As many as 13% of hard-pressed families across Woking face being left worse off when the Government end the uplift to Universal Credit next month. New data from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation exposes the true nature of how badly some areas will be hit by the £20 Universal Credit cut, which is opposed by the Lib Dems and […]

My Lib Dems colleagues and I have challenged Surrey County Council over failures to answer data protection and freedom of information requests from local residents within legal time limits. During the last Cabinet meeting, I asked how many enquiries were not responded to in the required time. Under the General Data Protection Regulation, public sector […]

My Lib Dem colleagues and I have succeeded in securing agreement for a full review of Woking Borough Council’s finances. Councillors gave unanimous support for a review to look at all aspects of Woking’s finances at the last Council meeting before the August break. The Lib Dems made a commitment to a full financial review […]

The Lib Dems have secured support for measures that will result in all care leavers in Surrey being exempt from paying Council Tax from next April. In 2018, the Lib Dems and I won unanimous backing at Surrey County Council for a motion to exempt care leavers from paying tax until they are 25.  Ten of […]

My Lib Dem colleagues and I have criticised the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner for appointing a £53,550 a year Deputy against the views of the cross-party Police and Crime Panel. The Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner, Lisa Townsend, and her proposed Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Ellie Vesey-Thompson, recently attended a confirmation hearing with […]

Yesterday, Woking’s Conservative MP, voted in the House of Commons to support the Government’s cut to foreign aid, breaking a manifesto promise. MPs were given the option to vote between restoring the Government’s commitment to spending 0.7% of Gross National Income on foreign aid, and a so-called compromise that would see the commitment return only […]

Over the last few years, the Conservatives running Woking Borough Council have been on a massive spending spree.  According to the last set of accounts, the Council has long-term loans totalling £1.5 billion and is committed to £3.8 billion in loan repayments and interest over the next 50 years.  We have recently seen local authorities such […]

The Lib Dems and I have called on Surrey County Council to stand up to the Government over its failure to deliver the previously promised reform of the social care system. My Lib Dem colleagues and I have tabled a motion to the County Council’s next meeting on 13th July demanding that the Council continues […]

I have written to Woking’s Conservative MP, Jonathan Lord, urging them not to break their election commitment on international development spending by voting to abandon the UK’s 0.7% of GNI target in a potential vote on 7th June. In the 2019 General Election, Tory MPs including Woking’s MP stood on a manifesto promise to “proudly […]

Schools across Surrey are set to lose £1.1 million in funding for the most disadvantaged pupils in the county following the Government’s decision to alter the method of calculating pupil premium funding. The pupil premium, which aims to close the attainment gap by providing extra money to pupils eligible for free school meals, was a […]