Epsom Council leader’s delayed response to additional local government layer initiative
7 July 2026
Dalton says Surrey devolution letter was non-binding and rooted in Council’s 2025 vote
Epsom & Ewell Borough Council leader Councillor Hannah Dalton has said her decision to sign a letter supporting exploration of a new Surrey-wide “Foundation Strategic Authority” was based on the Council’s previous backing for local government reorganisation and the prospect of a future mayoral strategic authority.
The explanation follows questions raised by Epsom & Ewell Times over why Cllr Dalton signed the Expression of Interest without the matter first being referred back to the full Council.
Earlier attempts to obtain an answer were met with references to election-period restrictions, prompting criticism that the Council was avoiding a straightforward question about the authority under which its leader had acted.
In a response supplied to EET, and attributed to Cllr Dalton, the Council said the background lay in the Government’s English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024.
It said that, at a full Council meeting on 6 May 2025, Epsom & Ewell Borough Council agreed to support a proposal for local government reorganisation in Surrey. The proposal envisaged a future Mayoral Strategic Authority for Surrey, led by an elected mayor and intended to unlock the Government’s wider devolution offer.
Cllr Dalton said the Council and other Surrey authorities were now working on the reorganisation process and had recently been invited by the Government to explore a possible Foundation Strategic Authority.
The Council describes this as an intermediate stage towards fuller devolution. It says the letter signed by Cllr Dalton was a “non-binding Expression of Interest”, intended only to keep open the possibility that the proposed new East Surrey and West Surrey unitary councils could later explore creating such an authority.
The response states: “It did not commit the Council, confer obligations upon it, or determine any future course of action.”
It adds that any formal decision would follow a statutory consultation.
The answer clarifies the Council’s position that Cllr Dalton did not require a new Council resolution before signing the letter, because the authority relied upon was the Council’s broad 2025 endorsement of a reorganisation proposal which contemplated a Surrey mayoral strategic authority.
However, it is likely to leave open the political question of whether that earlier approval was sufficiently specific to authorise support for this particular Government initiative, especially where the letter was signed in the name of the Borough Council rather than simply as a contribution to exploratory discussions between Surrey leaders.
A Foundation Strategic Authority is a proposed form of combined authority with devolved powers but without an elected mayor. It may be used as a stepping stone towards a fuller mayoral combined or strategic authority. The Council says discussions with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government continue, including the next steps and the scope and timing of any statutory consultation.
The Council has directed readers to its online democracy pages for the reports and minutes relating to the 6 May 2025 meeting.
Nescot students restore Pat Eddery memorial bench at Epsom Downs
7 July 2026
Students from Nescot have helped restore a memorial bench dedicated to legendary jockey Pat Eddery at Epsom Downs Racecourse.
The work gave young people on Nescot’s alternative provision programme, for those aged 14 to 16, practical experience in woodworking and restoration while contributing to one of Epsom’s best-known sporting venues.
Eddery, regarded as one of the most successful jockeys in British racing history, rode more than 4,600 winners during a career spanning over three decades. He was British champion jockey 11 times and won The Derby on several occasions.
His achievements at Epsom Downs, and his long association with the Derby Festival, make the restoration of the memorial bench especially significant.
Following the project, the students were invited to Epsom Downs Racecourse to see the bench reinstated in the Parade Ring. They were also given a behind-the-scenes tour of the historic Queen Elizabeth II Stand by Julie Kapsalis MBE, Principal and CEO of Nescot and a member of the Epsom Downs Racecourse Committee.
The group visited areas not usually open to the public and followed the route taken by King Charles III and Queen Camilla during their recent Derby Festival visit, ending at the Royal Box balcony overlooking the racecourse.
Julie Kapsalis said: “Working alongside The Jockey Club on projects like this is a fantastic example of how education and industry can come together to benefit both students and the wider community.
“Our students have shown tremendous dedication in restoring this important memorial, gaining valuable practical skills while helping to preserve a piece of Epsom’s unique heritage.”
Jim Allen, General Manager at Epsom Downs Racecourse, said the restored bench was “a fitting tribute to one of racing’s greatest jockeys”.
He added: “The students have done an outstanding job. The bench looks absolutely fantastic and is a fitting tribute to one of racing’s greatest jockeys.
“We are proud to see it back in the Parade Ring, where racegoers, owners, trainers and jockeys can continue to enjoy it for many years to come.”
The bench restoration is part of a developing partnership between Nescot and The Jockey Club. Nescot students also sang on the Community Zone stage at this year’s Betfred Derby Festival and have begun work on a large-scale mural for the racecourse underpass, intended to mark the 250th running of the Derby in 2029.
The project combines practical learning with the preservation of a small but meaningful part of Epsom’s racing heritage.
Photo: Nescot students with NESCOT CEO Julie Kapsalis
Surrey astrophysicists explore ultra-black satellite coating to protect night sky
7 July 2026
A satellite coating made from one of the world’s darkest materials could help tackle a growing threat to astronomy, according to new research led by astrophysicists at the University of Surrey.
With as many as 60,000 satellites projected to orbit Earth by 2030, scientists are seeking ways to reduce their brightness in the night sky.
In a new study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, researchers demonstrate how Vantablack® 310 – an ultra-black coating developed by University of Surrey spinout Surrey NanoSystems, which co-authored the paper – could help reduce light pollution from satellites in low Earth orbit.
The growing number of satellites already in orbit has raised concerns among scientists and stargazers. Reflected sunlight from spacecraft can create bright streaks and flares that interfere with telescope observations and large-scale surveys of the night sky.
This can make it more difficult to detect faint objects, including asteroids, distant galaxies and other important astronomical phenomena.
To tackle the problem, the research team measured how Vantablack® 310 reflects light under a range of illumination and viewing conditions. They then used those laboratory measurements to simulate how a coated satellite surface would appear from the ground.
The simulations showed that the coating could make satellite surfaces significantly fainter, bringing their brightness close to the limit recommended by the International Astronomical Union for protecting astronomical observations.
The findings suggest that ultra-black coatings could provide a practical way to reduce the impact of future satellites on astronomy and the night sky.
