped by their aspirations and address their concerns.

“There was a net decline of 300 registered business – far above the national average – in Epsom and Ewell last year, according to the House of Commons Library. I urge any resident who is facing a problem, hardship or unfairness to visit our shadow MP surgeries so that my team and I can help them.”

Commenting on Gina Miller’s decision to stand for Parliament in Epsom and Ewell, Helen Maguire PPC for the Liberal Democratcs stated: “Realistically, we believe the Liberal Democrats are the only party who are able to take this Blue Wall seat from the Conservatives. The constituency of Epsom & Ewell needs an alternative to those who are bringing this country to its knees and so we have put together a committed team with new members joining all the time. The Liberal Democrats were runners up at the last election, but now believe we can close the gap given the Conservatives disastrous record in Government. The strength of our organisation, changes to the constituency’s boundaries, and a hard-working candidate, will enable us to ensure change for the better in this area.”

Mark Todd, Chair of Epsom and Ewell Labour Party stated: “I’m sorry to say that Gina Miller’s candidacy is likely to split the opposition vote and let the Conservative MP back in. It will do more damage than good. The local party Labour is currently forecast to win the seat at the next General Election. There is no need for her to intervene here. The local Labour party have 500 members and 3 councillors who actually live here. Our members volunteer at the local food bank, plant trees, are actively saving a local community centre, write the talking news, work in the local NHS and mental health services as well as in other local voluntary organisations. They’re out knocking doors every weekend and have been holding advice surgeries here for decades helping the local community. Gina Miller doesn’t live here, she advertises herself as living in London. For Gina, Epsom & Ewell is just a publicity stunt. For us, it’s our community and we’re determined to win it from Grayling at the next election”

Chris Grayling, MP for Epsom and Ewell runs regular surgeries for constituents. The Conservative Party’s website maybe out of date in stating: “These are currently held virtually due to the current COVID-19 restrictions (sic). If you are a constituent and would like to arrange a 15 minute appointment, please contact the Constituency Office on 01372 271036.”

Surrey County Council have agreed a new seven year parking and traffic enforcement contract with Marston Holdings Ltd. The contract will mean that parking and traffic enforcement will be operated in partnership between the council and Marston, helping to achieve the council’s transport objectives.

Cabinet Member for Highways and Community Resilience, Kevin Deanus (Conservative member, Waverley Eastern Villages) said: “The new contract will mean that Surrey County Council can more directly and consistently manage on street parking enforcement across the county, helping to tackle inconsiderate parking and make parking restrictions more effective. In addition the contract will allow the installation of traffic enforcement cameras on Surrey’s roads that can be used to help reduce congestion and improve road safety.

“Through the procurement process, Marstons demonstrated an excellent understanding of our requirements and what is needed to operate a successful and cost effective enforcement service to benefit Surrey residents.”

Marstons made a £19.8 million profit on a turnover of £255 million in year end 31st May 2021. Next accounts due to be filed 23rd February. It lists its principal activities as: Consulting and technology; Back office processing; DVLA services; Civil parking services; Road traffic debt recovery; Smart meter installations; and Motor vehicle recoveries. It also provides other debt recovery and enforcement services, including: Criminal fine enforcement; council tax recovery; Civil enforcement; and Utility sector debt recovery.

Epsom and Ewell Times has obtained the following responses from local politicians:

Mark Todd Chair of Epsom and Ewell Labour Party commented: “”This is just more outsourcing likely to lead to poorer services with poorly paid staff exploited by private contractors on behalf of Conservative Surrey County Council. Surrey’s long term outsourcing of road maintenance has been a disaster with its roads regularly rated as the worst, most pot-holed in the UK. Every time we speak to Epsom & Ewell residents, the sorry state of the roads is their top concern. Labour is committed to investing in public services so taxpayers get good value for money from a well-trained, fairly-paid council workforce – we are strongly opposed to Council Tax being siphoned off to profits for private contractors who consistently fail to deliver.”

