Month: August 2024

Mole Valley Housing Team Receives High Praise

Mole Valley District Council’s (MVDC) Housing team manages Allocations and Homelessness services, including assistance for households facing homelessness; management of the social housing register; and facilitating access to the private rented sector. They also oversee temporary accommodation, work with Planning to ensure the building of additional affordable housing and collaborate with agencies on safeguarding and public protection issues.

Recently, the team received outstanding feedback from the Homeless Advisory and Support Team (HAST) at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (formerly the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) for their exceptional performance in handling homeless presentations. MVDC reports data monthly to the Government on households who present as homeless, and the recent figures have shown results well above regional and national averages.

Where someone is threatened with homelessness within 56 working days, MVDC may owe them a duty to try and prevent their homelessness. In Mole Valley, 68% of households approach MVDC during this time period, compared to 50% regionally and 43% nationally. This early presentation enables MVDC more time to use early intervention to find solutions to the housing issues and, in so doing, can avoid the household becoming homeless. The success rate achieved by MVDC in preventing homelessness is 71%, significantly higher than the regional (54%) and national (52%) averages. This is achieved through various strategies, including negotiating with landlords and mortgage companies, referrals to supported housing, accessing private rented accommodation, and facilitating moves into social housing.

Should prevention not be successful, and the household become homeless, they enter the ‘relief stage’.    MVDC continues to support the household to find an end to their homelessness and has a success rate of 60%, compared to 30% regionally and 33% nationally. Those households whose homeless application is then accepted are initially placed in emergency accommodation whilst a longer-term solution is found.  Of these, MVDC last year helped 33% into private rentals, vastly outperforming the regional (8%) and national (8%) averages. This success in securing private rentals provides a quicker housing solution for households, freeing up emergency accommodations for others in need.  All these services are made available to households of all sizes, from single people and couples through to families with children.

If you are a private landlord in Mole Valley, Surrey or further afield and are interested in helping MVDC with housing households, please contact MVDC’s Housing Team on 01306 885001 to discuss financial and practical offers – including free tenancy sustainment and inventories as well as generous cash incentives – MVDC can provide for letting out your home.

Mole Valley Councillor Rosemary HobbsCouncillor Rosemary Hobbs, Cabinet Member for Community Services commented on the Housing team success saying: “I’m very proud of the results our Housing team is delivering, and I would like to thank them for their hard work in achieving these remarkable results. Their dedication and perseverance in combating homelessness in Mole Valley is well evidenced and receiving deserved recognition by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

“These results not only highlight our team’s exceptional performance but also elevate Mole Valley’s profile at Government level, potentially leading to future grant and funding opportunities. This will enable us to continue maintaining and improving our housing and homelessness services for our community. The significant success in helping people into the private rented sector is crucial, as it provides quicker housing solutions compared to waiting for social housing, freeing up emergency accommodations for other households in need.”

Epsom & Ewell Housing Pressures and Homelessness

Housing Pressures and Homelessness: How Epsom & Ewell Borough Council is Tackling a National Issue

Insufficient housing levels, particularly affordable housing, is a national issue affecting individuals and families up and down the country and Epsom & Ewell is no exception.

The Government recently released their 2023 statutory homelessness figures, revealing a 12% increase nationwide in the number of households in temporary accommodation, with the figure now standing at over 112,000. The number of households with children in temporary accommodation rose even more sharply by 15%, now totalling 74,530 households.

As Councillor Hannah Dalton, Chair of the Epsom & Ewell Residents Association (Majority Group) and Housing Spokesperson for the District Councils’ Network, recently said in a letter about the homelessness crisis sent to the Deputy Prime Minister, The Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP:

“The human impact of this crisis is enormous. Families in temporary accommodation face huge challenges including disrupted education, health issues, and difficulty holding down a job. Homelessness undermines people’s lives and life chances.”

 

There are many factors that contribute to this nationwide problem; the lack of affordable housing, high rental rates, the ongoing cost of living crisis; and higher interest rates and mortgage costs to name a few.

