I fear the Conservatives’ botched Brexit will leave people poorer and MPs need to give the public the final say on the deal. During the debate on Tuesday, the Lib Dem MPs will be arguing for people to be given a final say, including the option to remain in the European Union (EU). The Lib […]

As the Mayor of Woking, I recently ran a Christmas Card competition which saw children from my former school, Horsell Church of England Junior School, take part. Over 40 pupils from Horsell’s Junior School submitted potential designs for me to choose my favourite.  The winning design will be used for the Mayor’s Annual Christmas Card, which […]

An investigation by the nationwide homeless charity Shelter has reinforced why I was right to choose the York Road Project has my Mayoral Charity. Shelter’s report ‘Homelessness in Great Britain: the numbers behind the story’ shows that homelessness is increasing across the country, with one in 52 people in the capital now homeless – and […]

Despite it pouring with rain, I was pleased to visit West Byfleet Infant School recently to help a 6 year old pupil, Harry Harris, and his classmates plant trees in the school field as part of the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy initiative. The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy will hopefully be a network of forest conservation initiatives to […]

Earlier this year, I got Woking Borough Council to exempt young people who have recently left the care system from paying Council Tax until their 25th birthday.  Surrey County Council also agreed a package of measures to support care leavers, including plans to take young care leavers out of Council Tax, at the start of […]

I am pleased to see that Network Rail has secured a budget from the Government of more than £2 billion to improve the south western rail network that runs through Surrey and the surrounding areas. The money will be spent between 2019 and 2024 across the route, which runs out of London’s Waterloo station, and […]

On the same day as the Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer said in the Budget that austerity is coming to an end, Tory-run Surrey County Council announced that it will consult the public on plans to cut bus passes, Children’s Centres, Community Recycling Centres, libraries and services for people with special educational needs and disabilities. […]

Yesterday, former Lib Dem Leader Tim Farron presented a Bill to the House of Commons which would make it significantly easier for the Government to strip failing rail companies of their franchises. Tim Farron has repeatedly made the case for failing rail operators to be stripped of their franchise after a summer of chaos on […]

Following Surrey County Council’s decision to introduce parking charges to car parks in its countryside estate, it has been widely reported that the sites have been almost empty. Parking charges of £1.30 per hour, with a maximum charge of £5 per day, were introduced in the County Council’s car parks in the summer despite significant […]

I was pleased to congratulate and thank the Borough’s gardening champions last week at the annual Woking in Bloom and Allotment Awards. The annual Woking in Bloom Awards are open to residents, business and schools, and, along with the Allotment Awards, there are categories to cover all aspects of gardening, from pots to plots.  All […]