Gina Miller of the True and Fair Party said: “The finer details of this contract need to be carefully examined. What we must avoid is a private sector company being incentivised to issue tickets, inflating their profits at the expense of honest drivers. There must also be a fair appeals process and no adoption of unsavoury debt collection processes. Without doubt we need to see proper oversight of the contract to make sure no one is penalised unfairly.”

Helen Maguire PPC for the Liberal Democrats said “The moves by SCC to privatise and centralise parking enforcement is just another example of the SCC’s Tory party’s attempt to concentrate power at the centre and away from working with local communities. The moves to put revenues into private companies, divorced from the communities that the like of EEBC serve are an affront to local democracy. Last year, the same centralising tendencies within SCC broke up the working groups that the County Council had with its local community councils – such as Epsom & Ewell and Mole Valley –  preferring instead to silence the voice of local residents, so enabling them to get on with running the County as they see fit –  that is, with less opposition or scrutiny. Currently, Epsom & Ewell BC successfully manage parking issues through their Contact Centre directly with the Parking Manager and his team of wardens. This self funded, not-for-profit-regime has worked well for many years because it is operated by local people who know the area intimately and have kept our residents and other road users safe. Now we see emerging a centralised enforcement regime, put out to private contractors, who in our view, will put more emphasis on enforcement to increase revenues to pay shareholders, rather than a strong but fair local system, that works directly for local interests.”

Do you have a view? Write to Epsom and Ewell Times.

Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell (CAEE) has successfully delivered the first Financial Literacy Course to Epsom & Ewell High School (EEHS) to over 100 year 12 students. The course helps young people understand about money, loans, credit, how to stay out of debt and even how to save.

Every year, CAEE sees many people with serious and complex debt problems. It believes prevention is better than cure so are keen to deliver financial literacy training to as many young people as possible across the borough.
The six week course held last term was funded by Surrey County Councillors Steven McCormick and Bernie Muir together with Alex Coley, trustee of local charity The Ruxley Foundation and funding from the Aviva Community Fund.

Photo: James Newman, Headteacher; Marian Anghileri, Money Adviser CAEE; Cllr Alex Coley, Chair of Trustees of The Ruxley Foundation (funder); Cllr Steve McCormick (funder); Cllr Bernie Muir (funder); Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP; Louise Curd, Publicity & Fundraising Manager CAEE; Hilary Egan, Head of Sixth From, EEHS.

Hannah Cobbold, Assistant Headteacher of EEHS said: “This financial literacy project has not only provided the students at EEHS the skills they need to be financially aware in the future, but also an understanding of the importance of being financially literate. We were extremely impressed with the time and energy that Citizens Advice put in to collaborating with the school to create a scheme of work which was student friendly and
also informative.”

A celebratory assembly was held to conclude the course where each student received a certificate and a contact card to enable easy contact to Citizens Advice in case of future money worries.

One EEHS student said: “On behalf of the sixth form and as a student here I want to give our gratitude towards the council for including us within this supportive pilot scheme. From this programme we’ve all been able to take away something positive; specific to each of us which we can implement into university and many other aspects in our future; whether that be learning about tax , loans, mortgages , credit cards; being scam aware and much more!”
 
“The sessions are one we’ll never forget; as we’ve all taken the first step to become our own money managers and we know that if we ever need; no matter the severity; we can turn towards Citizens Advice. Thanks again for all your support.”

Lisa Davis, CEO of CAEE said: “We are grateful to Epsom & Ewell High School and all the funders for enabling us to deliver this pilot project and look forward to continuing our work with EEHS to similarly support future students. Its success means that we can work towards securing funding to roll out this important messaging about managing finances to other schools in the borough in order to reach as many of our young people as possible”.

Any schools or individuals interested in supporting or delivering the project can contact CAEE via its website www.caee.org.uk

Mole Valley councillors have been warned developers could have “a field day” if government inspectors reject plans to release green belt sites from the authority’s plan for homes.

[Ed: Epsom and Ewell Times is following this story as there maybe some parallels for the progress of our Local Plan expected to be published shortly for Council consideration. (For “release” read “remove”).]

At a specially-called meeting of the district council on Monday (January 16), members unanimously voted to write to the government inspector looking at the local plan to get an opinion on the proposals. The updates to the local plan, which outlines the authority’s plan for new homes in the district up to 2037, are being proposed because of changes to planning at central government level.

