Election Campaign Round-up

I have been greatly encouraged by doorstep support received so far. Now into the final week after a month of campaigning it is clear that residents recognise that Conservative Tandridge is a successfully run Council, delivering high quality services at a reasonable cost. In particular, at a time when other councils up and down the country are having to cut services in order to fix the hole in the public finances, Tandridge’s success in protecting both its own services and its support to the voluntary sector while not increasing tax or making staff redundant has been welcomed.

I am grateful to all who have taken time the time and trouble to speak to express their concerns. The following issues are the most common that have been raised:

State of Local Roads
We are all entirely dissatisfied with the state of the roads, in particular here in Oxted South, and to be frank the entire district could do with resurfacing. However, roads are not Tandridge District Council’s responsibility but the County Council’s and after 13 years of under-funding by the previous Government it would cost many hundreds of millions of pounds to do this. However Surrey County Council is to spend an extra £4 million per year on repairing potholes and George Osborne announced a further £4 million for Surrey’s roads in his recent budget.

Paying for Parking in Oxted
Local Conservatives are actively opposing the County Council’s plans for on-street charges as we believe it will hurt local businesses as well as causing inconvenience to shoppers. Conservative Tandridge will continue to provide free parking for Oxted shoppers in the Ellice Road Car Park.

Commuter Parking in Hurst Green
Over recent years more and more commuters have been starting their journeys from Hurst Green. With the station car park full, we are all aware that cars are being left on surrounding roads, particularly the Hurst Green Road. Without a radical solution, like the construction of a large car park, or imposing residents’ permits in Hurst Green, the problem can only be managed, not eliminated. We hope that the newly painted yellow lines on the Hurst Green Road will make it easier for cars to pass again. And following campaigning by your local Conservative Councillors, Tandridge District Council is proposing to make available part of the Mill Lane car park for commuters (while protecting spaces for local users).

On thursday, in the Oxted South Ward please

VOTE AINSWOTH, VOTE CONSERVATIVE & NO 2 AV

Vote No 2 AV

Our current tried and tested voting system gives everyone one vote and delivers clear outcomes. The ‘Alternative Vote’ is an unfair, complicated, unpopular and expensive system that gives some people more votes than others. AV is unfair - with our current system everyone gets one vote, but under AV voters of less popular parties may get their votes counted two, three or more times. AV is unclear – the third place candidate can be elected. AV is unpopular – just Fiji, Australia and Papua New Guinea use AV and in Australia voters want to get rid of it. AV is expensive - as it is much more complicated to administer.

Keep One Person One Vote, VOTE NO TO AV.

Vote Ainsworth, Vote Conservative

When casting your vote please remember that a Conservative Tandridge is putting local residents first by:

· Not putting up Council Tax (for the first time in Tandridge’s history)

· Not cutting services or financial support to the voluntary sector

· Not making council staff redundant

· Delivering innovative solutions to difficult issues

Despite the worst recession in a century and a big cut in the amount of money received from Government, Tandridge continues to deliver improved high quality services including:

· Weekly refuse and recycling collections (and a very popular garden waste collection)

· New affordable homes in Hurst Green for local families

· Free town centre parking thereby helping to protect shoppers and local businesses

· New children’s play equipment in Boulthurst Way and additional investment in the Tandridge Leisure Centre

23,000 People Oppose On Street Parking Charges

It is a shame that while Tandrige is trying to protect local businesses by offering shoppers free carparking in Oxted that the County Council is intending to introduce short-sighted charges for on-street parking.

Tandridge Councillors were united in agreed to oppose this at the recent Council meeting. And it looks like that over 23,000 Surrey residents agree. There is just one day to add your name to petition on the County website. To do so follow the link: http://petitions.surreycc.gov.uk/ParkingCharges/

No Increase In Council Tax No Cuts No Redundancies

This is what I and my fellow Conservatives who run Tandridge District Council decided last month. Indeed despite the significant cuts in Government grant brought about by the need to reduce the Country’s budget deficit, the local Conservative councils serving Oxted and Hurst Green have voted not to raise the rate of council tax this year.

Indeed Tandridge District Council has found savings of around 10% without having to sack a single member of staff, cut a single frontline service or borrow a single pound. Instead, it has managed to save this money by working with other authorities to cut IT and administrative costs, by earning more money from recycling and by constantly improving the way it delivers services, to provide more for less.

While the Labour Government spent taxpayers’ money like it was going out of fashion, Conservative Tandridge prudently prepared for the tough times ahead. We have been running efficient services, we implemented a recruitment freeze to avoid the painful process of making staff redundant and have kept the Council out of debt.

Tandridge has been able to increase frontline services rather than cutting them. For instance unlike other local Councils who have had to switch to a fortnightly bin collection, Tandridge residents continue to benefit from both weekly refuse and recycling collections and are now able to have their garden waste collected as well.