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Citizens Advice celebrates 85 years in the community

Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell celebrates 85 years in the community, by your side 

As Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell published its Annual Report 2023/24 yesterday (4 September 2024), the community service at the heart of Epsom & Ewell celebrated 85 years of supporting local people. 

image of Lisa Davis, CEO of CA Epsom and Ewell,Lisa Davis, CEO of Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell, said: 

“Citizens Advice was set up on the 4th of September 1939, just after the start of WW2. This was no coincidence, but a response to wartime demands never seen before in our history. Mass evacuations, bombing raids, missing loved ones, and food-rationing all faced the citizens of Epsom & Ewell. 

“In times like these, people need reassurance, support, and action. At first, Citizens Advice’s role was to act as a switchboard, referring people to the government department the particular difficulty applied to. 

“However, very soon Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell rose to the challenge and took up the mantle as a one-stop shop for citizens’ every concern. This legacy lives on – there is no issue, no person, no situation turned away by the Citizens Advice. For 85 years, we’ve been by the side of communities in landmark historical moments providing advice for those that need it. 

“Whilst our core role may have changed since the days of WW2, we remain a beacon of hope for the local community. No matter the adversity, we approach it with empathy, professionalism, and selflessness. The parallels in the selflessness of our staff and volunteers in the 1940s and today are clear. 

“After the war, we were crucial in rehousing refugees, evacuees, and returning Epsom & Ewell back to a new post-War society. After the recent lockdown, we stepped out of our homes into a post-pandemic society and a changed world. Citizens Advice has been the first port of call for many of those who have struggled mentally over the pandemic, had been put out of work, found themselves in debt or just did not know where to turn. Times may change, but Citizens Advice’s consistent support does not.” 

Epsom & Ewell Council 2023/24 Annual Report

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council has published its 2023/24 Annual Report which shows the progress the council has made over the last financial year, delivering on strategic priorities whilst providing high-quality statutory services for residents and businesses in Epsom & Ewell.

The report provides an overview of services including Planning, Housing, Waste & Recycling, updates on strategic priorities including the council’s Climate Change Pledge, Community & Wellbeing projects, its Arts, Culture & Heritage Strategy, and information on the council’s finances.

Image of Jackie King Epsom & Ewell CouncilJackie King, Chief Executive of Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, said: “I am incredibly proud to share Epsom & Ewell Borough Council’s Annual Report for 2023/24 which outlines the fantastic work the council has delivered over the last financial year. 

In challenging times, our 35 Councillors, and workforce of more than 280 officers take pride in delivering high-quality services to around 80,000 residents and 3,700 businesses across the borough. 

As the report shows, we are in a good position to meet any challenges the future may bring and I look forward to continuing to deliver the council’s strategic priorities, whilst supporting our residents to the best of our ability in the year ahead.”

Epsom & Ewell’s Annual Report can be viewed here: Epsom & Ewell Annual Report 2023/24 | Epsom and Ewell Borough Council

Printed copies are available to view at both the Town Hall in Epsom and Bourne Hall in Ewell.

Department for Education Minister visits NESCOT

Staff and students were delighted to host Baroness Jacqui Smith, the Department for Education’s Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education on her visit to Nescot (North East Surrey College of Technology) on Tuesday, 3 September.

Nescot Principal and CEO, Julie Kapsalis and Chris Muller, Chair of Governors, welcomed the Minster and were proud to showcase the college’s state-of-the-art facilities, courses, study programmes and skills provision. The Minister had a tour of the Skills Park that included meeting students, apprentices, staff and the college’s employer partners.

Upon arrival, the Minister met Creative Media student, Charlie who won gold at WorldSkills UK 2023, the college’s new alpacas, Dolly and Florence (from the on-site farm) and Rhubarb, the assistance dog.

The Minister was introduced to students studying on Nescot’s new courses in Construction Skills for Highway Maintenance delivered in partnership with leading highway maintenance contractor, Ringway. She observed demonstrations from students who were learning to lay concrete slabs and drive virtual diggers.