The changes include a consultation running until March on updating the National Planning Policy Framework.
Changes at central government level could mean lower housing targets for councils as they look at their local plans, meaning councils may not need to release green belt sites for homes. But the move would also mean a loss in the number of affordable homes built across the district, with officers saying around 625 affordable homes could be lost over the duration of the plan.

A warning was also issued in the meeting of what might happen if the inspector said no to the proposed changes to the plan, which went through an examination in public from January to October last year. Cllr David Hawksworth (Independent, Ashtead Common) said in principle he welcomed the “brave move” but raised concerns on what might happen if the inspector did not accept any changes as a “major modification” and the plan needed to be started again. He said: “[There could be] a long period in which there would be a field day for developers that would be coming in and trying to get some of the green belt sites because they’d be operating under our existing local plan.”

The green belt sites which could be released from the plan, and therefore protected from future development unless there are very special circumstances, including land behind the Six Bells pub in Newdigate, Sondes Place Farm in Dorking and the former sewage works in Brockham. But the sites at Tanners Meadow in Bookham and Headley Court would remain part of the local plan because they already have planning permission granted on all or part of them.

The prospect of reopening the entire local plan again was rejected by the cabinet member for planning, Cllr Margaret Cooksey (Lib Dem, Dorking South), who described it as a “dangerous proposition”. She rejected a call from one Conservative councillor to resign from her post, towards the end of a meeting that was heavy with party politics but nonetheless in which there was agreement on the final outcome.

Councillors also raised concerns about their own areas and the impact developments could have in different parts of Mole Valley. Charlwood Councillor Lisa Scott (Green) claimed a lot of people had already moved away from the area because of changes that were coming in the local plan, with villages such as Hookwood destined to see four green belt sites developed under the current draft plan.

Conservative Councillor Joanna Slater (Leatherhead South) said taking the green belt sites out of the local plan would mean half of all development would take place in the town, compared to 30 per cent under the plan currently under consideration. She added that the impact would be “huge” and affect school places, traffic and healthcare. She added: “You might as well rename the local plan ‘building tower blocks in Leatherhead and other projects’.

Despite a meeting in which the chair said he would have to adjourn if members did not stop “all this shouting out”, writing to the inspector was unanimously voted through by members, who will now await her reply.

Related reports:

Crucial month for local Local Plans?

Gove gives pause for thought on Local Plans?

Local Plan Battle: early skirmishes on Downs Farm

Epsom and Ewell last in Local Planning

Local Planning Matters

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council has brought in a Public Space Protection Order following a consultation with residents about psychoactive substance abuse in the Borough’s open spaces.

Image Philafrenzy CC

The Order covers psychoactive substances not otherwise fully controlled by national legislation. The most significant example of this is currently nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas, which is typically used in the catering industry and supplied in small metallic cannisters or larger pressurised tanks.

A Public Space Protection Order makes it an offence to use or be in possession of these types of substances on public land. It will be in place two years initially and signs are being placed in hotspots around the Borough, including all parks, over the coming month.

Any person who fails to comply with this order without a reasonable excuse will have their material confiscated and risk a Fixed Penalty Notice of £100 or a fine in court of £1,000. This will be enforced by both the police and the Council’s enforcement teams.

Councillor John Beckett, Chair of the Environment and Safe Communities Committee, said, “We have seen a considerable increase in the use of nitrous oxide cannisters in the Borough. There are real concerns from residents about the risks of this drug and the gateway effect to other dangerous substances. We want to alleviate the impacts of this drug by highlighting the adverse effects and provide a safe community for all residents in Epsom & Ewell. This public space protection order will provide powers to the police and our enforcement teams to issue fixed penalty notices in the event of a breach. We know our residents feel strongly about this issue and we thank them for their responses to our consultation.”

If residents are concerned about the presence of psychoactive substances in the Borough, they may report them via https://epsom-ewell.gov.uk/residents/online-forms?field_form_category_value=Report.
This Public Space Protection Order has been made under 59 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014.