Astha Chaturvedi, lead author of the study and a postgraduate researcher at the University of Surrey, said: “The night sky is one of humanity’s oldest windows into the universe, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to see things.
“Our results show that relatively simple material choices could make a meaningful difference to how satellites affect astronomical observations without requiring major changes to mission design.”
Vantablack® 310 reflects only around two per cent of incoming light. The small amount of light it does reflect is distributed more diffusely, reducing the bright flashes commonly produced by reflective satellite surfaces.
Dr Noelia Noël, co-author of the study and Senior Lecturer in Astrophysics at the University of Surrey, said: “Space is becoming increasingly crowded, creating challenges not only for astronomers but for everyone who values an unspoilt night sky.
“What is encouraging about this research is that it moves us beyond simply identifying the problem and towards developing practical, evidence-based solutions.
“As an astrophysicist at Surrey, I am particularly proud that a potential solution to this astronomical challenge has emerged from pioneering materials research at our own University. Vantablack® technology grew from work involving my colleague Professor Ravi Silva and was developed and commercialised by Surrey NanoSystems, demonstrating what can be achieved when astrophysics, engineering and industry work together.”
James Whitfield, Applications Scientist at Surrey NanoSystems and co-author of the study, said: “Satellite constellations offer enormous benefits, but their growing brightness presents a challenge for ground-based astronomy.
“Vantablack® 310 combines ultra-black performance across a wide range of viewing angles with the durability needed for low Earth orbit. We are proud to work with the University of Surrey to help protect the night sky while supporting innovation in satellite technology.”
The team is now preparing for an in-orbit demonstration aboard the Jovian-1 CubeSat mission, a student-led satellite programme involving the universities of Surrey, Portsmouth and Southampton.
The demonstration will test both the coating’s performance in the space environment and whether the resulting change in brightness can be measured from the ground.
The wider Light Pollution and Sustainable Space initiative, led by Dr Noël, was named Best Sustainable Project at the University of Surrey’s 2026 Sustainability Awards, recognising its systematic approach to reducing satellite brightness through material design.
The work has also reached the international stage, with lead author Astha Chaturvedi invited to present the research at the United Nations Workshop on Dark and Quiet Skies in Vienna. Dr Noël has also highlighted the wider challenge of satellite light pollution and the need to protect the night sky through her TEDx talk.
Two identical bronze casts – one has been coated with Vantablack® 310 (Credit: Surrey NanoSystems)
Two years on: Helen Maguire’s record as Epsom and Ewell MP
7 July 2026
Helen Maguire marks two years as Epsom and Ewell’s MP today, having won the constituency for the Liberal Democrats at the General Election on 4 July 2024.
Her victory, by 3,686 votes, ended the 23-year Commons tenure of Conservative Chris Grayling and made her the first Liberal Democrat and first woman to represent the seat.
Two years later, her record combines a continuing Westminster front-bench role, a highly visible constituency operation, claims of progress on local health and transport issues, and an unusually public breakdown in relationships with leading local Liberal Democrats.
From Defence lead to specialist health brief
Maguire’s first major Commons appointment came quickly after her election. In September 2024 she became the Liberal Democrats’ spokesperson for Defence, placing her at the head of the party’s Commons work on defence policy, service welfare, veterans and the Armed Forces.
She took part in detailed scrutiny of the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill and has remained active on military accommodation, veterans’ compensation and support for bereaved service families.
In October 2025, she moved to the Liberal Democrat front-bench role of spokesperson for Primary Care and Cancer. She remains a front-bench spokesperson, but the change altered her place within the party’s portfolio structure.
Her Defence post was an umbrella departmental brief. Her current role is a specialist health position within the wider Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care operation, headed by Helen Morgan MP.
Maguire’s focus has since included GP access, pharmacy provision, cancer treatment, NHS dentistry, women’s health, hospital services and patient access to care.
Hospitals, health and primary care
Healthcare has become one of Maguire’s most prominent local themes.
She has repeatedly raised the condition and future of St Helier Hospital, including in her maiden speech and an abseiling adventure at St Helier Hospital. Her office says that, following a sustained campaign involving meetings with hospital stakeholders and parliamentary pressure, St Helier has secured £57 million for its A&E department.
The office also highlights £12 million in funding for Epsom Hospital. It says Maguire has secured commitments to improve endometriosis services after constituents raised concerns about their treatment, including increased clinical capacity, enhanced surgical provision, improved follow-up and stronger administrative oversight.
Her office further says she has supported the national pharmacy funding package in connection with Horton Pharmacy, visited local dentists while pressing for better NHS dental provision, and promoted neighbourhood health centres intended to bring services closer to residents.
At Westminster, she has used her new health role to raise issues including cancer medicines, primary care, breast cancer, patient access to treatment and the impact of NHS policy on people facing complex health conditions.
Rail services, access and local infrastructure
Rail services have been another major local campaign.
Maguire has pressed South Western Railway over reduced train frequencies since the pandemic and argued that passengers in Epsom and Ewell should have greater influence over future timetables. Her office says SWR is expected to launch a formal public consultation on a new timetable, describing this as a step towards restoring services closer to pre-Covid levels.
Accessibility at Ewell West station has also featured. Her office says that, following discussions with SWR, two additional Blue Badge spaces were created alongside a painted pedestrian route, zebra crossing and dropped kerbs providing a step-free route to the station entrance.
She has also raised accessibility issues in Parliament, including concern that some disabled and visually impaired passengers can be disadvantaged by ticket-machine systems and reduced staffed facilities.
Other local campaigns listed by her office include pavement parking, Thames Water sewage discharges, electric-vehicle charging infrastructure and persistent dust and noise complaints connected with the Chalk Pit.
Casework, community activity and local presence
As with any MP, much of Maguire’s work is carried out through individual constituency cases rather than Commons speeches.
Her office says more than 17,000 constituents have received casework, campaign or policy responses over the past two years. That figure covers different forms of contact and assistance, rather than necessarily 17,000 separate individual cases.
Examples cited by her office include help with Personal Independence Payment claims, SEND cases, passport and visa delays, taxi licensing, Blue Badges, housing-association repairs and other departmental or local-authority problems.
