Category Archives: Oxshott

We are not a ‘safe seat’ any longer

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The old adage about ‘safe seats’ does not apply in the Esher & Walton constituency any longer. Here’s the proof. Elmbridge voted decisively ‘remain’ in the European election by voting for the Liberal Democrats – ahead of the Brexit Party and the Conservatives.

And the most recent YouGov poll in the Esher & Walton constituency confirms that the Liberal Democrats are ahead of the Conservatives in people’s voting intentions.
So the time has come to send a Liberal Democrat to Westminster as our MP.

Our parliamentary candidate Monica Harding is campaigning energetically to unseat the current Tory MP Dominic Raab, who does not represent our views.
Get to know Monica and support her campaign!
https://www.monicaharding.org
https://www.facebook.com/MonicaHardingEsherWalton

Elmbridge Liberal Democrats form Joint Administration with Residents Associations Group for 2019/20 

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Following the Conservatives’ loss of three seats in the recent Elmbridge Borough Council election and the gains made by both the Liberal Democrats and the Residents Associations, the two groups have now formed a joint administration for 2019/20. This was confirmed at the Annual Council held on Wednesday 15 May 2019.

The Liberal Democrats have grown their share of vote in Elmbridge by 65% since 2016 and now have 10 Councillors, including a seat they gained from the Conservatives in the Weybridge Riverside ward.

The Conservatives lost another two seats in Esher and Weybridge St. George’s Hill wards, which were gained by the Residents Association Group (RAs). RAs also held their seats in Hinchley Wood, Molesey East and West, Thames Ditton and Walton Central wards.

Because the Conservatives were reduced to 21 seats on Elmbridge Council, there was No Overall Control (NOC). This paved the way for the Liberal Democrats with their 10 seats and the RAs with their 17 seats, to form a joint administration.

The Liberal Democrats’ Council Group Leader Andrew Davis said: ‘When the election result became clear we had exploratory talks with the RAs, including our policies and priorities plus effective processes for a possible coalition. As LibDem Councillors we pressed for the key points in our manifesto, particularly our green environmental policies. We reached a broad agreement on these which enabled us to form the new joint administration with the RAs in Elmbridge for the next 12 months.’

Cllr Davis added: ’We are delighted to welcome a new team member Cllr Ashley Tilling, representing Weybridge Riverside, to our now 10 strong group on Elmbridge Council. We also successfully held Claygate ward with Cllr Alex Coomes and Long Ditton ward with Cllr Neil Houston.’

‘For this fantastic result and our growing share of the vote we thank all those who supported us. The hard work of all our candidates, campaign activists and councillors has paid off. We are grateful to all our members and supporters for their commitment and help with leaflet deliveries, door knocking and many other activities.’

‘We are very pleased that the Elmbridge Liberal Democrats now have greater control of the borough than at any time in its history. This includes three main committees: Licensing Committee (Cllr Mike Rollings), Vice Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Cllr Neil Houston) and Chair of the Planning Committee (Cllr Shweta Kapadia).  We are also hoping that Cllr Alex Coomes will become Chair of Audit and Standards Committee.’

‘Importantly, we have three Cabinet posts with Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Andrew Davis (Highways), Cllr Christine Elmer (Community and Corporate Affairs) and Cllr Mary Marshall, Deputy Leader of the Elmbridge Liberal Democrats (Environment).’

‘Given goodwill, trust and discipline on both sides we believe that we will have a well-functioning and efficient joint administration with the RA’s to address a number of pressing issues for Elmbridge. These include the Local Government financial settlement, the consultation on the next stages of the Elmbridge Local Plan, and possible additional responsibilities together with Surrey County Council. We are confident we have a very strong team in place to meet these challenges.’

Commenting on the Liberal Democrats’ election success Richard Waller, Chair of Elmbridge Liberal Democrats’ Executive Committee said: ‘Nationally our party is enjoying a strong resurgence which shows in more than 700 new council seats we have just gained across the country. This positive trend is repeating itself here in Elmbridge too. We are enormously grateful to our councillors, members and supporters for all their contributions. I am proud of their dedication and enthusiasm.’

‘Furthermore this is very encouraging for Monica Harding, our Prospective Parliamentary Candidate in Esher and Walton, and her team who are working hard to make sure our growing strength is harnessed to unseat Dominic Raab MP for Esher & Walton.’

