As England marks St George’s day, TV historian David Starkey has revealed that the site where the Magna Carta was sealed at Runnymede was chosen because it was a muddy bog that prevented a battle between the king and the barons erupting. Dr Starkey, whose interview on Radio 4 this morning about the historic document upset Today programme … Continue reading
A conman who sold pirated versions of Disney’s Little Mermaid and Mrs Brown’s Boys imported from China on websites such as eBay and Play has been ordered to repay almost £500,000. Trevor Pegg was jailed for three years in January after being convicted on 13 counts – including importing and supplying counterfeit DVDs, running a … Continue reading
Her Majesty The Queen will mark the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta at the site in Runnymede where the historic document was sealed. Accompanied by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Her Majesty will attend a commemoration event at Runnymede Meadows on 15 June. The Duke of Cambridge, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir … Continue reading
Plans to share services with the aim of making improvements and saving two county councils millions of pounds annually became reality today. Surrey and East Sussex officially launched their partnership – called orbis – covering services that include human resources, property, procurement, finance and information technology. It is hoped the move, which is expected to … Continue reading
Furniture boss Phillip Dickens was given a three-month suspended prison sentence today after his company supplied a cot that trapped a child by the neck. On behalf of his company, Oxfordshire-based Baumhaus, Mr Dickens had admitted two counts of placing an unsafe product on the market, between January 2010 and July 2013, at an earlier … Continue reading
Easter decorations which look virtually identical to Cadbury Mini Eggs have been pulled from Poundland stores nationwide after trading standards officers based in Surrey warned children could try to eat them by mistake. Packs of decorative foam eggs imported from China have been removed from hundreds of Poundland stores after Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading … Continue reading
Historian David Starkey, who presented a BBC documentary about Magna Carta, will give a talk in Surrey to mark the 800th anniversary of the charter’s sealing in the county. Dr Starkey has been lined up by Surrey County Council to speak at Guildford Cathedral about the influence the historic document has on modern-day Britain. Sealed by … Continue reading
Chelsea’s Premier League stars of the future have launched one of Surrey’s first community bus services. England youth internationals Jacob Maddox and Martell Taylor-Crossdale, and Swiss youth international Miro Muheim were on hand to unveil the Chatterbus, which will run daily between Cobham and Weybridge. Most of the funding to run the bus was provided by … Continue reading
Surrey County Council has been named an ‘Open Data Champion’ by Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude for its digital approach. He named Surrey as one of 16 champions nationally at an event looking at the role of the ‘local authority of the future’. Openly published data can be used to create applications that provide better … Continue reading
British cycling star Mark Cavendish will race on Surrey’s roads this August as a competitor in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic. The 2011 world champion and winner of 25 Tour de France stages has been revealed as one of the leading riders competing in this year’s race, which takes place on Sunday 2 August. Mr Cavendish … Continue reading
Residents in Surrey and Buckinghamshire will be better protected from scams and rip-offs with the launch next month of a joint trading standards service covering both counties. A merger between Surrey and Buckinghamshire trading standards takes effect from 1 April with the aim of harnessing their collective expertise to give consumers even stronger safeguards and … Continue reading
Surrey has become the best connected county in Britain following the completion of the main part of a high-speed broadband project. The county council and BT have announced that fibre broadband coverage has been extended to more than 82,000 businesses and homes not included in commercial roll outs. Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey said: “The Government’s nationwide roll … Continue reading
Social networking pioneer Penny Power OBE is among the speakers lined up for Surrey’s Countryside and Rural Enterprise Conference next week looking at how working better together and innovation can enhance the county’s rural areas. The entrepreneur and author, who founded the UK’s first social network for business in 1998, will be speaking about digital … Continue reading
Local businesses have benefitted to the tune of nearly £1.3 million a day as part of a Surrey County Council pledge to help drive economic growth. Figures for 2014 reveal that £470m worth of contracts were secured from the council by 3,000 businesses and organisations. That is the equivalent of £1.29m daily, pushing the council’s local spending … Continue reading
A multi-million pound project to give Merstham a facelift with new community facilities, shops and homes is set to start. Surrey County Council, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council and Raven Housing Trust will transform the Portland Drive area. The redevelopment will include a new library and youth skills centre. Surrey County Council leader David Hodge said: “It’s … Continue reading