The Council has already located and seized substances from persons present in the stairwell of one of its carparks and carried out follow up work with them and their parents.

London Welsh 42 – Sutton & Epsom RFC 27 – Saturday 14th January. When these two sides met at Rugby Lane in October they produced an engrossing affair that ended honours even 15-15. Sutton and Epsom arrived at the famous Old Deer Park ground looking to build on the previous Saturday’s win against Bournemouth as they attempt to fight their way out of the relegation zone. The Exiles fielded a much-changed team from the earlier encounter and were able this time to field the formidable trio of Couzens, Bodinham and Cowdy.

After a feast of running rugby and eight tries London Welsh prevailed 42-27. Fortunately the torrential midday rain abated in time for the kick off. Sutton had only two changes in their starting XV as they welcomed back Ross Parsons and James Caddy. London Welsh kicked off and the hosts started at full throttle forcing their way into the visitors’ 22. They opened their account via the boot of Dafydd Manley for a 3-0 lead.

After one-way traffic for the opening ten minutes the Surrey men were awarded a penalty on their first incursion into the Welsh half. Though the kick was near halfway Freddy Bunting strode up and thumped over what was to be the first of his five penalties of the afternoon to level the score, 3-3. Parity did not last long. The marauding Number 8 Ben Davies passed to the towering Ed Couzens and Rhys Howells was on hand to add the finishing touches for the first try. Dafydd Manley’s conversion failed but London Welsh led 8-3 after fifteen minutes. 

Sutton had enjoyed limited possession and precious little time in their opponent’s territory but took the lead in stunning style. After good work by the forwards Jamie Flatley was presented with the ball and with quicksilver footwork left the defence clutching at thin air to scamper in under the posts. Freddy Bunting did the necessary and Sutton and Epsom led by 10-8 at the end of the first quarter.

London Welsh did not trail for long. Scrum half Adam Nixon darted down the blindside to release Sion Cowdy whose perfectly timed pass put in Jacob Butler to restore the ODP team’s lead as Dafydd Manley added the extras for 15-10. Another Freddy Bunting penalty reduced Sutton’s deficit to 13-15. But minutes later it was the hosts who were awarded a penalty but they opted to kick it into the corner for the attacking line out. The pack controlled the ball and ushered captain James Buncle over the line for his first try this campaign. Dafydd Manley failed to add to the scoreboard as the Welsh led 20-13. Sutton and Epsom were still very much in the contest and with the prodigious Bunting adding another penalty with half time rapidly approaching the visitors were trailing 16-20.

The gloss was rubbed off Sutton and Epsom’s first period performance when scrum half Adam Nixon finished off an attack he initiated with a quick tap penalty. When Dafydd Manley’s conversion sailed between the posts Mr Michael Essam blew his whistle to end the first half with London Welsh 27-16 to the good. The Black & Whites started the second period well playing at a high tempo with excellent work from the forwards to set up camp in the host’s 22. Despite the control and pressure they were only able to add another Bunting penalty to trail 19-27. In their first sortie to the Sutton 22 the ODP team consoled themselves with a Dafydd Manley penalty for 30-19. Despite this score it was the visitors who were now in the ascendancy. The Sutton and Epsom pack hammered the Welsh defences with power and control as Ewan McTaggart advanced to the line.

The red wall held firm and hooker Gareth Lewis stole the ball to relieve the siege. After such a superb defensive effort London Welsh offered a lifeline to the visitors as Ben Bodinham received a yellow card. Sutton and Epsom and Epsom replacement Lawrence Elliott made an immediate impact with a surging break as Sutton and Epsom pressed hard to make their numerical superiority pay.

The visitors were playing their best rugby of the game but had to content themselves with another Freddy Bunting penalty. Trailing 22-30 with 15 minutes to go and a man up Sutton and Epsom were very much back in the contest. Hope springs eternal but misery can deflate spectators in seconds. From the restart Sutton and Epsom knocked on and from the scrum Tom Brooker was shown a yellow card and the game continued as a 14-man contest.