Full election results can be found on the Elmbridge Borough Council’s website: http://mygov.elmbridge.gov.uk/mgManageElectionResults.aspx

This is the Liberal Democrat Manifesto for Elmbridge

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Safer, Greener, Smarter

Environment
Climate Change is an existential threat to humankind.  We will put Elmbridge on a path to become carbon neutral and will adopt appropriate policies to this end. We will work with local businesses and residents to identify and implement smart and practical measures to achieve our goal. This work will bring tangible benefits to our neighbourhoods and to our personal well-being, too.

Traffic
We will begin to tackle traffic congestion and cut air pollution by installing 20mph in residential areas, improving public transport, discouraging engine idling near schools and elsewhere, and promoting walking and cycling options across Elmbridge.  We will install electric vehicle-charging points in our car parks, encourage them in any new developments and provide free parking for zero-emission cars. We will co-ordinate on and off-street parking, introduce smart parking charging and secure easy access to services.

Planning
We will defend the Green Belt and implement a “brownfield sites first” approach in the upcoming local plan.  We will campaign for infrastructure improvements to be in place for new developments. We will set targets for social housing and family starter homes to meet the needs of a younger generation.  We will encourage local forums to create neighbourhood plans. We will also promote the concentration of shops and services in town centres.

Crime
We will strengthen Neighbourhood Watch and anti-social behaviour teams, and work with Surrey Police to restore neighbourhood policing.  We will promote leisure, sport and social facilities for young people in all towns.

Democracy
We will ensure full transparency in both borough and county budget planning and spending, as well as in the conduct of planning applications – with full accountability to residents.  We support the introduction of an effective unitary authority by merging the county and borough levels into one authority in place of the current Surrey County Council and Surrey’s eleven boroughs.

Leisure                                                                                                                               We recognise the importance of leisure to both mental and physical wellbeing and also its economic benefits.  All leisure activities should be provided at affordable cost to participants, including free adult fitness equipment in every settlement. We will safeguard libraries and look to innovate their services.

Liberal Democrat candidates in Elmbridge Borough Council Election 2nd May 2019

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Claygate – Alex Coomes (re-election)
Alex grew up in Claygate, and worked in financial services before setting up his own microbrewery in Claygate. He sells real ale to trade as well as direct to the public through his micropub ‘Platform 3’ next to the station. As a local entrepreneur Alex supports independent business in the village, which makes Claygate great for shopping.
Alex is passionate about protecting Claygate’s Green Belt from development and fights decisively for residents’ needs when faced with Surrey County Council’s poor level of services. He is a keen dog walker and cyclist – having taken part in numerous Charity cycling events.

Cobham & Downside – David Bellchamber
David is a retired lawyer. After partnership in a City firm, he practised locally for many years. David has been involved, through Transition Cobham, with setting up the Cobham Community Garden. He looks to improve the local environment by minimising waste, keeping footpaths open and clean and with the retention and planting of trees, helping to improve air quality.
David volunteers in planning with Cobham Conservation & Heritage Trust and has campaigned to save Green Belt land and to properly implement planning policy. David wants to introduce unitary authorities with a tier of parish councils implementing Neighbourhood Plans.

Hinchley Wood & Weston Green – Liz Ambekar
Liz Ambekar has lived in Hinchley Wood since 2014, is married and has two children attending local schools. She has worked twenty years in the not-for-profit sector and is now a Finance Director in a charity, which deals with both food poverty and food waste.
Liz will focus on those real issues that affect people from the lack of local school places to poor public transport, crime and safety and affordable housing whilst protecting the green belt.
Hinchley Wood and Weston Green are special communities and as a local resident Liz will champion and support their individuality.

Long Ditton – Neil Houston (re-election)
Neil is a family man who cares for his village. He wants to stop over-development in Long Ditton and to continue protecting the Green Belt from being developed.
He believes it is important that we feel safe, and is fighting for a better visual police presence and wants to stop local fire services being cut. He regularly speaks up on issues raised with him by residents, such as unsafe pavements, planning applications, street lighting and potholes. He says he is proud to represent his community and that his priority is the safety and well-being of people from all walks of life.