Epsom & Ewell has proportionately one of the highest numbers of homeless households living in temporary accommodation in England and is in the top seven boroughs outside of London.

In Epsom & Ewell we face the additional challenge of the South East’s very high housing costs, coupled with a severe shortage of housing. Affordable housing options in the borough are severely limited, partly due to the low level of affordable housing development in recent years. There is also only a small stock of private rented properties available which are in very high demand.

So as a borough, we urgently need more housing of all types including, but not limited to, affordable housing. Every house fulfils a need that makes other housing available, improves supply and demand, and lowers costs.

The rising cost of temporary accommodation

We don’t have enough temporary accommodation in the borough to meet the large rises in demand we’ve seen over the last few years, so we often need to place people in nightly paid accommodation outside the borough. This can impact the household’s wellbeing and is very expensive: Epsom & Ewell Borough Council spent £1,665,493 on nightly paid accommodation in 2023/24.

At present, we have 160 homeless households in temporary accommodation in the borough and more than 90 homeless households in nightly paid accommodation outside of the borough. Many of these families may have to wait more than three years before temporary accommodation in the borough becomes available, and even longer before a permanent housing solution can be found for them.

Councillor Woodbridge, Chair of the Community & Wellbeing Committee, Epsom & Ewell, said: “The vast majority of homeless households are those who cannot afford suitable accommodation. Perhaps they are sofa surfing or living with family in overcrowded households.   

43% of homelessness is due to eviction from a private rented tenancy, with a further 24% people experiencing homelessness after living with family or friends who are no longer willing or able to accommodate them. There is also a significant percentage of households fleeing violence.”  

Epsom & Ewell’s very low supply of social rented housing is in high demand. Fewer than 90 social housing properties become available each year against about 1,300 households who are on the housing register.

The average waiting time for applicants with a high housing need is between 18 months and more than a decade, depending on the size of the property required. Those in lower housing need bandings have little or no prospect of being offered social housing.

The only alternative to social housing is private rented accommodation, which is very expensive – rising to an average of £1,630 in June 2024, an annual increase of 10.7% (the rise in the South East over the year was 8.2%).

“The housing team at Epsom & Ewell Borough Council undertake a huge range of actions and activities to mitigate and help solve the many challenges, as set out in the council’s Homelessness Strategy. Without the incredible work being done by this team, the situation would be much worse.” – Councillor Woodbridge, Chair of the Community & Wellbeing Committee. 

Initiatives that Epsom & Ewell Borough Council undertake to prevent homelessness include:

      • Prevention focus – liaising with family and friends of people at risk of homelessness, negotiating with private rent sector landlords on their behalf, and assisting with deposits.
      • Private Sector Leasing (PSL) Scheme – the council leases a property for between three and five years from a private landlord for use as temporary accommodation: Epsom & Ewell Borough Council calls on landlords to sign up to their Private Sector Leasing Scheme | Epsom and Ewell Borough Council (epsom-ewell.gov.uk)
      • Rent Deposit Scheme: the council is able to support residents with rental deposits that would otherwise be unaffordable, to help secure accommodation.
      • The borough’s Local Plan, if approved, will bring much-needed development to the borough to help ease the pressure, costs and demand for housing. This includes a policy to increase affordable housing delivery on all eligible sites.
      • Working with partners to increase local temporary accommodation options including utilising any Council owned sites and properties.
      • Lobbying government in partnership with other local authorities, via the District Council Network (DCN) – recently, this has resulted in the Local Housing Allowance being increased, having not previously seen any increase since 2019.
      • Working in partnership with landlords to bring empty properties back into use.
      • Downsizing households in social housing to free up larger accommodation.
      • Challenging developers to provide much needed affordable housing on eligible development sites.
      • Working in partnership with Registered Providers to increase affordable housing.

 

Development of affordable housing

There are limited sites in the borough to develop affordable housing due to the size of the borough, the existence of the green belt and the cost of redeveloping brownfield sites.

Furthermore, the current National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that smaller sites (fewer than 11 homes) are exempt from providing an affordable housing contribution, and commercial to residential ‘permitted development’ sites are not required to provide affordable housing either.