The office says she has held regular surgeries and meetings across Epsom, Ewell, Ashtead and Leatherhead, alongside visits to schools, clubs, businesses, health providers and community organisations.
Among the examples highlighted are meetings over the Bridge Youth and Community Centre, the cost-of-living crisis and violence against women and girls; police walkabouts in Epsom and Leatherhead; engagement with the local Hong Kong community over BN(O) visa changes; visits to local dentists and independent businesses; support for sports clubs and park improvements; and activity around Chamber Mead wetlands and the release of water voles.
Armed Forces, veterans and international work
Maguire’s military background remains visible in her parliamentary and constituency activity.
Her office says she has helped press for improved housing standards for service personnel and their families, campaigned for free rail travel to remembrance events for bereaved military families, and maintained links with the local Armed Forces community through Remembrance and Territorial Army events.
She also retains an international profile. Her parliamentary interests include Ukraine, Russia (which has sanctioned her), conflict prevention, humanitarian demining and the impact of explosive weapons on civilians. She has held roles in cross-party groups addressing explosive weapons and conflict-related humanitarian concerns.
Registered interests and comparisons with predecessors
Maguire’s Commons register of interests contains 18 current entries. These include campaign and constituency-event support, hospitality, overseas visits, former rental-property interests, shareholdings held jointly with her husband and an unpaid directorship.
Her register does not show current paid outside employment or a second job. That is a different profile from her two predecessors.
Chris Grayling, now Lord Grayling, has a House of Lords register focused principally on paid advisory roles and rental income. Before him, Sir Archibald Hamilton developed a reputation in the 1990s for holding a large number of outside interests. Contemporary reporting placed him among the Conservative MPs with the highest number of paid external roles.
The comparisons are imperfect because disclosure rules have changed substantially over the decades. But Maguire’s register is materially different from the paid consultancy and directorship profile associated with Hamilton. Her entries are mainly donations, hospitality, travel, shareholdings and historic property interests rather than paid outside work.
All such entries are published under parliamentary disclosure rules and do not in themselves imply wrongdoing.
Local Liberal Democrat rupture
The most difficult political aspect of Maguire’s first two years has been the breakdown in relationships within the Epsom and Ewell Liberal Democrat organisation.
Cllr Julie Morris, the long-serving College Ward councillor and now Deputy Mayor, resigned from the Liberal Democrats Group she led and became an Independent. She was later followed by Cllr James Lawrence, her successor as leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Epsom and Ewell Borough Council, who also left the party to sit as an Independent.
Their departures reduced the Liberal Democrat group on the Borough Council and strengthened the Independent group.
Lawrence was explicit in linking his resignation partly to Maguire. He said he believed the MP had become too focused on “leafleting and electioneering” rather than meaningful national policy change. He also referred to concerns about the effect of her approach on volunteers who gave time to the Liberal Democrat Party.
Morris likewise referred to difficulties within the local Liberal Democrat organisation and the MP’s political operation as part of the background to her own decision.
A later episode during the East Surrey Unitary Council election campaign added to the political controversy.
At the count on 8 May 2026, Epsom and Ewell Times reported that Helen Maguire’s communications officer directed newly elected Liberal Democrat candidates not to speak to the media and said journalists should instead seek interviews with Maguire.
Maguire publicly disputed EET’s account at a Westminster reception. However, in subsequent correspondence her communications officer, Esther Holland, accepted that a restriction on media engagement had been in place, while denying that Maguire herself had imposed a “gag”.
The explanation given was that, though on a Parliament sanctioned salary, Holland was also acting as East Surrey Liberal Democrat communications officer and that the temporary restriction was for electoral purposes. Maguire’s office said she knew of the arrangement but had not personally directed it.
The episode did not establish that Maguire herself ordered the media restriction though she was an integral part of its workings and presumably agreed with it. But it became politically significant because it reinforced criticism from former Liberal Democrat councillors that messaging and decision-making were being tightly controlled from the MP’s wider political operation.
Maguire has rejected that overall characterisation. She has defended regular canvassing, community visibility and campaigning as essential ways to identify residents’ problems and take them into Parliament.
A busy and politically mixed first two years
Maguire’s first two years have been active and politically consequential.
She has maintained a high local profile through surgeries, campaigning, site visits, community meetings and casework. Her office identifies progress or claimed successes on hospital funding, rail accessibility, pharmacy provision, sports facilities, local infrastructure and individual constituent cases.
At Westminster, she has remained on the Liberal Democrat front bench throughout, although her role has changed from leading the party’s whole Defence brief to holding a specialist primary care and cancer portfolio.
Her critics within the former local Liberal Democrat leadership argue that her approach has placed too much emphasis on political control, campaigning and messaging. Her supporters will see an energetic MP using visibility and local contact to pursue practical outcomes.
The next stage of her parliamentary term will test whether the activity of the first two years turns into durable local gains: more reliable rail services, improved hospital provision, better primary-care access, effective action on environmental and infrastructure concerns, and stronger support for residents dealing with SEND, housing and public-service delays.
Friend of George Washington who came to Epsom after opposing armed revolt against the Monarchy
7 July 2026
Revd. Jonathan Boucher was the Vicar of Epsom for 20 of the last 25 years of the mediaeval church, 1785–1805.
Born in Blencago, Cumbria, into a family ruined by the Jacobite rebellion, he did however get to WIgton Grammar School and eventually taught at St Bees.
He emigrated to Virginia in 1772 at the age of 16 to teach there. He served first as a tutor to the children of plantation owner Edward Dixon, and ran a school that had as a pupil Jackie Custis, stepson of George Washington.
He returned to England to be ordained and then returned and settled in Maryland through the patronage of the Governor Sir Robert Eden. He settled in Caroline county as rector of St Mary’s Parish where he served until 1772.
He resided in Port Royal but wrote in his diary: “There was not a literary man, for aught I could find.”
He had become a personal friend of George Washington and sympathetic to the interests of the colonists. He opposed the Stamp Act and the Vestry Act. He could not support armed resistance to the king.
