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 […]

Last week, I helped honour local sporting heroes and stars at the annual Sport Woking Awards. The awards celebrate talent and achievement in sport and recognise the men, women and young people who contribute to Woking’s sporting excellence.  During the evening, the gathered audience heard inspiring stories of sportspeople whose work makes the lives of […]

I am pleased to report that I have got Surrey County Council to agree to resurface quite a few roads in my part of Woking over the next two months. After some considerable lobbying, the County Council has agreed to completely resurface Claremont Avenue and Triggs Lane, and resurface the worst sections of Bonsey Lane, […]

Over the weekend, I unveiled a blue plaque to commemorate the residence of composor, author, sportswoman and suffragette, Ethel Smyth. Ethel moved into a newly built house in Hook Heath Road in 1910 that she named ‘Coign’.  A rarity of the era, Dame Ethel was a keen sportswoman.  She was a member of the Woking […]

I am pleased to report that I have got Surrey County Council to agree to resurface quite a few pavements in my part of Woking over the next month. The County Council is planning to resurface pavements in Bonsey Lane, Constitution Hill, Maple Grove, Maybourne Rise and The Moorlands, as well as the footpath between […]