Councillor Woodbridge, Chair of the Community & Wellbeing Committee, said: “As a council, we are working hard to ensure that local people have a suitable home to live in. This is crucial for the wellbeing of our residents – a home is not just a physical space to live safely and comfortably. A home provides roots, identity, a sense of belonging and a place of emotional wellbeing. 

We also want to be able to reduce the very high expenditure that is currently required to manage the housing crisis in the borough, so that we can continue to invest in, develop and protect the many other services that the council offers its residents. The many actions we are taking will help to ease the crisis for some, but this is a situation which requires significant action to bring about a long-term and sustainable solution.”  

 

Case Study: Mr K

Mr K, a self-employed professional and single father of two young children, had been renting privately for a number of years.

His rent was already £295 per calendar month (pcm) over the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate when he learnt that the landlord wanted to increase his rent by a further £200 pcm. Mr K could not afford to pay this increase and the landlord served an ‘s21 no fault’ eviction notice.

The average market rent for a 2-bedroom property in Epsom is £1,720 pcm, however the LHA rate is £1,200 pcm. The LHA rate is the maximum rent that is used to calculate how much Housing Benefit or Universal Credit someone is entitled to. Anything over the LHA will not be considered, and the shortfall will have to be paid by the tenant, in addition to their usual rent liability.

Mr K was unable to find alternative affordable accommodation as letting agents wanted prospective tenants to have either:

      • a minimal annual income of at least 30 times the monthly rent
      • a guarantor who earns 36 to 40 times the monthly rent,
      • or pay 6 month’s rent in advance (even harder for Mr K as he was self-employed).

In addition, there were very few properties on the market and a lot of competition for them, with some properties going to sealed bids.

When the s21 notice expired Mr K felt he had no option but to approach the council as homeless. He was not previously known to the council and is an example of the increasing number of residents who are now unable to resolve their own housing problems and are becoming more reliant on the council for emergency homeless assistance.

When Mr K became homeless, the council provided self-contained temporary accommodation in the Croydon area. However, one of Mr K’s children has special educational needs, and they were struggling being placed out of borough, with childcare, access to schools, family support and specialised support services. This was the only accommodation available to the council at the time.

After a number of months in temporary accommodation in Croydon, Epsom & Ewell Borough Council’s Move-On Officer was able to find Mr K to find a privately rented 2-bedroom flat in Epsom and helped Mr K secure it by utilising the council’s Rent Deposit Scheme.

Maguire Joins Surrey LIB DEMS to Improve SEND Provision

Surrey’s six Lib Dem MPs – including Epsom & Ewell MP Helen Maguire – are requesting an urgent meeting with Surrey County council Leader Tim Oliver over the crisis in SEND provision in the County.

The County Council’s poor record on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision has been brought to a head by a deadline imposed on parents by the County Council.

That deadline gives parents a month to decide on their child’s placement preference whereas last year the deadline was March of the following year.

“This is an unacceptably short timeframe for parents to choose their child’s school, especially during a time when schools are closed for the summer holidays. We request that you return the deadline for school preference selection to March”, says the MPs.

The issue of the deadline is just the tip of the iceberg for the Lib Dems who have pointed out to Oliver how dire SEND provision is in the county. They write:-

“Surrey is one of the poorest-performing authorities in the country:

  • Decline in EHCP timeliness – Timeliness has dropped from 57.6% in 2017 to 16.2% in 2023, compared to a national average of 50.3%.
  • Compromise in EHCP quality – To recover timeliness, there has been a severe compromise in quality of EHCP’s, with appeals increasing from 2.5% in 2014 to 4.7% in 2023, one of the highest appeal rates in the country. Parents won 98.3% of these appeals, showing a poor decision-making process.
  • Disproportionately high level of complaints – 230 cases escalated to the Local Government Ombudsman during 2023, which is 10 times the national average”.

Recently Elected Epsom & Ewell MP Helen Maguire said, “While meetings with MPs are scheduled, the new deadline means we need an earlier face to face meeting. Surrey County Council’s record on helping some of the most vulnerable in our society is a total disgrace and we’re not prepared to let this go unchallenged.