He was always a sturdy Royalist and once thrashed a rebel Yankee blacksmith who had insulted his king and country and this made him so unpopular that he had to return to England.
Indeed he had to hold the leader of his congregation at gunpoint to ensure his safe departure. He had been informed that if he dared pray for King George he would be fired at in his pulpit.
Nothing daunted the next Sunday the resolute man ascended the pulpit stairs armed with two horse pistols, one of which he laid on either side on his pulpit cushion; with this preamble he preached what has become known as his “Farewell Sermon”.
In an unflinching sermon, on Nehemiah 6,10-11, he ended with this stinging passage.
“Unless I forbear praying for the king I have been notified that I am to pray no longer. No intimation could be more distressing to me; but I do not require a moment’s hesitation distressing as the dilemma is. Entertaining my respect for my ordination vow, I am firm in my Resolution, whilst I pray in public at all, to conform to the unmutilated Liturgy of my Church and reverencing the injunctions of the Apostle ‘I will pray for the king and all who are in authority under him as long as I live’. Yea while I have my being, I will, with Zadok, the priest and Nathan, the prophet, proclaim GOD SAVE THE KING”
The Americans had no heart to fire at so bold and honest a man and Jonathan Boucher descended his pulpit stairs unharmed.
On September 10, 1775 Revd. Boucher and his wife amidst tears and cries of their slaves, went aboard the ship “Nell Goynne” and sailed for England, where he received a government pension.
No longer living a life of ease and affluence he was at first supported by William Stevens and Friends.
Wm Stevens was it was ten years later, through the good offices of Revd. J. Parkhurst, another member of Stevens’ circle, he was appointed Vicar of Epsom in 1785.
While serving here in Epsom he gained a reputation as a writer and scholar and acquired a reputation as one of the finest preachers of his day.
He made substantial contributions to William Hutchinson’s “History of the County of Cumberland” (1794) his home county and where he was educated and had his first teaching post in St Bees.
St Bees School is on the Cumbrian coast below Whitehaven. Interestingly, in the American Revolutionary War, Whitehaven was raided by John Paul Jones the well known United States naval commander.
According to some this attack, in 1778, was the very last invasion of England.
He went on to write “A view of the Causes and Consequences of the American Revolution in thirteen discourses preached in North America between the years 1763 and 1775 which he dedicated to George Washington published in 1797, as well as “a Glossary of Provincial and Archaic Words, which was later used by the compilers of Webster’s Dictionary, and “Reminiscences of and American Loyalist” published in the 1870’s.
A magisterial biography and appreciation of his role in the revolution by Anne Young Zimmer “Jonathan Boucher: Moderate Loyalist and Public Man” (1966). In a Wayne State University Dissertation can be found on the internet
In 1786 Boucher wrote to make a proposal of marriage to Miss Mary Elizabeth Foreman a lady of about his own age (48) who had devoted herself to looking after two sick and elderly maiden aunts recently deceased.
She accepted the offer and, in anticipation of their union, Jonathan rented from Northey a large house on Woodcote Green [Woodcote House] for £100 p.a., purchased a coach and four horses, hired seven servants etc to set up an establishment in a “dear but genteel neighbourhood”.
Sadly, she, his second wife, survived only until 17 September1788.
Following her demise, Boucher had spent months away in Cumberland adding to his real estate at Blencogo but seems to have returned in December 1788 to a ‘melancholy and uncomfortable home…at the Vicarage – extremely inconvenient and quite too small especially for the books (he had ten thousand of them according to White and Hart, many collected for an improved edition of Dr. Johnson’s English Dictionary), whilst impossible to be enlarged and improved at any reasonable expense’.
He decided to purchase ‘a good house with about 5 acres of land on Clay-Hill’ although distant from the church and with an unsatisfactory water supply: alterations to provide rooms for a library were not completed until July 1789.
Consequently, when Edwards conducted a survey for his COMPANION FROM LONDON TO BRIGHTHELMSTON the vicarage house was occupied by ‘Miss Boucher’, the Vicar’s daughter.
Jonathan Boucher continued vicar of Epsom until his death in 1804.
Epsom’s Rosebery School has a foundation for students’ ambitions
7 July 2026
Rosebery School in Epsom has launched a new charitable foundation aimed at helping pupils pursue their ambitions regardless of their financial or personal circumstances.
The Rosebery Foundation has been established as part of the wider GLF Schools Foundation, supported by donations from former pupils including the family of Dianne Long, who joined Rosebery School in 1953.
Rosebery, which is part of the GLF Schools multi-academy trust, said the Foundation will help remove financial barriers which can prevent pupils from taking part in opportunities outside the classroom.
Its work will focus on five main areas: enrichment and opportunity; wellbeing and belonging; leadership and empowerment; networks and futures; and Rosebery Rewilding, which promotes wellbeing and personal development through nature and outdoor learning.
The Foundation will also seek to draw on the school’s wider community of former pupils, parents and partners to create mentoring opportunities, professional connections and new experiences for pupils.
One of its first major projects will be a summer visit to the European Space Centre in Belgium, intended to encourage girls interested in science, technology and maths.
The visit has been funded by Dianne Long and the Di Long family through a bursary established within the Foundation.
Holly Lowe, Assistant Headteacher at Rosebery School, is leading work on the Foundation. She said: “At Rosebery, our students are highly aspirational and achieve exceptionally well. Within school, we expect them to use their voice, take intellectual risks and see themselves as leaders. It is simply part of how we work day to day.
“The reality, however, is that all girls will encounter barriers beyond school. The wider world does not always reflect or reinforce those expectations in the same way. For disadvantaged students, these challenges can be felt more keenly, particularly where there is less access to enrichment, professional networks and the kinds of experiences that open doors and build confidence.”
The Foundation has already hosted an alumnae day as part of the school’s Student Futures Festival for Year 12 pupils.
Fifteen former Rosebery pupils returned to the school, representing a range of generations and careers. They took part in panel discussions, workshops, talks and an afternoon mentoring session.
