Early last year Wren Homes made a planning application to demolish two large detached houses in Church Lane, Oxted and replace them with 19 flats. Tandridge District Council turned that application down on a number of grounds including because the development did not include any affordable housing, and that the £250,000 compensation offered as an alternative was inadequate. Wren Homes appealed and that appeal was heard last November. They lost but only on the question of the amount of compensation in place of affordable housing. They have now submitted a revised application where they have offered to pay a higher level of compensation and given the previous appeal decision the revised recommendation to members of the development control committee is to accept the application.
This is a matter of intense controversy in Oxted, so I thought I would set out my position.
In the area of planning I believe that the best decisions are taken by local people for local people. My view is that the policy of this current Government to take power from elected representatives to decide what development is suitable in a particular location and give it to planning inspectors based hundreds of miles away is fundamentally undemocratic. Decisions by the inspectorate should be based on errors made by the council not because an individual inspector's views of the merits of the case are different . However that is the system we have been given and as councillors we have limited powers to challenge central government's policies. While I agree there are instances when it might be right for the Council to take a decision which is likely to fail at appeal the hurdle must be set quite high. I do not want to prejudge the decision of the development control committee but appealing a decision where the inspectorate appears to have given a clear statement is likely to both fail and involve a costs award against the council.
Tuesday 19 February 2008
Ajax Update
Detailed plans have now been submitted for permission for the Nursing Home planned on the former Ajax site in Hurst Green. To see the application follow this link
Friday 15 February 2008
3.9%
Last night Tandridge District Council adopted a budget for the next tax year will deliver improvements to front line services for only a 3.9% increase to taxpayers. This lower than inflation increase is despite receiving an increase of only 0.6% in our central government grant.
Services will be Greener, with more money for recycling; Cleaner, with more money for streetsweeping and pest control and be provided more cheaply than if the Liveral Democrats had been incontol. Under their plans they would have had to increased the money spent on administrative overheads (or alternatively cut work on Front Line Services).
Services will be Greener, with more money for recycling; Cleaner, with more money for streetsweeping and pest control and be provided more cheaply than if the Liveral Democrats had been incontol. Under their plans they would have had to increased the money spent on administrative overheads (or alternatively cut work on Front Line Services).
Wednesday 13 February 2008
Taxing Times
Tandridge District Council will meet on Thursday to set the level of Council tax for the next financial year. However we will only get to set the rate on the Tandridge element - the majority of the tax burden faced by local residents comes from the County Council and Surrey Police's precept accounting for roughly the same proportion of the tax as the District Council.
The bad news for local residents is that Surrey Police have opted for a whopping 9.72% increase in its part of the council tax.
This rise is because Surrey receives one of the lowest Government grants per head of population for policing due to an unfair funding formula. If this grant was at the average rate of other forces around London (£106 per person) Surrey would receive an additional £18.2 million. The formula takes no account of the challenges Surrey faces from criminals coming into the county from elsewhere. Fifty nine per cent of identified organised crime gangs affecting Surrey are engaged in drugs supply and originate from London while 47 per cent of burglary and vehicle crime offenders come from outside Surrey, more than half of these from London. The funding formula also takes no account of the need to invest more in counter-terrorism policing.
So it looks like residents in Surrey are being asked to cough up again the decisions taken by Gordon Brown's Government to redistribute tax from the South of England to marginal Labour constituencies in the north.
The bad news for local residents is that Surrey Police have opted for a whopping 9.72% increase in its part of the council tax.
This rise is because Surrey receives one of the lowest Government grants per head of population for policing due to an unfair funding formula. If this grant was at the average rate of other forces around London (£106 per person) Surrey would receive an additional £18.2 million. The formula takes no account of the challenges Surrey faces from criminals coming into the county from elsewhere. Fifty nine per cent of identified organised crime gangs affecting Surrey are engaged in drugs supply and originate from London while 47 per cent of burglary and vehicle crime offenders come from outside Surrey, more than half of these from London. The funding formula also takes no account of the need to invest more in counter-terrorism policing.
So it looks like residents in Surrey are being asked to cough up again the decisions taken by Gordon Brown's Government to redistribute tax from the South of England to marginal Labour constituencies in the north.
Tuesday 12 February 2008
Policing Update
The Oxted, Limpsfield and Hurst Green Neighbourhood Policing Team is comprised of PC Dave Every and local PCSOs Lisa Cobby and Stephen Winch. Together they have been working very hard over the past year or so to raise the profile of the police in the area. They exist to help tackle the every day problems that these communities face and have been very active in targeting anti social behaviour.