“If this Tory led County Council is not prepared to provide excellence in SEND provision, then we will find Liberal Democrat candidates for the new CC elections that will,” she said

letter to Surrey county council

Successful Tennis Programme for Ukrainian Families

Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) Delivers a Successful Tennis Programme for Ukrainian Families

With the benefits of sport for mind, body, and socialising well-established, Mole Valley District Council’s Sports and Communities Officer wanted to find a way to deliver these benefits to Leatherhead’s Ukrainian guests displaced by the Russian invasion.

Through surveys, evening tennis sessions were identified as a popular option for the guests and were subsequently arranged at Christ Church Lawn Tennis Club at Leatherhead Leisure Centre. Funded by the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme, the Club was extremely accommodating and were able to deliver two sessions a week for 6 weeks. As well as developing tennis skills, the initiative helped to bring the Ukrainian community together, cultivate social and friendship connections, reduce loneliness, and improve their wellbeing.

Most of the participants had little experience in tennis, so coached sessions were organised to support the group. LTA accredited coach George Ellis was delighted to work with the new players. With George’s help they made big progress and saw their tennis skills improving. One of the participants said: “George is an excellent coach who is very helpful, patient and meticulous at establishing good technique”.

cllr Nick WrightCouncillor Nick Wright, MVDC’s Cabinet Member for Leisure & Tourism, said:

“Sport can be such a powerful tool to make connections, to heal and improve physical and mental health, as well as learn new skills. While the initial plan was for 12 sessions, following such a wonderful impact and feedback from Ukrainian guests, the sessions will continue.

To further support the group, tennis rackets have now been funded via our Wellbeing resources, meaning they can continue playing in their own time and into the future, helping to encourage their interest into the future. It’s great to see a programme like this come together to help our Ukrainian guests feel at home and enjoy the benefits taking part in a new sport. A big thank you to everyone involved in making this happen.”

Walk and Talk event on World Suicide Prevention Day

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council hosts walk and talk event on World Suicide Prevention Day.

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council is hosting a walk around Epsom Downs on 10th September, from 6pm-9pm, to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day. This event supports the council’s Suicide Prevention Action Plan and aims to raise awareness of support and resources available to help those suffering from mental health issues or directly impacted by the loss of someone to suicide.

Funding has been allocated from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to We Power On to help residents access support in the borough. Chris, founder of the organisation, will lead the walk for adults aged 18 and above.

Immediately after the walk, Epsom & Ewell Borough Council will host another event where Chris will talk about his story and the importance of having support available for people suffering from mental health problems. A scribe will create artwork which will then go on a ‘tour’ of the borough ending up at the Epsom Picturehouse on 10th October to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Day.

Residents will need to register to attend – 50 spaces are available for the walk and talk, and a further 50 spaces for those who only wish to attend the talk.

End Stigma Surrey is also supporting this event, they are dedicated to raising awareness and reducing the stigma of mental health and are part of the council’s wider Suicide Prevention Action Plan.

Councillor Clive Woodbridge, Chair of the Community and Wellbeing Committee said: “Mental health issues can have a devastating effect on sufferers and those close to them. No one should have to face mental health challenges alone and it’s important as a council that we do all that we can to ensure vulnerable residents are informed, and can access, vital support when they need it.

Working with partners is an essential part of our Suicide Prevention Action Plan and I’d like to thank We Power On, End Stigma Surrey, and The Jockey Club for their support with this event.

I’d encourage anyone experiencing mental health issues to seek help. One life lost is too much.”

Chris, founder of We Power On said: “I’m pleased to be able to support the council with its walk and talk. Walking helped me especially during Covid lockdown and I’m looking forward to leading the walk across Epsom Downs and also sharing my experiences in the following event. It’s important for everybody to know that they’re not alone, encourage conversations and keep highlighting where those people suffering from mental health issues can turn to for support.”