The school said such events can help build confidence, widen horizons and raise aspirations, particularly for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Ms Lowe added: “Through the Rosebery Foundation, our focus is on making sure students are not only achieving highly, which they already are here, but are fully prepared for what comes next. Ultimately, it is about ensuring that all our students leave Rosebery ready not just to succeed, but to step into the world with the confidence and the connections to shape it.”
Photo of Rosebery’s first Foundation event, an alumnae day.
Epsom and Ewell Town Twinning Association presents Cyril Frazer Awards for 2026
7 July 2026
The Epsom and Ewell Town-Twinning Association has presented its annual Cyril Frazer Awards, sharing a total of £500 between three local recipients.
The awards went to Nescot’s Performing Arts Department, the Epsom and Ewell Refugee Network, and musical theatre student Julian Jackson.
Nescot received support towards its French-style cabaret production project. The Refugee Network was awarded funding towards the cost of a professional musician for the Ukrainian ladies’ Renaissance Choir.
Julian, who studies at Laines Theatre Arts, received an award to assist with his continuing musical theatre studies.
Association chairman Nigel Collin said: “We were really impressed by the quality of these entries and the committee decided that none of them deserved to miss out.
“So I am delighted that we are able to support all three and wish them well with their respective endeavours.”
The Cyril Frazer Award was established by the Twinning Association in memory of Cyril Frazer, who died in 2016.
Mr Frazer was Mayor of Epsom and Ewell when the borough was first twinned with Chantilly in 1995 and was a founding member of the association.
Alongside his commitment to twinning, he had a strong interest in singing and was a keen member of the Epsom Male Voice Choir.
Those interests are reflected in the award criteria. The annual £500 fund is available to individuals and groups within the borough, with applications assessed against criteria including whether applicants live or study locally; meet a particular need, including one connected with mental or physical health; benefit young people; have cultural or educational value; relate to music or performing arts; further links with Chantilly; or support an important twinning or community event.
The prizes were presented at the Twinning Association’s annual general meeting at Epsom Town Hall on June 23 by the Mayor of Epsom and Ewell and the association’s honorary president, Cllr Lucie McIntyre.
I read with interest your article of 2 June about the recent Local Plan consultation.
Mr Brown’s contention that the consultation was unconstitutional was undoubtedly correct. This is because the Local Plan documents being consulted on were required first to be ‘considered and approved’ by the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee (LPPC) under the council’s constitution.
Digging a little further into this failure of the elected councillors to review Local Plan documents indicates that this is a pervasive and deeply concerning issue.
The Local Plan is the single most important output, by the council, for the future of the borough. Given the local government reorganisation, it should also be the council’s swan song; an opportunity to provide clear and positive strategic direction for the next 14 years.
How has the council gone about achieving this? There are a plethora of articles in this paper highlighting repeated failures of the Residents Association-led council to direct, review or challenge the Local Plan process over several years. This would be concerning enough on its own, but is exacerbated by not just a reluctance, but an outright refusal by Residents Association (RA) councillors to undertake the role they were elected to perform.
Reviews of Local Plan documents should have been happening frequently and as a matter of course. As they weren’t, opposition councillors took the unusual step of working together to try to hold the council to account.
Motions have repeatedly been brought both to full council and to the LPPC attempting to require councillors to review Local Plan documents, but on every occasion they have been voted down by RA councillors.
There appears, to interested observers, to have been a systematic and ongoing attempt to confound any and all attempts to scrutinise the Local Plan. This has happened for several years, with the three most recent examples being:
The request by Cllr Lawrence in the 10 March 2026 LPPC meeting to review the new Local Plan documents before they were submitted to the Inspector. The Monitoring Officer advised against allowing this request. The Chair, Cllr O’Donovan confirmed he hadn’t even seen the documents being submitted but refused the request to allow the committee to review them. Cllr Reynolds encouraged the Chair to put the decision to a vote but was turned down.
The mid-March 2026 request by Cllrs Persand, Freeman and Geleit to hold a Special meeting of the LPPC to agree to review the Local Plan documents before they were submitted to the Inspector. The Monitoring Officer delayed holding the meeting for 2 months until 19 May 2026, after the documents were submitted. The RA councillors voted not to review the documents.
Given the urgency of the matter and the failure of the LPPC to perform its role, on 11 June 2026, a request was made by Cllrs Persand, Freeman, Geleit, Ames, Howells, Lawrence, McCormick and Goldman for an Extraordinary Council Meeting. The motion was to require the LPPC to review the Local Plan consultation documents, and if appropriate approve them, in accordance with the constitution. The meeting should clearly have been scheduled by the Monitoring Officer to occur prior to the 2 July public hearings on the consultation documents. The Monitoring Officer has instead delayed the meeting until 21 July and tagged it onto the pre-existing council meeting, after the consultation hearing has been completed.
The councillors mentioned above, from all opposition parties, should be applauded for their tenacity and their willingness repeatedly to stand up for the residents they represent.
Residents are asking why the Monitoring Officer appears to repeatedly obfuscate, delay and obstruct, and why RA councillors are not taking the lead, or at least supporting, attempts by opposition councillors to execute the roles they were elected to perform.
Given all the above, it perhaps should come as no surprise that the RA was all but wiped out in the recent East Surrey Council elections. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the RA should take the opportunity to do what they should have been doing all along, actively engaging with, and reviewing the Local Plan documents. They should be ensuring the documents are factually correct (which in many instances they have not been), that they align with the council’s strategy and that they represent the views of the borough’s residents.
This is the RA’s last chance either to redeem its reputation and leave the door open to a future return to council membership, or to leave residents bitterly resenting the final failures of the group so many of us voted for over the years, as they hammer nails into the coffin of the RA group’s legacy.
Whose Local Plan is it anyway?
The Local Plan is written by the council and is the responsibility of the council throughout its drafting and execution.
Since the examination started last summer, council officers and councillors have repeatedly distanced themselves from the changes officers have specifically proposed to the inspector. These council proposals include building on extensive additional areas of green belt land such as Downs Farm, Priest Hill, Burgh Heath Road and Cuddington Glade.
Having actively put these sites forward, officers and councillors have denied responsibility, repeatedly arguing that it is ‘the inspector’s Local Plan’ and that they have no say in what happens.