To compound the problems for Sutton and Epsom the Exile’s Number 8 Ben  Davies burrowed his way over from close-range to extend London Welsh’s lead to 35-22 with ten minutes remaining. Sutton had to get the next try but that honour went to the hosts and it was the best of their six. Sion Cowdy strode forward from halfway, chipped ahead and won the foot race as he regathered the ball he passed to supporting full back Tom Hunt who scored. Dafydd Manley added the conversion to make it 42-22 and end all hopes of a Sutton success.

Sutton and Epsom refused to retire meekly in the gathering gloom as the game entered time added on. Tom Brooker returned to the contest and made an instant impact as the Rugby Lane men went in search of a consolation. After pressure from the tireless pack had drawn the Welsh defences to their posts the ball was spun wide and a long ball floated pass reached Tom Brooker on the wing and he scored in the corner. That was the final score in a thoroughly entertaining contest with London Welsh earning a bonus point for a 42-27 victory. London Welsh scrum half Adam Nixon won the Devil’s Bridge Rum Man of the Match and he had been at the heart of the action throughout. London Welsh were worthy winners as they created more chances and secured six tries.

The kicking of Freddy Bunting kept Sutton and Epsom in the contest and if they had been more clinical they may have gained a bonus point or two. Sutton and Epsom certainly matched the hosts for phases of the match and played some exhilarating rugby but the try on the stroke of half time and the yellow card were critical blows from which they did not recover. Next Saturday sees the basement battle as Rugby Lane plays host to the Wiltshire All Blacks, Royal Wootton Bassett, who earned a very creditable bonus point at home against Havant as Sutton and Epsom toiled at ODP. Further afield Banbury’s 17-17 draw at Brighton was another result that was not welcome for the Black & Whites.

When Sutton & Epsom ventured to Ballards Ash earlier in the campaign they lost by the narrow margin of 31-29 as RWB celebrated their first win of the season. Sutton will need to turn the tables on Saturday and will hope a large and vocal crowd will gather at Rugby Lane for the 2pm start to cheer on the Black & Whites.

Sutton & Epsom: Sam Hurley, Robbie Martey, Freddy Bunting, Jamie See, Kyren Ghumra, Jamie Flatley, Ross Parsons, Tom Boaden, Alex Mount, Will Lloyd, James Caddy, Josh Glanville, Chris Farrell ©, Rob Hegarty &  Tom Brooker. Replacements: (all used) Jack Howes, Ewan McTaggart &  Lawrence Elliott.

London Welsh: Tom Hunt, Sion Cowdy, Rhys Howells, Dafydd Manley, Osian McAvoy, Adam Nixon, James Buncle ©, Gareth Lewis, Sam Johnson, Ed Couzens, Ben Bodinham, Charlie Bramble, Rohan Pixley &  Ben Davies. Replacements: (all used) Myles Keane, James Downing & Elis Staines.

Go to https://www.suttonrugby.co.uk   for future fixtures.

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council‘s Licensing, Policy and Planning Committee meets Friday 19th January but the Local Plan does not feature on its agenda. Local Liberal Democrats are asking for the Local Plan timetable to be delayed following central Government indications of a relaxation of new build housing targets.

Liberal Democrat councillors are asking Epsom & Ewell Borough Council to delay the publication of the “regulation 18” part of its Local Plan from the current date of early February, so as to incorporate potential changes to the housing targets set by national government.  It is expected that Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, will make changes to how local councils need to interpret housing targets, and the treatment of Green Belt land, and the implications of those changes are currently unclear.  It is hoped to hear more from central government in the next few weeks.  

“The original timetable for the draft Local Plan to go out to public consultation from early in February could well stand if there’s an announcement quickly” says Cllr Julie Morris, [LibDem College Ward] member of the borough council’s Licensing & Planning Policy Committee. 

Liberal Democrats have previously been critical of Epsom & Ewell council’s slow progress towards the production of a Local Plan.  They now say that circumstances in which the Conservative Government, primed by a statement from PM Rishi Sunak, could change the rules around housing targets and Green Belt development could warrant a short delay so as to make the draft Local Plan more robust. 