More information can be found on the epsom-ewell.gov.uk/mentalhealth. This page also includes a link to the Event Registration Page(link is external) – residents will be asked for their name, email and address (Epsom & Ewell Borough Council privacy and cookies information).M

The Sticky Issue of Chewing Gum on Leatherhead’s Streets

Joint Waste Solutions Awarded Funding to Tackle the Sticky Issue of Chewing Gum on Leatherhead’s Streets. A grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force, administered by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, will help Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) clean up gum and reduce future gum littering.

 

Joint Waste Solutions is putting plans in place to remove the chewing gum that blights local streets after receiving grant funding of just under £7,000 to tackle the issue in Leatherhead. Work scheduled to last around five days began on Sunday 18 August 2024, focusing on the High Street and Church Street. The bid specified Leatherhead because the town had not been the subject of gum cleaning before, and this work supports the vision to ‘transform’ Leatherhead as part of MVDC’s regeneration programme.

The organisation is one of 54 across the country that have successfully applied to the Chewing Gum Task Force, now in its third year, for funds to clean gum off pavements and prevent it from being littered again.

Established by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, the Chewing Gum Task Force Grant Scheme is open to councils across the UK who wish to clean up gum in their local areas and invest in long-term behaviour change to prevent gum from being dropped in the first place.

The Task Force is funded by major gum manufacturers including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle, with an investment of up to £10 million spread over five years.

Monitoring and evaluation carried out by Behaviour Change – a not-for-profit social enterprise – has shown that in areas that benefitted from the first year of funding, a reduced rate of gum littering was still being observed six months after clean-up and the installation of prevention materials.

Mole Valley Councillor Rosemary HobbsMVDC’s Cabinet Member for Community Services, Councillor Rosemary Hobbs, said: “Securing grant funding from Keep Britain Tidy and the Chewing Gum Taskforce and gum manufacturers to deep clean Leatherhead’s streets is a positive step and is something that I’m very pleased to support. I’m sure the town’s residents will be very happy to see gum removed from pavements and signage displayed that will help prevent future littering and keep the streets looking their best.”

Estimates suggest the annual clean-up cost of chewing gum for councils in the UK is around £7 million and, according to Keep Britain Tidy, around 77% of England’s streets and 99% of retail sites are stained with gum.

In its second year the task force awarded 55 councils a total of £1.56 million, helping clean an estimated 440,000 m2 of pavement – an area equivalent to the Vatican City.

By combining targeted street cleaning with specially designed signage to encourage people to bin their gum, participating councils achieved reductions in gum littering of up to 60% in the first two months.

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, said: “Chewing gum litter is highly visible on our high streets and is both difficult and expensive to clean up, so the support for councils provided by the Chewing Gum Task Force and the gum manufacturers is very welcome.

“However, once the gum has been cleaned up, it is vital to remind the public that when it comes to litter, whether it’s gum or anything else, there is only one place it should be – in the bin – and that is why the behaviour change element of the task force’s work is so important.”

The Chewing Gum Task Force: The Chewing Gum Task Force brings together some of the UK’s major chewing gum producers (Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle) in a new partnership to remove gum litter from UK high streets and prevent future littering. The scheme, administered by independent charity Keep Britain Tidy, sees the chewing gum firms invest up to £10 million over five years to achieve two objectives; cleaning up historic gum staining and changing behaviour so that more people bin their gum.  

 

In the two years of the scheme, specially designed signage to encourage people to bin their gum, combined with targeted street cleaning by the participating councils, achieved reductions in gum littering of between 60% and 80% in the first two months. Less gum litter was still being observed six months after clean-ups and the use of prevention materials.

Behaviour Change: www.behaviourchange.org.uk Behaviour Change is a not-for-profit social enterprise, founded in 2009. They create social and environmental change, with big ideas grounded in behavioural science. Through a 5-year innovation programme and collaboration with chewing gum manufacturer Mars Wrigley, they created and tested a range of ways to encourage responsible behaviour, which resulted in local reductions of gum littering by up to 64%. These interventions have now been made available for deployment by councils as part of the Gum Task Force Grant Scheme. Intervention toolkit: www.tacklegumlittering.co.uk

Keep Britain Tidy is a leading environmental charity. We set the standard for the management of parks and beaches, inspire people to be litter-free, to waste less and live more sustainably. We run campaigns and programmes including the Great British Spring Clean, Eco-Schools, Love Parks, the Green Flag Award for parks and green spaces and the Blue Flag/ Seaside Awards for beaches. To find out more about Keep Britain Tidy, our campaigns and programmes visit www.keepbritaintidy.org.

