A Surrey trader who laundered cash from a driveway repair scam has been ordered to repay £15,000 to two vulnerable residents. Charles Smailes, 22, of Stone Hill Road, Ottershaw was given a suspended jail sentence last year for his role in crimes which involved charging excessive sums for poor quality paving and landscaping work. He … Continue reading
A drop of 1,100 tonnes in fly-tipped waste over the past 10 months has saved Surrey taxpayers £125,000. Figures from Surrey County Council show that 2,749 tonnes of fly-tipped rubbish were picked up by district and borough councils between April last year and January – a fall of 30 per cent on the previous 10-month … Continue reading
Enough footpaths have already been given the Pavement Horizon treatment to cover the distance from Guildford to Portsmouth by car. Laid end to end, all the work completed by the end of last month would stretch 43 miles – roughly the equivalent of driving from Camberley in west Surrey to Lingfield in the south east of the … Continue reading
Shops and online retailers are selling two popular baby products without safety warnings despite a series of deaths from suffocation, a trading standards investigation has found. Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards led research into safety information provided with nappy bags and pouch-style baby slings sold by high street stores and web-based retailers. Spot checks made … Continue reading
Statement from David Hodge Leader of Surrey County Council: “Surrey’s decision not to proceed with a 15% council tax increase was ours alone and there has been no deal between Surrey County Council and the Government. However, I am confident that the Government now understands the real pressures in adult social care and the need … Continue reading
Council voted to approve a 4.99% rise in council tax following recommendation from Leader David Hodge.
Members of Surrey County Council’s Cabinet today unanimously approved a proposal to increase council tax by 15%. The Cabinet’s recommendation will now be considered at a meeting of Surrey’s Full Council on Tuesday 7 February.
With two-thirds of the council’s spending going on the wellbeing of adults and children, it has been revealed that the number of older people in Surrey needing the highest levels of care from the council soared by more than 50% in five years. In 2011, 240 people aged over 65 received help from the authority for … Continue reading
As demand for critical services continues to rise, Surrey leader David Hodge has revealed that almost two thirds of the county council’s spending goes on the wellbeing of adults and children – 65 pence in every pound. In the video below he points to the number of older people needing the highest level of care … Continue reading
David Hodge, Leader of Surrey County Council, has announced a proposal to seek a council tax rise of 15%. He said: “We have to set a budget that will protect vital services for Surrey residents. “Government has cut our annual grant by £170m since 2010 – leaving a huge gap in our budget. “Demand for … Continue reading
Surrey County Council has outlined plans to expand 11 schools from September to meet rising demand for places. The projects are set to deliver almost 1,700 extra places across seven primary and four secondary schools. Linda Kemeny, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Schools, Skills and Educational Achievement, said: “We know that 11,000 extra school … Continue reading
With parts of Surrey seeing snow, a fleet of gritters has been out spreading salt on the county’s roads. Any residents affected can find information and advice on the council’s website. They can also get traffic updates on the BBC’s website while the county council is running a twitter feed to provide information on gritting … Continue reading
On the day Theresa May pledged to transform the way mental health issues are dealt with, the Prime Minister visited Aldershot’s Wellbeing Centre and Safe Haven – one of six cafe-style drop-in services providing support that are funded by organisations including Surrey County Council, clinical commissioning groups and Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Helyn … Continue reading
Two extra people could need help from Surrey County Council every day this year for a learning disability. By last December, 3,500 people with a learning disability were being supported – a figure that the authority estimates will rise to 3,750 by this April. A repeat of that five-month rate of increase across the whole … Continue reading
Elderly, disabled and seriously ill loved ones will get more help and support under planned county council contracts to help Surrey’s “unsung heroes”. The county council and Surrey’s six clinical commissioning groups are preparing to sign contracts to give carers breaks to recharge the batteries and provide help with their physical and emotional needs. Doing … Continue reading