For an update of what they have been up to click here.
One of the dilemas we may face is knowing when to call 999 and what to do about those things which are not an emergency but you think the Police should know about. The advice they repeated give is that if you are in danger or a crime is in the process of being committed call 999, but if you want to report something less urgent dial (in Surrey) 0845 125 2222. It is important that even low level incidents are reported as it allows the police to target areas where they repeatedly occur.
For an update of what they have been up to click here.
One of the dilemas we may face is knowing when to call 999 and what to do about those things which are not an emergency but you think the Police should know about. The advice they repeated give is that if you are in danger or a crime is in the process of being committed call 999, but if you want to report something less urgent dial (in Surrey) 0845 125 2222. It is important that even low level incidents are reported as it allows the police to target areas where they repeatedly occur.
Winning Here!
Yesterday Liberal Democrat Councillor Sakina Bradbury defected to the Conservative Party and last night we welcomed her into the Conservative Group on Tandridge District Council.
Mrs Bradbury has been a Liberal Democrat councillor for Whyteleafe ward since 2002. She decided to join the Conservatives after becoming "increasingly impressed" by the way the Conservative administration of Tandridge District Council met the needs of local residents.
Mrs Bradbury has been a Liberal Democrat councillor for Whyteleafe ward since 2002. She decided to join the Conservatives after becoming "increasingly impressed" by the way the Conservative administration of Tandridge District Council met the needs of local residents.
Save Our Post Office
As I reported last month the Post Office has annouced plans to close the much used and loved Station Road East Post Office.
Local Conservatives have taken up the challenge and are trying to stop this and Peter Ainsworth MP has started a petition asking for support for the following statement:
"Oxted is a town of two halves, divided by the railway. This Post Office is a long-established business and its closure would have a detrimental effect on the trading environment in the east of the town. It would force people to travel further and closure would particularly inconvenience the elderly and the disabled".
To sign follow this link
Local Conservatives have taken up the challenge and are trying to stop this and Peter Ainsworth MP has started a petition asking for support for the following statement:
"Oxted is a town of two halves, divided by the railway. This Post Office is a long-established business and its closure would have a detrimental effect on the trading environment in the east of the town. It would force people to travel further and closure would particularly inconvenience the elderly and the disabled".
To sign follow this link
Monday 11 February 2008
Southern Railway
At the beginning of last week I noticed that the ticket machine had disappeared in front of Hurst Green Station. As being a season ticket holder I didn't really have more than a passing interest - I assumed that it was broken and had been removed for repairs.
The truth it appears was more dramatic. The machine was ripped out by thieves, dragged out using a 4x4 and found abandoned up at Warlingham. I have no idea how much cash was in it , nor whether they were successful in getting it out. However, to me the most amazing part of this story is that by Friday morning a machine was back in place again.
I am sure that under BR we would still be waiting for another 6 months or so. While I beleive that the profit motive played a strong part but given the station is manned most of the day, the lost revenue can't have been that significant. The main benefit of returning the machined appears to have been customer service related as its renewed presence has significantly reduced the queue at at the window. So congratulations to Southern for reacting so quickly.
The truth it appears was more dramatic. The machine was ripped out by thieves, dragged out using a 4x4 and found abandoned up at Warlingham. I have no idea how much cash was in it , nor whether they were successful in getting it out. However, to me the most amazing part of this story is that by Friday morning a machine was back in place again.
I am sure that under BR we would still be waiting for another 6 months or so. While I beleive that the profit motive played a strong part but given the station is manned most of the day, the lost revenue can't have been that significant. The main benefit of returning the machined appears to have been customer service related as its renewed presence has significantly reduced the queue at at the window. So congratulations to Southern for reacting so quickly.
Monday 4 February 2008
Oxted School
Who is to blame for the crisis at Oxted School?
On Saturday we saw the 2nd of two Marches of concerned parents and their supporters into Oxted. This time it was from Godstone - about 3 miles away - the last march was from Lingfield, slightly further in distance but nearer on the train. What both groups have in common is that a proposal from Surrey County Council to change the catchments area meaning children from both areas are unlikely to be able to attend their nearest secondary school.
Oxted School is big, in fact the biggest in Surrey, well over 2000 pupils attend and there is little scope for any meaningful expansion. So who is to blame for this problem?
Central Government are probably first in the firing line as the proposal to change the catchments area stems from revised government guidance, but Surrey County Council must take a large share of the responsibility as they run the school system in the County and if Oxted School has reached capacity then it should be down to them to do something about it.