Joint Waste Solutions (JWS) manages a joint waste, recycling and street cleaning contract in Elmbridge, Mole Valley, Surrey Heath and Woking. The JWS team also develops countywide initiatives on behalf of the Surrey Environment Partnership which aim to increase recycling, reduce waste and tackle other environmental issues. Visit www.jointwastesolutions.org to find out more.

Girlguiding Positive Arts to Transform Walkway

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council work with Members of Girlguiding Epsom Division and Positive Arts to transform a tired walkway into beautiful community artwork.

 

Members of Girlguiding Epsom Division are working alongside internationally renowned street artists, Positive Arts, to create a large-scale community mural in Epsom town centre.

The mural will be a vibrant depiction of significant women from Epsom and Ewell’s cultural and historical past, including Lady Sybil Grant, designer and campaigner, Isabella Beeton, culinary author, Kathleen Riddick, one of the first female musical conductors in the UK and Nora Willis, the first British woman to work in postal delivery during World War I.

Dramatically improving the aesthetics of the area, which previously looked tired and in need of renovation, the community mural is being led by Epsom and Ewell Borough Council’s Arts, Culture and Heritage team and will be funded via the UK Shared Prosperity fund.

Speaking of the creative collaboration, Councillor Clive Woodbridge, Chair of the Community and Wellbeing Committee at the council said,

“The members of Girlguiding Epsom Division are doing an outstanding job on this new mural to champion female histories of our borough.

This project also echoes the council’s strategic ambitions within our Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy, which seeks to nurture and champion local creative talents while increasing access to creativity for all to enjoy.”

Mary ZoellerGirlguiding Surrey East Assistant County Commissioner, Mary Zoeller, added:

“We were delighted to be asked by Epsom and Ewell Borough Council to take part in this fantastic community project.  This is an exciting and rare opportunity for local Girlguiding members to help create a piece of artwork that will shine a light on some incredible, inspirational women with connections to Epsom. We were thrilled to be part of it.”

Keep an eye on Epsom and Ewell Borough Council’s social media channels to stay informed about additional community murals that are planned for later this year around the borough.

New dates announced to help shape Leatherhead’s future

New dates announced to help shape Leatherhead’s future following the success of Swan Centre and Bull Hill consultations. 

Following the success of the first public exhibitions and webinar concerning initial proposals for a new mixed-use development at the Swan Centre and Bull Hill, The Leret Partnership is inviting the residents to upcoming events in Fetcham, Ashtead, and Bookham to continue the feedback process to help shape the plans further.

The Leret Partnership, a joint venture between Kier Property and Mole Valley District Council, held events in Leatherhead over two weeks between 11th and 20th July 2024 to listen to the public’s views on its emerging proposals to develop new high-quality homes alongside a range of new commercial facilities, local shops and green spaces, as part of the wider Transform Leatherhead programme.

In total there were 584 visits to the public exhibitions, with 399 feedback forms completed in person or online to date. There were 46 individual registrations to attend the webinar, with a total of 30 viewers watching live.

Demographic data among responders showed a healthy balance of age groups and genders, and the vast majority of those filling out surveys were local residents of Leatherhead. The information contained within the responses has given The Leret Partnership’s project team an important steer as they adapt the proposals to better reflect the needs and desires of local residents. This feedback will be taken into consideration as the plans continue to evolve, before a further round of pre-application consultation in due course.