Molesey East – Susan Fergy
Sue Fergy has lived in Molesey for 33 years. A Registered Nurse, Sue practised in London before starting at Kingston Hospital and became a lecturer at Kingston University. She is passionate about health and education.
Sue wants a transparent council – informed by local concerns. She is keen to strengthen the community for all Molesey residents by: a) providing easy access to leisure, sport and social facilities for young people, b) restoring neighbourhood policing, c) supporting local businesses and start-ups, d) revitalising the high street, e) ensuring access to efficient general practice near to residents, f) opposing the over-development of the Jolly Boatman site

Molesey West – Alastair Sturgis
Alastair has lived in Molesey for over twenty years bringing up two children, who attended local schools. He is chairman of Hurst Park Residents Association and wants more effective local democracy – so that the council is seen as working for the whole community and is not seen as a remote organisation.
If elected Alastair will ensure that all council decisions are for the good of Molesey residents and Elmbridge gives the best value for money.
Alastair will campaign for truly affordable housing, protecting the environment, encouraging residents to walk or cycle short distances, as well as improving social care.

Oatlands & Burwood Park – Adriana Dredge
Adriana has lived in Oatlands for 23 years and is an active member of the community.  She has worked in higher education as a university lecturer and course director.  In addition to teaching and research, Adriana has helped many students and staff to navigate through many changes in the education system.  Locally, she has worked as a volunteer “computer buddy” at the library, helping people who lack digital skills to realise the benefits of the internet.
Adriana wants to maintain the high quality of life in Oatlands – listening to the residents and ensuring that their concerns determine the council’s agenda.

Oxshott & Stoke D’Abernon – Dorothy Ford
Dorothy Ford has lived for 36 years on the edge of Green Belt, at the centre of the ward. She is an award-winning policy maker and used to work for central government in Whitehall, Brussels and Strasbourg.  She has taught at university and comprehensives.
Dorothy promises to make our community safer, greener and fairer by avoiding overly dense housing, building new housing on brownfield sites (not on Green Belt), implementing residents’ demands for air quality monitoring, better road traffic and safety services and unifying the local council with Surrey County Council to save taxpayers’ money, fund essential services, and reduce bureaucracy.

Thames Ditton – Jez Langham
Jeremy and his wife Sophie moved to Thames Ditton in 2001. Their older children, Thomas and Evie, attended Hinchley Wood Secondary. However, Edward, currently in Yr6 at TD Juniors, is one of 38 from 120 children without an allocated place. School places are only the tip of the iceberg, though – ongoing education, welfare and policing cuts are threatening our well-being.
Elmbridge needs an integrated answer to the great harm done by the government to our local communities. Jeremy works with Monica Harding (Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate who will oppose Dominic Raab) for a more effective local and national partnership.

Walton North – Nicholas Gosling
Nicholas Gosling has lived in Walton on Thames for twelve years. He is married with two children and works as an airline pilot.
Nicholas is passionate about local community issues. He wants to work with local businesses to improve our on and off street parking provisions in order to drive foot traffic into our town centre, including free parking at certain times.
Total transparency and accountability are vital in his work. The same applies to councils i.e. showing where every penny is spent and how it creates value. We must be more engaged in community projects and spending decisions.

Walton South – Margaret Hawkes
Margaret is married to Peter and has lived in Walton for over 40 years, where she brought up her family. Until she took early retirement, Margaret worked as an analyst for a logistics company near Heathrow Airport, driving over Walton Bridge every morning. She has been involved in many voluntary projects, from visiting young offenders in HM Feltham Prison to helping with the Elmbridge Credit Union. She brings a wide experience of life – having been a commuter, a working mother and her work with young people. She is tenacious, asks awkward questions and demands better for the people of Walton.

Weybridge Riverside – Ashley Tilling
Ashley has lived in Weybridge for over fifteen years, teaching physics at a local secondary school, and enjoys being an active member of Weybridge Rowing Club, cycling and singing in a local choir. He loves living in Weybridge and will work to make his town centre a healthier and safer place by reducing air pollution whilst making improvements for cyclists and pedestrians, seeking to re-establish lost NHS services, developing the library and community centre facilities and retaining the children’s centre, refusing planning permission for out-of-proportion and out-of-character development and protecting the town centre’s green spaces.

Oxshott, Stoke and Fairmile

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If you were looking for the survey for Fairmile, Oxshott and Stoke d’Abernon it is here.