It is worth highlighting that the government guidance says quite the opposite. When reviewing the council’s Local Plan, the government is at pains to clarify that:
‘The Inspector will always bear in mind that the planbelongs to the LPA, and subject to the duty to ensure the plan’s soundness, will not seek to impose his or her own views on its vision or its content.’
(The ‘LPA’ is the Local Planning Authority, in this case Epsom and Ewell Borough Council).
It couldn’t be much clearer, councillors, the plan is your responsibility before, during and after the examination. If you choose not to review proposals to put in deeply unpopular sites for development, you remain responsible for the proposals and accountable to residents for them.
Will the RA councillors perform the role they were elected to perform and that the constitution requires, or will they continue to shirk that responsibility? Time will tell, but that time is running out.
A new clinic specialising in adult ADHD has opened in Epsom & Ewell: Kiam Clinic
7 July 2026
For many adults, years of quietly struggling with focus, organisation, time management or restlessness can finally start to make sense once ADHD is recognised. Yet with NHS waiting lists for assessment now stretching to several years in many parts of the country, a growing number of people are choosing to seek answers privately.
When carried out properly, at a reputable, Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered clinic and by an experienced specialist, a private ADHD assessment can be a genuinely life-changing step. It opens the door to the right understanding, support and treatment.
A new clinic, Kiam Clinic, has opened in the heart of Epsom to bring expert, locally accessible adult ADHD care to the Epsom and Ewell community.
The clinic offers comprehensive adult ADHD assessments and, where clinically appropriate, ongoing treatment and medication management, all delivered in line with national clinical guidelines. Its aim is to provide a clear, thorough and compassionate route to diagnosis, helping people finally understand themselves and access the support they need to thrive at work, at home and in everyday life.
Care at Kiam Clinic is led by Dr Abbass Mohammadinasab (MRCPsych), Consultant Psychiatrist and the clinic’s Founder. Alongside his work at the clinic, Dr Abbass is a Senior Clinical Lecturer at King’s College Medical School and brings extensive NHS and academic experience to every assessment he carries out.
Kiam Clinic is registered with and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), giving patients the reassurance of a service that is safe, professional and held to recognised national standards.
The clinic occupies a spacious, purpose-equipped premises with more than 15 consulting rooms. As well as running its own ADHD service, Kiam Clinic is helping to create a hub for healthcare in the local area: a number of its rooms are available to rent to fellow practitioners, from therapists and counsellors to other medical and wellbeing specialists, looking for high-quality, professional clinical space in Epsom.
The team says its goal is a simple one: to make expert psychiatric care more accessible to the local community, in a welcoming and professional setting, while helping to reduce the long waits that so many people currently face.
Whether you have wondered for years whether ADHD might explain your experiences, or you are a practitioner looking for a professional home for your own practice, Kiam Clinic extends a warm welcome to the Epsom and Ewell community.
To find out more about adult ADHD assessment and treatment, or about renting clinical space, visit the clinic’s website.
Six months of disruption ahead as major gas and traffic works set to hit central Epsom
7 July 2026
Businesses and residents voice concerns over diversion routes as SGN and Surrey County Council prepare for large-scale works at the East Street/Hook Road/Upper High Street junction
Central Epsom is facing up to six months of roadworks and traffic disruption following the announcement of a major joint gas infrastructure and traffic signal project by Southern Gas Networks (SGN) and Surrey County Council (SCC) Highways.
What’s happening, and when
According to letters sent to residents and businesses this month, the works are being carried out to support new housing development in the area and to maintain the safety and reliability of the local gas network. SGN’s contractor, JDT Utilities, will lay new gas mains in East Street and Hook Road, while SCC replaces the traffic signal system on High Street, Upper High Street and Church Street.
A clarifying email from SGN, seen by this publication, sets out the works in more detail than the resident letters managed to convey. The project will run in two phases:
Phase One (planned duration: four weeks) will see SCC install a new urban traffic light system, with new light heads on Church Street, High Street and Upper High Street. Within this footprint, SGN will impose a lane closure — not a full closure — on East Street, to allow open-cut installation of two new mains running from outside The Big Yellow Storage on East Street through to Hook Road.
Phase Two will follow, with Hook Road closed between Woodstock Court and East Street while SGN continues its open-cut works down towards the multi-storey car park entrance and Woodstock Court.
The resident letters state that engineering work is scheduled to begin on 18 July, with SCC’s signal works starting on 23 July within the same traffic management setup. Go Epsom, the town’s Business Improvement District, gives a fuller picture of the timeline, stating that works will run from 23 July through to 24 December — a span of roughly five months, and notably longer than the “completed by the end of the year” assurance given in SGN’s own letter.
During the works, the multi-storey car park will remain open and accessible via Hook Road under traffic management, and a signed diversion route will be in place. SGN says access will be maintained for residents and businesses throughout.
Residents question the diversion plan
The announcement has prompted concern from residents about the adequacy of the traffic management plan. One resident, responding to the letter, said the accompanying diversion map was difficult to interpret and that the colour-coding “does not make a lot of sense,” while the flyer gave no indication of where traffic would be diverted to rejoin the A24 on the far side of Epsom, nor any information on bus route changes.
The resident warned that Epsom’s narrow residential streets are already prone to rat-running, and questioned whether roads such as Downs Hill Road and Worple Road — both narrow, and in the case of Worple Road affected by potholes — could safely absorb diverted traffic, including HGVs, without vehicles being forced onto pavements. They suggested a 20mph limit should be considered on any residential road used as part of the diversion, particularly given the number of children walking to and from school in the area.
The resident also raised concern about the six-month duration of the works and its potential impact on trade in Epsom High Street, and said they would be unable to attend either of SGN’s public drop-in sessions this week.
Businesses seek pause over Christmas trading period
Go Epsom has echoed concerns about the scale and length of the disruption. In a message to local businesses, it confirmed the works are expected to run from 23 July to 24 December, warning of “knock on effects with diversions, parking bay suspensions and road closures.” The BID says it is asking SGN and SCC to pause works over the November/December trading period, recognising the importance of the pre-Christmas period to town centre traders.