The upcoming drop-in events in Fetcham, Ashtead, and Bookham will be taking place between 5:30pm and 7:30pm at the following dates and locations:

DateVenue
Monday 19 AugustSt Mary’s Church Fetcham, 10A The Ridgeway, Fetcham, Leatherhead KT22 9AZ
Thursday 5 SeptemberAshtead Peace Memorial Hall (Ralli Room), Woodfield Lane, Ashtead KT21 2BE
Wednesday 11 SeptemberThe Old Barn Hall Bookham (Main Hall), 55 Church Road, Great Bookham, Leatherhead KT23 3PQ

These events offer local residents in these villages an opportunity to find out more about the proposals and have their say. The project team wants to hear what these nearby communities think about these initial proposals.

The proposals aim to:

      • Develop high-quality new housing that is multi-generational and accessible to all.
      • Bring new multi-use buildings and places to Leatherhead, better serving the local community and reinforcing connections across the town through high quality design and redesigned public open space.
      • Enhance the retail offer and increase footfall to Leatherhead town centre, improving the public realm.

The consultation process will close at midnight on Monday 16th September 2024.

 

Leigh Thomas, Group managing director, Kier Property said:

“We’re proud of our ambitions to revitalise Leatherhead’s town centre, and the events so far have given us much food for thought as we adapt our plans according to the needs of the local community. It was important to us to ensure turnout was as high as possible, and reflected the demographic profile of the community, which was a success on both counts.

“We look forward to further understanding what people want to see from the new developments in the next set of events.”

Cllr Keira Vyvyan-Robinson, Cabinet Member for Property and Projects, Mole Valley District Council, said:

“It’s great to see so many people engaging with our consultation. We’ve been actively seeking views from residents, businesses and key stakeholders who will be directly affected by the development. Additionally, we would like to hear from people in the surrounding areas to understand if our proposals appeal to them and whether they might visit Leatherhead more often or even consider moving here.

“To further involve the wider community, we’ve decided to add three additional sessions to our public engagement on The Leret Partnership consultation. Two of these events are scheduled for September, ensuring that everyone with an interest has an opportunity to find a suitable date.”

For anyone unable to attend the events, the project website theleretpartnership.co.uk has information about the project, including a recording of the webinar, and consultation along with a range of options for submitting feedback.

 

The deadline for submission of comments to this consultation is 23:59 on Monday 16 September 2024. Any feedback submitted after this date may not be considered.

 

For more information about this consultation, how to reach the event venues, or for any further questions people can contact the project team directly by calling 0800 915 3598 or send an email to [email protected].

www.transformleatherhead.com

All Change at Surrey Connect Buses

Surrey Connect Bus service is changing from the 2nd September 2024.  

Surrey Connect is a digital on-demand bus service, known as a Digital Demand Responsive Transport (DDRT) solution, that is available in  parts of Surrey. It is a safe and reliable bus sharing service that will connect you to your local community.

The connect service uses accessible minibuses, with journey bookings made on a first come first served basis. Our software cleverly groups customer demands together in real-time.

During the last 2 years, journeys on the Surrey Connect service have increased dramatically. The service is so busy that passengers can’t get journeys when they want them. It’s really encouraging that so many people want to use Surrey connect but S.C.C need to make sure that the service can carry as many people as possible. Continuing with a door to door service will not allow them to do this.

Using a stop to stop approach will allow them to have more people travelling on shared journeys and reduce travel times for passengers. They know from their experience over the last 11 months with their other Surrey connect services, all operating on a stop to stop basis, that a short walking distance for the passenger can have a high positive impact on service efficiency.

Passengers will continue to be able to choose from a huge number of pick up and drop off locations within the designated operating zone. These pick up and drop off locations are a mixture of existing bus stops and new ‘virtual bus stops’ that they are introducing. These virtual bus stops have been located to ensure that existing users are no more than 400m away (approximately 4-5mins walk) from their usual door to door pick ups.

The stop to stop service will go live on 2nd September 2024. Bookings for door to door journeys will close on 25th August 2024. All journeys booked from the 26th August will be booked using the stop to stop service.

If a virtual bus stop doesn’t look suitable for you, please do get in touch so we can investigate but please bear in mind that a review will not necessarily mean we will be able to move the virtual stop outside your house. If you require an additional virtual bus stop please contact them at  [email protected]

A map showing the new service area will be available on their website shortly www.surreycc.gov.uk/surreyconnect

 

Surrey Police Seeks Move To Leatherhead

Surrey Police seeks to locate their Eastern Divisional Headquarters in Leatherhead. 

