Applications for places at Surrey secondary schools next September have reached a new high. Surrey County Council received 11,392 secondary school applications by the 31 October closing date* – 260 more than last year. The number of applications has risen steadily in recent years, with 1,343 more applying this year than in 2012. The increase … Continue reading
Surrey County Council is on course to save £3.5 million after spearheading an initiative to replace scores of networks with just one. The authority handed BT a seven-year contract to create a single computer and communication system for a host of public services in Surrey and Berkshire in 2012 using cloud technology. Now Surrey has … Continue reading
Schemes to cut congestion at one of Surrey’s busiest roundabouts and expand a secondary school have been delayed after leader David Hodge urged MPs to help the county council “avoid damaging cuts”. The Cabinet put decisions about investing in improvements at Runnymede Roundabout and 250 extra places at Salesian School in Chertsey on hold until … Continue reading
Half of Surrey children go to school within five miles of a London borough – and miss out on £30million funding compared to pupils in the capital. Surrey receives £450 less per pupil from the Government than the average for London boroughs bordering the county even though schools either side of the boundary serve virtually … Continue reading
Fly-tipped rubbish dealt with in Surrey has dropped by more than half compared with a year ago, new figures from Surrey County Council have shown. Some 206 tonnes of fly-tipped waste were collected by district and borough councils in October compared with 469 in the same month last year – a drop of 263 tonnes. … Continue reading
Nearly £50,000 of funding has been signed off by the county council to boost local shopping parades and village centres across Surrey. From Walton-on-Thames to Frimley and Lingfield to Egham, groups were celebrating being awarded up to nearly £14,500 each. At the same time 21 groups county-wide were handed up to £30,000 each from the council’s … Continue reading
Nearly 42 miles of footpaths are set to be improved next year in Surrey to help people get to key community services – roughly the distance from Guildford to Portsmouth by car. Surrey County Council has revealed a provisional list of hundreds of pavements that are in line to be resurfaced from April as part … Continue reading
Cabinet Member for Highways John Furey talked to BBC Surrey presenters James Cannon and Suzanne Bamborough today about the council’s preparations to keep the county moving in severe winter weather. Audio courtesy of BBC Surrey
Epsom was full of opportunity as more than a thousand young people met with employers, further education colleges and training providers to find their perfect career match. The Surrey Opportunities Fair organised by the county council gave school leavers, unemployed young people and those seeking new opportunities a chance to find out about further education, training … Continue reading
Decoding encrypted messages, making robots and building internets from scratch are some of the tasks students will be able to tackle at Surrey’s first university technical college. The college will open in Guildford to train the next generation of cyber security, computing and engineering experts. Students will specialise in either computer science or engineering – … Continue reading
With temperatures due to plummet, the county council’s fleet of gritting lorries are set to head out on Surrey’s roads tonight for the first time since last winter. They will be heading out from 7pm after filling up from the council’s 16,000-tonne stockpile of salt. Ahead of winter, the authority filled more than 1,700 grit bins … Continue reading
A feature published in today’s Guardian highlighted the severe strain being put on Surrey County Council’s budgets by ever-growing demand for services for older and disabled people. Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care Mel Few told the newspaper that it meant the council needed to spend an additional £24 million annually.
Following the news that Claygate has been named as one of the best local shopping areas in the country after being shortlisted in the Great British High Street competition, Surrey leader David Hodge said: “This is fantastic news for Claygate. Local shops and village stores have a special place at the heart of their communities and clearly … Continue reading
Put the clocks back and check your smoke alarm Surrey residents are being urged to test their smoke alarm as they put their clocks back this weekend. The call from Surrey Fire and Rescue Service comes after the latest statistics from the Home Office show that 12% of households where fires took place in 2013/14 … Continue reading
A Surrey charity has been awarded £350,000 thanks to the county’s role in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey events. YMCA East Surrey received the sum to help fund a new sports facility for people with disabilities and additional needs at the charity’s Redhill site. The grant will also enable the centre to become a regional hub for … Continue reading