Businesses affected by the works may be eligible for support through SGN’s small business compensation scheme, details of which are available at sgn.co.uk.
Have your say
SGN is holding two public drop-in sessions this week for residents and businesses to raise questions directly with the engineering team, at the rear offices of 29 East Street:
Wednesday 1 July, 4pm–7pm
Thursday 2 July, 2pm–4pm
Project updates are expected to be published at sgn.co.uk/our-gas-works/major-planned-projects, and anyone with concerns about disabled access or specific needs during the closures is asked to contact SGN’s customer service team on 0800 912 1700.
Epsom Racecourse: Preview and Tips for Tonight’s Seven-Race Meeting
7 July 2026
Always a competitive track, there are seven races at Epsom this evening, with a maiden and six handicap races on the card.
Read on for a preview of and tips for the Epsom card, brought to you by BOYLE Sports, who have all the horse racing odds.
We kick off with an apprentice handicap run over 10 furlongs (17.20). Toby Moore, son of legendary jockey Ryan Moore, claims the most weight still, giving his ride – Oj Lifestyle – seven pounds. Imperial Cult, ridden by Jack Callan, seeks a hat-trick, which might be tricky on this higher new mark, while Bobacious looks likely to appreciate the better ground today. With Mason Paetel in the saddle, he looks a possibility here and has won at this track before.
Up next is a seven-furlong two-year-olds’ maiden (17.50). There are two newcomers here; Whiskey Galore and Bullrider, but this isn’t an easy track to debut at. It might, therefore, be more worthwhile to consider the chances of those with previous race experience. Shemiyla Star handled Pontefract first time out, which is promising for Epsom, while Foscarini might improve for the better ground here.
Race three is a six-furlong handicap (18.22). Four of the runners won their latest races, and have all gone up in the weights as a result. It could prove to be Goldwork’s time to shine here, on a workable mark and at a track he ought to handle.
A mile and a half handicap follows (18.57). Central Command seeks a hat-trick on a new high mark, while Alma Latina steps into handicap company for the first time having won a maiden last month. Timber Twelve might sneak into the placings on a lower mark today, and Tabasko makes some appeal too, although this might be a tough ask for a three-year-old.
The fifth race is a division of a mile and a half handicap (19.32). Pablo Prince is a consistent if rarely winning sort, who just might have an opportunity here. Lilykoy is untested on a track like this and makes her first handicap start, but her pedigree suggests propensity for these undulations.
In the second division (20.07), both Gearing’s Point and Nymphaea won their latest starts. With the former probably the most likely of the two to oblige again. Naranka looks handy after placing last time out, while Ricardo Phillips enters calculations too, but might need the run here.
Finally, racing concludes with a seven-furlong handicap (20.42). Bell Shot is on an attractive mark and has a further five pounds given by his claiming rider. Mission Command was a winner last time out but this new mark might prove to be beyond him. Musical Angel likes this track and looks more likely.
Epsom selections – Wednesday:
17.20 – Bobacious
17.50 – Shemiyla Star, Foscarini to place
18.22 – Goldwork
18.57 – Tabasko e/w
19.32 – Lilykoy
20.07 – Naranka
20.42 – Bell Shot
Horses racing Image: Credit Paul. CC BY 2.0
Epsom and Ewell Council admit behind hygiene inspections
7 July 2026
The borough’s environmental health team has told councillors it is running behind on lower-risk food hygiene inspections — deliberately prioritising higher-risk premises such as takeaways, schools and hospitals over sweet shops and home caterers — as the Environment Committee – Tuesday 30th June – adopted the council’s Food Hygiene Service Plan for 2026/27, in what officers confirmed will be the council’s last year running the service before Surrey-wide local government reorganisation.
Councils have a statutory duty, under a national Framework Agreement on Official Feed and Food Controls overseen by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), to inspect food businesses in their area at intervals set by risk category — broadly, the higher the risk, the more frequent the inspection. As of April 2026, the borough had 611 registered food premises, including 444 restaurants, cafés, canteens and other caterers and 139 retailers. Of these, 133 fall into the higher-risk categories A to C, requiring inspection every six, 12 or 18 months respectively; a further 120 businesses are newly registered and awaiting their first ever inspection.
Catching up, but not quite there
Public Protection Manager Oliver Nelson told the committee the service had actually exceeded its own targets in 2025/26, completing 237 inspections against a planned 161, largely by working through a backlog of overdue inspections and newly registered businesses that had not yet been visited. Even so, the plan for 2026/27 shows 207 scheduled inspections still due — including two Category A premises (the highest-risk tier, inspected every six months), 25 Category B, 77 Category C and 101 lower-risk Category D — plus a further 74 inspections reported as overdue from previous years.
Cllr Steve McCormick (Conservative Woodcote and Langley) pressed officers on why these 74 remained outstanding, and — more pointedly — “why is this statutory service unable to meet this demand, and how can we approve a plan that cannot deliver?” Mr Nelson said the situation was “not unusual” for a local authority environmental health team: the overdue premises are “mainly category E” — meaning very low-risk operations such as sweet shops and small-scale or domestic home caterers — which have been deliberately “deprioritised in favour of food production facilities, schools, hospitals, takeaways” and other higher-risk categories. He explained that his team juggles “four or five different” statutory service areas across several council committees competing for the same limited resources: “It’s a daily task to try and arrange yourself to cover all those bases,” he said, “and what happens is that the lower risk areas are deprioritised in favour of the higher risk every time.”
Staffing pressures and past scrutiny
The report notes that the service has struggled with staff retention, and that a newly created post remains vacant and covered by agency staff — leaving the small team vulnerable, officers said, since even a single experienced officer leaving risks non-compliance with statutory duties. Historically, 1.2 full-time-equivalent officers have been sufficient to meet the Food Law Code of Practice’s requirements for the borough, a level the service says it can currently sustain provided staffing and agency support remain stable.