“We have often been critical of the delays in bringing this draft Local Plan forward for consultation but going ‘live’ in early February could rule out being able to swiftly incorporate government changes to housing targets or implement new guidance on Green Belt development.   We hope a delay won’t be necessary but pausing for a few weeks could potentially save months and months of extra work in 2023 and a much longer delay in achieving the objective, which is to have local policies in place to guide development and protect our borough “ says Cllr Morris.

A special meeting of Epsom and Ewell’s Licensing, Policy and Planning Committee will be held on 30th January. The agenda has not yet been published. One authoritative inside source has told the Epsom and Ewell Times that the Local Plan will proceed along the existing timetable and be published in February.

Our partner at the BBC reports below on the latest position from neighbouring Mole Valley.

Changes to Mole Valley’s plan for development in the district could lead to the loss of hundreds of affordable homes. The district council has paused its local plan, which sets out where 6,000 homes will be built up to 2037, while the government consults on possible changes to planning policy.

A specially-called meeting of Mole Valley District Council on Monday (January 16) will discuss asking the government inspector overseeing the plan about the removal of green belt sites included in the plan. The sites include land behind the Six Bells pub in Newdigate, Tapwood Workshops in Buckland, land at Chalkpit Lane in Bookham,  Sondes Place Farm, Dorking and the former sewage works in Brockham and sites in Hookwood and Capel among others.

The removal of the green belt sites, if it goes ahead, would be as a result of a lower housing targets from central government, meaning the district council could aim to build fewer homes over the period of the local plan. But this also means a reduction in the number of affordable homes that would be built, with the council’s policy at 40 per cent of new developments being affordable homes. Documents for the meeting said officers estimated the changes would mean the non-delivery of approximately 625 new affordable homes.

They went on to say the affordable housing policy itself would not be affected. Council documents show that one of the priority outcomes for the local plan is to: “Encourage the creation of affordable housing to meet local needs and explore innovative methods of delivery.”

Surrey Community Action works with local communities to increase the amount of affordable housing in rural villages and small towns in the county. In Mole Valley the organisation has supported The Poland Trust on the development of 12 affordable homes to rent at social rent levels and five affordable self-build homes for people living in Brockham and Betchworth.

A Surrey Community Action spokesperson said: “Affordable housing continues to be a critical issue in Surrey. In rural areas of Surrey, the shortage of housing is particularly acute and this has been exacerbated by the increase in the number of people seeking properties with more outdoor space following the pandemic, causing house prices and rents to reach their highest levels of unaffordability for people on average salaries.”

Related reports:

Gove gives pause for thought on Local Plans?

Local Plan Battle: early skirmishes on Downs Farm

Epsom and Ewell last in Local Planning

Local Planning Matters

The Local Plan to plan The Local Plan

Cllr Gulland: Insulate & Generate – two key aspects to include in the Local Plan for Epsom & Ewell

The race known as The Tadworth 10 was held on Sunday 8th January 2023 at 11.30am, started and finished at Epsom Racecourse. The race is a scenic and challenging 10 miles, 2-lap course comprising 50% road and 50% tracks & grass and was supported by around 700+ runners of all abilities. Much of the proceeds from the race go towards assisting two local charities. The Sunnybank Trust that supports adults with learning disabilities in North East Surrey to live without prejudice and have confidence, opportunities and control over their own lives. And the Woodland Trust that plants trees and preserves woodland and created the 650 Centenary Wood in Langley vale, Epsom.

William Caruana a senior runner of Epsom and Ewell Harriers came 12th in a time of 1 hour 6 minutes 47 seconds, with Jeremy Garner of Epsom Oddballs Running Club close on his heels 4 seconds behind.

Local photographer Steven McCormick followed the event with thousands of images covering every bib number. The photographs are for sale with proceeds going to the same charities.

See his website HERE

The full list of 2023 Epsom race days could be confirmed next week, with the Derby planned for the weekend of June 3. The Epsom Downs Racecourse needs confirmation for some of the races in this year’s programme from the Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators.

A meeting of the conservators, made up of councillors and representatives of the Jockey Club, which runs the racecourse, will discuss the proposed dates on Monday (January 16). Any race meets on a Sunday or taking place in the evening need the approval of the conservators, affecting five dates in the calendar.