However this immediate crisis has come about due to growing demand (fuelled by more and more 'government sponsored' housing developments in the district) and the lack of an alternative choice in the south of Tandridge. The problem parents are facing is caused by the unresponsiveness of the current education system to changing needs. This will only be solved by making it easier to open new schools in response to local needs and the funding following the children. It should be open to parents, charities, or even the private sector to develop schools - alongside the county council. The key objective (as with the NHS) should be for a decent free education to be available for every child in the area in which they live. The exact system of delivery should be determined locally. This system works in other countries (who have better results than the UK's state sector) so there is no reason why it couldn't be applied in the UK.
Update: The BBC are reporting that a solution might have been found.
On Saturday we saw the 2nd of two Marches of concerned parents and their supporters into Oxted. This time it was from Godstone - about 3 miles away - the last march was from Lingfield, slightly further in distance but nearer on the train. What both groups have in common is that a proposal from Surrey County Council to change the catchments area meaning children from both areas are unlikely to be able to attend their nearest secondary school.
Oxted School is big, in fact the biggest in Surrey, well over 2000 pupils attend and there is little scope for any meaningful expansion. So who is to blame for this problem?
Central Government are probably first in the firing line as the proposal to change the catchments area stems from revised government guidance, but Surrey County Council must take a large share of the responsibility as they run the school system in the County and if Oxted School has reached capacity then it should be down to them to do something about it.
However this immediate crisis has come about due to growing demand (fuelled by more and more 'government sponsored' housing developments in the district) and the lack of an alternative choice in the south of Tandridge. The problem parents are facing is caused by the unresponsiveness of the current education system to changing needs. This will only be solved by making it easier to open new schools in response to local needs and the funding following the children. It should be open to parents, charities, or even the private sector to develop schools - alongside the county council. The key objective (as with the NHS) should be for a decent free education to be available for every child in the area in which they live. The exact system of delivery should be determined locally. This system works in other countries (who have better results than the UK's state sector) so there is no reason why it couldn't be applied in the UK.
Update: The BBC are reporting that a solution might have been found.
Sunday 3 February 2008
Are all politician's corrupt?
As a local councillor I will have to declare an interest in this one, but patently I think the answer is no. The vast majority of politicians of all political parties are in politics because they want to give something back to society. I am not saying that politicians don't enjoy doing what they do and that the small amount of power or increased local public profile doesn't appeal the vanity of some, but they'd been fools if they were in it for the money.
Which is why the 'Cash for Honours', Peter Hain, Harriet Harman, Wendy Alexander and Derek Conway scandals are so depressing. While politicians aren't in it for the money political parties need funding and politicians need to live. While I for one am against state funding of parties, there does need to be a new honesty that accepts that parties need money and by putting too many constraints on 'legitimate' funding is bound to lead to shady outcomes. In terms of politician's pay we need to accept that politicians need to be able to live - we do not not want to return to the situation where only those with private incomes can afford to take on the role, which it is why some politicians, especially full time politicians like MPs and leaders of large councils need to be paid the going rate (which I reckon for an MP is probably close to £100k).
However I am not advocating that everyone should join the gravy train, for those of us who can hold down a full-time job as well an elected position the current system of a small payment to defray costs is entirely adequate. And most importantly we need to take the sleaze out of politics so expenses should be claimed in the same way as the rest of populations has to do it - by submitting claims with receipts. And for MPs the ludicrous state of affairs which means that all the money needed to support an MP is paid to him personally has to end - general expenses like the paying of office staff and postage costs should be done by House of Commons rather than individual MPs
Which is why the 'Cash for Honours', Peter Hain, Harriet Harman, Wendy Alexander and Derek Conway scandals are so depressing. While politicians aren't in it for the money political parties need funding and politicians need to live. While I for one am against state funding of parties, there does need to be a new honesty that accepts that parties need money and by putting too many constraints on 'legitimate' funding is bound to lead to shady outcomes. In terms of politician's pay we need to accept that politicians need to be able to live - we do not not want to return to the situation where only those with private incomes can afford to take on the role, which it is why some politicians, especially full time politicians like MPs and leaders of large councils need to be paid the going rate (which I reckon for an MP is probably close to £100k).
However I am not advocating that everyone should join the gravy train, for those of us who can hold down a full-time job as well an elected position the current system of a small payment to defray costs is entirely adequate. And most importantly we need to take the sleaze out of politics so expenses should be claimed in the same way as the rest of populations has to do it - by submitting claims with receipts. And for MPs the ludicrous state of affairs which means that all the money needed to support an MP is paid to him personally has to end - general expenses like the paying of office staff and postage costs should be done by House of Commons rather than individual MPs
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