If your issue of concern is not listed here please email dorothyfordlibdem@gmail

These are the issues that have been raised on the doorstep or by campaign literature in the campaign:

Improving Oxshott High Street

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Of course, no “A” class road should pass through any town or village – other countries, like Denmark, have completely removed such through traffic.  In the longer term Oxshott needs a by-pass.

The Liberal Democrats believe that we can make our Oxshott village centre a pleasant place to be in despite the amount of traffic that flows through the town.  We can shorten travel time for motorists, increase trade for our shops, and make the roads safer for our children and the elderly.  Enable more people to cycle, which will itself also reduce congestion.  Allow people with disabilities and the infirm to navigate their way through the traffic and reduce their stress.

Conventional safety experts will tell you that we need traffic lights, roundabouts, tactile bubble paving and a vast array of signs but it is simply not true.

The following video shows what can be done with the will and the imagination.   If the main road is to be remodelled let us make sure that it is designed to the highest standards.  Don’t let the naysayers sell us short.

If Poynton can achieve these excellent results then surely Oxshott can do so too.  What are your views?

One of the advantages that Poynton had was that the highway authority and the planning authority were the same – Cheshire East Council.  Our planning authority – Elmbridge – and our highway authority – Surrey – are separate but that does not mean that they cannot work together to provide the outcomes we need.

The problems can occur when changes are proposed and there is no discussion between the relevant parties.

For other Fairmile, Oxshott and Stoke items click here.

Housing

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This is what it says in the Conservative manifesto:

Build Affordable Housing: recognise the need to build more affordable homes in Elmbridge. I pledge to work with my colleagues to identify sites where additional properties can be constructed without negatively impacting existing communities.

A pleasant sentiment but words butter no parsnips. This century Elmbridge borough did not build a single home.  So the Conservatives have had plenty of time to do something.

But once Lib Dems formed an administration the action began, three projects were begun in Cobham, Ditton and Weybridge.  Parallel work has been undertaken to set up a borough owned housing company.  As opportunities arise new social and affordable housing will be built to suit the needs of each community.

Although the national government says we have to allow more housing in Elmbridge.  The bigger problem is that Elmbridge has a skewed range of housing that is ill suited to the needs of its people.  We have a large number houses with six or more bedrooms but far to few one and two bedroom flats and smaller three bedroom houses.

Whilst some people might aspire to one day owning a six bedroomed house, very few people can consider a six bedroom house as a starter home.  People who are born in Oxshott, Fairmile and Stoke d’Abernon should have a reasonable chance to find a home locally to buy or rent and not have to emigrate out of Elmbridge to find a home of their own.

 

Air Quality in Oxshott High Street

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It should be possible for more Danes Hill pupils to walk to school safely. If a second pedestrian crossing were added to Oxshott High Street near Danes Hill, this should enable more to walk to school safely.  This should also reduce rush-hour traffic and air pollution. Danes Hill School and other local schools have been urging parents not to drive their children to school. An extra pedestrian crossing will help. Danes Hill School is expanding, as our local population grows.  This crossing will only become more necessary over the coming years.

If if were legally possible for 44 ton lorries to be banned from Oxshott High Street, this would help to reduce traffic and reduce air pollution.  Oxshott High Street was never intended as a link between the M25 and the A3. This might be difficult to achieve, but options for ways forward might be considered.  It will take a reasonable amount of time for the newly designed A3/M25 link near Cobham to be agreed and constructed. Until it is finished, the traffic problems in Oxshott High Street will only increase.

If Oxshott High Street traffic is to be managed more effectively, the first step should be to measure the air quality.  If the air quality is measured, it should be clearer that improvements are needed to traffic management. Traffic management in Oxshott High Street should then become a higher priority.

 A written request sent by a local resident to the local Surrey County Councillor to begin air quality monitoring unfortunately received no response.  

Many residents are aware of a local residents’ petition to improve the traffic management and closely related question of air traffic management in Oxshott High Street.  This petition was submitted to the local Conservative Surrey County Councillor. Only one of the several well-researched recommendations from that petition were implemented.  Since this petition which was submitted several years ago, the problems have only accerbated. More needs to be done.

Where Charlwood Drive meets Oxshott High Street, there is a very uneven surface of the road.  When heavy vehicles cross this little patch of Oxshott High Street, lots of noise and vibration result.  Those who live in nearby homes feel these vibrations and hear the noise. This small patch of Oxshott High Street might need replacement.

Back to Fairmile, Oxshott and Stoke issues