Surrey Police will seek to relocate their Eastern Divisional Headquarters from Reigate to Leatherhead, when the interim lease for Wray Park ends, following the temporary move in April 2024.

In 2018, Surrey Police purchased the former Electrical Research Association (ERA) and Cobham Industries site on Cleeve Road in Leatherhead with a view to developing a new, purpose-built headquarters from the ground up. However, following a review of the programme in November 2021, the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Surrey Police Chief Officer team took the decision to retain Mount Browne, in Guildford, as the Force Headquarters, and redevelop the existing site.

The Leatherhead site has been on the commercial property market for sale since earlier last year. However, following the discovery of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in the construction of Reigate Police Station in September 2023, the Force has been reconsidering our wider operational requirements across the Eastern Division – comprising Reigate & Banstead, Epsom & Ewell, Mole Valley, and Tandridge.

The Force relocated to the former Surrey Fire & Rescue Services (SFRS) headquarters at Wray Park, Reigate, on an urgent but temporary basis, agreeing a short-term lease of up to two years with Surrey County Council.

Since vacating Reigate Police Station, the Force has been working closely with commercial surveyors, Vail Williams, to explore numerous opportunities to locate the new Divisional HQ, including sites in Epsom, Dorking, Leatherhead, Reigate (including the redevelopment of Reigate Police Station itself) and Redhill.

Following this piece of work an operational recommendation was made to the Surrey Police Estates Board, chaired by Police and Crime Commissioner, Lisa Townsend, to retain part of the Leatherhead site and to build a bespoke, permanent, Divisional Headquarters which will be fit for policing East Surrey now and in the long-term.

This recommendation was approved on 6 August 2024 at the Estates Strategy Board.

Tim De Meyer, Chief Constable, Surrey Police, said, “The desired move to Leatherhead shows our commitment to retain an operational base in the heart of the East of Surrey where we can maintain a visible policing presence in the communities we serve, to fight crime and protect people.

“This is an opportunity to build a new divisional headquarters which will be operationally fit for purpose and serve the East of our County for many years to come.”

Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey, said, “This is exciting news and if we get planning approval gives us a unique opportunity to build a bespoke divisional HQ that is fit for purpose for our hard-working police teams on the east of the county.

“The situation with RAAC at Reigate Police Station has presented us with some difficult and unexpected challenges and I would like to pay tribute to all those officers, staff and volunteers for their patience and understanding over the last year.

“I am well aware of the importance Surrey residents place on local policing, and I want to reassure people living in Reigate and Banstead that the neighbourhood presence in their communities will not be affected by these plans.
“There have been some tough choices to make but I believe that Leatherhead presents us with the best option in providing both value for money for Surrey residents and an Eastern HQ that is fit for a modern police force.”

Councillor Paul Kennedy, Mole Valley District Council’s Cabinet Member for Internal Services and Security, said: “We are delighted at the prospect of Surrey Police’s Eastern Divisional Headquarters moving to Leatherhead. While any proposals remain subject to planning permission, this potentially signals yet another boost to the town, alongside the progress of our Transform Leatherhead initiative. With the addition of an HQ and around 400 members of staff comes the promise of a boost in footfall into the town centre and a positive impact on the local economy.”

As part of the Force’s commitment to having a physical policing presence in every borough and district, further decisions were made at the Estates Strategy Board to ensure that Safer Neighbourhood Teams will operate out of new sites, to be identified, in Epsom & Ewell, Reigate & Banstead, and Tandridge. This will ensure the delivery of a consistent service, and coverage across the County. There will be a minimum of one Front Counter facility per division, enabling members of the public to access police services. While locations will be reviewed, there will be no fewer than we currently provide, and therefore no reduction in service.

The decision to retain Leatherhead as a key operating base comes as Surrey Police awaits a decision on their planning application for the redevelopment of the Mount Browne HQ which, if approved, could see redevelopment begin in Spring 2025.