It will be the first Epsom Derby to be held since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September. The late Queen was a regular the Derby, and when she missed the 2022 Derby it was only the fifth time she had since her coronation, with two of those times due to coronavirus restrictions.

The meeting will also decide whether or not barbecues will be allowed on the Downs during the race days, as happened for the first time in 2022. In 2020 and 2021 the event was held behind closed doors, and in 2022 it was held with a capacity crowd for the first time since 2019, with people in the grandstand and watching from the Downs too.

As well as Derby Day on Saturday June 3, the list of races also includes Ladies’ Day on Friday June 2 and other dates between April and October.

The full list of dates is below:

Tuesday 25 April
Friday 2 June (Ladies’ Day)
Saturday 3 June (Derby Day)
Wednesday 5 July (Evening)
Thursday 13 July (Evening)
Thursday 20 July (Evening)
Thursday 3 August (Evening)
Friday 18 August
Monday 28 August (Bank Holiday)
Thursday 14 September
Sunday 1 October

The evening dates listed above and the race on Sunday October 1 are those which need approval from the meeting.

Barbecues on the Downs were approved by the Conservators in March 2020, but not introduced until 2022 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Conservators will decide if they can go ahead again for Ladies’ Day, The Derby and the August Bank Holiday race meetings.

An officers’ report into the barbecues said a “global debate” was ongoing over their impact on air pollution, with sustainably produced charcoal possibly having a carbon neutral impact on the environment. The report said: “The Jockey Club may want to consider this research in its code of conduct for use of the barbecue area and encourage visitors to purchase sustainably produced charcoal from coppiced English woodlands or made from other sustainable materials such as coconut shells, seed/crop husks or bamboo.”

A woman who was married to a domestic abuser for 10 years said after he was sent to prison: “To the outside word they appear rational, they hide their abusive behaviour from everyone around them”.

After countless assaults, in 2017 she began documenting her injuries, which she recalls was “so that if he killed me, there would be a timeline of the assaults becoming more severe before my eventual death.”

Over the years, Joseph Alcock of Dorking, had left her with black eyes, facial injuries requiring a total of 30 stitches and even stab wounds. The final assault happened at the Prince of Wales Pub Alcock managed in Dorking on 6 September 2020, when he knocked her unconscious. She was later found alone by a member of the public.

The shock of this brutal attack led to her coming forward and working with Surrey Police officers from the domestic abuse team to secure evidence of six different assaults between 2017 and 2020.

After eventually pleading guilty to three counts of actual bodily harm and three counts of grievous bodily harm, Joseph Alcock, 43, was sentenced to five years and ten months’ imprisonment at Guildford Crown Court on Monday (9 January). He was also given an indefinite restraining order against her.

Passing the sentence, the Judge called Alcock a ‘violent bully’ and paid tribute to the victim’s bravery in attending court.

In a statement following the sentencing, she said: “I have waited two and a half years from my initial report to police to see a conclusion in court. However, I am glad I came forward and I would encourage other victims of domestic abuse to seek help too. You aren’t alone. I’d like to thank the police and prosecution for all their support and for securing a successful outcome. Even with every obstacle presented to them, they have always put my welfare first. I want to start rebuilding my life, after this period has consumed me for so long, I am hoping this is now the start of some form of closure for me.”

Detective Sergeant Tracey Muir, who investigated the case, said: “The fact that Alcock is behind bars is down to the bravery and tenacity of the victim, who has used her experience to encourage those in a similar situation to try to seek help and support. Domestic abuse is sadly prevalent in our society, and we must continue to work together as communities to stop abusers in their tracks and safeguard victims. If you suspect that someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, or if you’re experiencing domestic abuse yourself, please reach out to us.

“We have specialist support in place for victims, including dedicated support workers in place throughout the investigation and court process. If you aren’t ready to speak to us, reach out to one of our brilliant Surrey-based charities who can offer sanctuary and practical, as well as emotional, support.”

There is a range of information on the Surrey Police website, including:

The signs of domestic abuse
How to report domestic abuse and what will happen after your report
Where to find details of support organisations