SCC

Steve Owen-Hughes appointed Surrey’s Chief Fire Officer

Steve Owen-Hughes has been appointed Chief Fire Officer for Surrey Fire and Rescue Service. Mr Owen-Hughes (pictured right) joined the service in 2010 as Assistant Chief Fire Officer and has been acting in the role of chief for the past few months. He said: “It’s a great honour to have been appointed to serve Surrey … Continue reading →

Surrey leader announces changes to Cabinet roles and scrutiny committees

Surrey leader Tim Oliver used today’s annual meeting to reveal Cabinet changes and an overhaul of the county council’s scrutiny system. Dr Zully Grant-Duff (pictured right) has taken over as Cabinet Member for Corporate Services from Charlotte Morley, who has stepped down. Mr Oliver said: “Dr Grant Duff will be particularly focusing on the rollout … Continue reading →

VIDEO: Surrey leader indicates review of rural car park charging possible

Surrey leader Tim Oliver today indicated that a review of the rural car parking charges introduced last year could be possible if the county council cannot “clearly demonstrate” they are “directly contributing towards the upkeep of the countryside”. He also stressed his hope that there will be “a workable solution” to keep the county’s community … Continue reading →

VIDEO: Round-up of work taking place on Surrey’s roads with Tina Thorburn

Tina Thorburn from the county council’s highways team rounds up the work taking place on Surrey’s roads.

More than 1,500 responses received so far as fire consultation enters final week

With a week left to run in the fire service consultation on proposals to make Surrey safer, 1,550 responses have already been received. The key proposal is for a big increase in prevention work to stop incidents happening in the first place. Firefighters would go into many more homes, schools and workplaces to help people … Continue reading →

New library opens in Horley

Horley’s new library is now open in a convenient town centre location. The library has moved from its previous outdated premises to a new site near the train station and shops. As well as a refreshed selection of books and an expanded study area, the new library boasts a flexible open-plan layout allowing it to … Continue reading →

Skip hire boss fined for pressuring customers into stumping up extra charges

A skip hire boss who pressured customers into paying extra charges for skips to be removed from outside their homes has been ordered to pay fines and court costs of more than £30,000. Brian Place, director of 1st Place Grab & Skip Hire Ltd, was sentenced by Guildford magistrates for using aggressive commercial practices after … Continue reading →

Inspectors publish report on Surrey services for children with special educational needs

Surrey County Council, the six Surrey clinical commissioning groups and Family Voice Surrey have welcomed an inspection report on special educational needs and disability services in the county. Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission carried out a joint review of Surrey’s progress in addressing weaknesses highlighted in a previous inspection in 2016. The full joint … Continue reading →

Rogue trader jailed for conning retired Surrey teacher with excessive charges for shoddy work

A doorstep rogue trader has been jailed after conning a retired Surrey teacher with excessive charges for substandard work to her house and garden. Tom Watson was jailed for two years for running a fraudulent business following a prosecution brought by Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards. He was handed a further four years’ imprisonment for … Continue reading →

VIDEO: Roadworks update with Tina Thornburn

Nikki Barton elected in Haslemere by-election

Nikki Barton has been elected as the Surrey County Councillor for Haslemere at a by-election following the earlier resignation of Richard Hampson. Election Candidate Party Votes %  Nikki Barton Independent 2665 65% Elected  Malcolm Carter Conservative 1159 28% Not elected  Adrian Paul La Porta Labour 263 6% Not elected   More details including turnout and … Continue reading →

BT handed £30,000 fine for bad road repairs that “could have had fatal consequences”

BT has been handed what is thought to be one of the highest fines for bad road repairs that a judge said “could have had fatal consequences”. The firm was fined £30,000 last month for unsafe road repairs after cables were laid. It followed a prosecution by Surrey County Council’s highways team. It is believed … Continue reading →

Round-up of work taking place on Surrey’s roads with Tina Thornburn

Tina Thorburn, from the county council’s highways team, gives her latest round-up of the work taking place on Surrey’s roads.      

First graduates from joint Surrey and Sussex firefighter training course showcase skills at passing out parade

New fire service recruits showcased their skills at a passing out parade after completing 13 weeks of training. Twenty-four recruits demonstrated what they’ve learned during the first Surrey and Sussex “tri-service” course for full-time firefighters. The fire services in Surrey, East and West Sussex joined forces to run the intensive course which began in January … Continue reading →

VIDEO: Charlotte Moreton-Dolman’s update from the social care frontline

Here’s Charlotte Moreton-Dolman from the county council’s adult social care team giving her latest update from the frontline. Here’s Charlotte from the county #council with her latest update from the adult #socialcare frontline pic.twitter.com/DsuZovk9t2 — Surrey News (@SurreyNews) April 18, 2019