Cllr McCormick also asked about a reference in the report to “the existing agreed action plan arising from previous Food Standards Agency intervention” — asking what that intervention had covered, and when the service was last formally audited. Mr Nelson could not recall the exact audit date on the night, estimating it was “probably in the last four years,” and agreed to circulate fuller details after the meeting. He said the earlier FSA intervention had flagged underperformance not just in the lowest-risk category but also in Categories B and C, at a time when staff resources had been diverted towards private sector housing casework.
The wider context: a service in its final year
In an unusually reflective note buried in the report’s final section, officers wrote that 2026/27 “will be the final year of delivery of this service by this authority following 90 years of work in the field by Inspectors of Nuisances, Sanitary Inspectors, Public Health Officers and finally Environmental Health Officers” — a reference to the borough council’s abolition under Surrey’s local government reorganisation, with food safety functions due to transfer to a new unitary authority from April 2027.
Elsewhere, Mr Nelson noted that several web links in the appended service plan had broken because the Food Standards Agency had migrated its guidance to the gov.uk website: “If any members of the committee would like those documents, I’m sure Google will be their friend,” he said.
Enforcement activity and the vote
During 2025/26 the service issued four hygiene improvement notices and 200 written warnings to food businesses. No food or environmental samples were taken during the year, officers said, as priority was given to the inspection programme; a separate allocation of around £2,800 a year from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) funds routine microbiological sampling, alongside a local £450 budget for chemical sampling in 2026/27.
The committee voted to adopt the Food Hygiene Service Plan for 2026/27, with one councillor voting against.
A borough scheme charging residents to play tennis on council courts has taken in almost double its budgeted income in its second full year, the Environment Committee – Tuesday 30th June – heard, as members confirmed that free morning tennis sessions will return across the borough’s courts this summer.
The Pay-to-Play Tennis Scheme was introduced in 2024 using a grant-funded electronic gate system from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the sport’s national governing body, paired with an online booking platform called Clubspark. Under the scheme, households can buy an annual membership for £40 (£20 for low-income households) covering up to five people for unlimited play, or book a court on an ad-hoc basis for £6 an hour — prices fixed at their original, introductory level through to 2026/27.
The numbers
Interim Assistant Head of Service Samantha Whitehead told the committee the scheme’s growth had exceeded expectations. Household memberships rose from 268 in 2024/25 to 316 in 2025/26, while ad-hoc bookings climbed from 1,404 to 1,868 over the same period. Net income of £31,634.62 comfortably beat a budget of £17,500. “I don’t think any of us at the outset thought it would bring back the returns that it has in a relatively short period,” she said, adding that renovation works funded through the scheme’s income at Court Recreation Ground, Alexandra Park and Auriol Park courts had already paid off: “My team report that since the recent renovations at [Auriol] Park this weekend was the most amount of bookings they’ve ever seen on the courts.”
The scheme was not without unbudgeted costs, however — £21,140.11 was spent on repainting and line-marking at Court Recreation Ground and Alexandra Park, requiring a drawdown of £7,984.46 from the council’s Repairs and Renewals Reserve, which now stands at £8,426.54.
Free summer tennis returns
Free, bookable morning tennis sessions were run for the first time during the 2025 school summer holidays and proved highly popular, generating 566 bookings across the borough’s five sites: 203 at Alexandra Park, 164 at Court Recreation Ground, 88 at Poole Road, 75 at Auriol Park and 36 at Gibraltar Recreation Ground. Officers recommended repeating the offer, running free sessions up to noon each day from 22 July to 31 August 2026.
Before debating the substance of the report, the committee formally amended the recommendation, at Cllr Liz Frost‘s (RA Woodcote and Langley) proposal, to make clear the free sessions apply to “all EEBC owned and managed” tennis courts in the borough — a clarification agreed with one abstention.
Cllr Steve McCormick (Conservative Woodcote and Langley) asked whether residents needed to register with the Clubspark booking system to access the free sessions. Ms Whitehead confirmed they did: “They do have to register with the LTA Clubspark system, which means that they could be exposed to marketing in the future if we chose to do that, but in return they get free use of the tennis courts.” Cllr Frost noted a further benefit of requiring bookings even for free sessions — it stops courts being monopolised by a single group all day, since “now people have the confidence that… they booked play, so they can go and play.”
A push to extend the hours — defeated
Cllr McCormick, noting this would be the borough’s “last summer” before local government reorganisation replaces it with a new unitary authority, argued the free window should be extended well beyond midday. “It’s incredibly popular… why not extend it?” he asked, proposing the sessions run until 2pm instead of noon, covering the same 22 July to 31 August period. “It’s only an extra couple of hours per day across that very short time frame,” he said.
Ms Whitehead’s reservation was that extending free access too far could crowd out members who had already paid for the privilege of unlimited play: “My only reservation would be for those that have paid for a membership, if they couldn’t… get access to the facilities having paid, that would be my only caveat.” Cllr Frost confirmed the committee had considered making sessions free all day the previous year, but had held back for the same reason, adding that the scheme had run smoothly in practice: officers “didn’t receive any complaints from members” unable to book a paid slot, nor “any complaints that people couldn’t play who wanted to play.” Officers were unable to confirm on the night whether last year’s free sessions were regularly fully booked, or how much the current proposal — or Cllr McCormick’s extended version — would actually cost the committee’s budget, saying the figures would need to be worked out and circulated after the meeting.
Cllr McCormick’s amendment to extend the sessions to 2pm was put to a vote and defeated, with three councillors opposed. The committee then voted, unanimously, to note the progress of the Pay to Play Tennis Scheme and to approve free morning tennis sessions on all EEBC-owned and managed courts from 22 July to 31 August 2026, in line with last year’s arrangements.
Also noted: bids for court upgrades
The report also noted that two separate Neighbourhood CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) bids — submitted by Cllrs Alex Coley (Independent Ruxley) and Clive Woodbridge (RA Ewell Village) for the regeneration of the tennis and basketball courts at Poole Road and Gibraltar Recreation Grounds — have been approved by the council’s CIL Panel and now go forward to the Strategy and Resources Committee for final sign-off. If successful, both sites would also gain pickleball facilities, a fast-growing paddle sport the report describes as offering “inclusive opportunities for participation across a wide range of ages and abilities.”