Supporting the Government’s ambition to grow apprenticeships, the Minister met apprentices from the construction industry, from Ridgeback, Premier Heating and Watkins Cole. She heard how Nescot has supported many of the students through progression pathways and finding employers. She was particularly interested to hear how Nescot is working to recruit more women into the construction trades through role models and working with employers including Wates.

The Minister was shown the college’s new state-of-the-art immersive learning spaces with virtual reality driving simulators and a variety of artificial intelligence tools offering students an innovative learning experience. The Minister also met Pepper, the humanoid and programmable robot from The Sussex and Surrey Institute of Technology (IoT) at Nescot. The IoT offers specialist courses and apprenticeships available in digital technologies to equip learners with the relevant skills in an increasingly tech reliant world.

Julie Kapsalis, Principal and CEO along with Nescot’s senior leaders had the opportunity to speak to the Minister about some of the college’s challenges and successes. She said, “We are thrilled and honoured that the Minister chose to visit Nescot at the start of the academic year. The FE sector plays a critical role in not just the training and education of young people and adults, but it is at the forefront of enabling social mobility and meeting the local skills and employment needs.”

Essential to Nescot’s success are the college’s relationships with businesses and the community. Ringway, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, Surrey Chambers and Wates had the opportunity to meet with the Minister to talk about their skills needs and work with the college.

Lewis Bridgman, Service Director, Ringway said, “The collaboration between Ringway and Nescot is a shining example of how local partnerships can foster economic growth and community development in Surrey. By investing in the next generation of engineers, the community is setting a strong foundation for long-term prosperity within the delivery of the Surrey Highways service. This approach not only benefits current residents but also ensures that the future workforce is well-equipped to maintain and enhance the region’s infrastructure, contributing to a robust and sustainable economy.”

Julie added, “On behalf of all our staff and students, I thank the Minister for taking the time out of her busy schedule to visit us. We hope our wonderful staff and students (and animals) have left a lasting impression. I would also like to thank our employer partners for their ongoing support and collaboration.”

The visit concluded with plastering student CJ presenting the Minister with a sculpture of a dog made by her department.

Join the Big River Watch

Join the Big River Watch and help rivers across South East England.  

The Big River Watch is returning! From 6th to 12th September, the South East Rivers Trust is inviting people across the South East to join the only UK and Ireland-wide citizen science survey of river health, which has attracted more than 9,000 participants in its first year.

Anyone can join the Big River Watch by downloading the free, easy-to-use app and spending 15 minutes by their local river, answering the simple survey questions. The results will be made available on an interactive dashboard and will help drive action to improve rivers both on-the-ground and via campaigns and political advocacy.

We want to build a complete picture of river health, and topics covered include the plants and wildlife people can see, as well as visible signs of pollution or observations on flow levels. Some of the rivers and chalk streams across South East England provide habitats for rare species such as Beavers, Otters, Nightingales, Turtle Doves, Salmon and Brown Trout. It’s essential that we try and restore healthy ecosystems for these rare species and local communities by carefully monitoring the health of the waterways across the region.

The South East Rivers Trust is running a series of volunteer events across the South East throughout September, including river clean-ups, gravel seeding and planting, where local communities can get involved and help restore their river: www.southeastriverstrust.org/events

Dr Bella Davies, Co-CEO of SERTBella Davies, CEO at The South East Rivers Trust, said: “People across the UK and Ireland are becoming more and more interested in the health of their rivers, using their voices – and their votes – to show they care. With the Big River Watch, anyone can get involved in monitoring signs of pollution, spotting wildlife, and sharing their connection with their local river. This isn’t just important for us gathering data but is also empowering for people who are demanding better for our rivers.”

Tessa Wardley, Director of Communication & Advocacy at The Rivers Trust, said: “We know that no rivers in England are in good overall health, but we also know that environmental monitoring is currently very sparse. Having a large set of data from one weekend will help our experts to understand what’s going on in our rivers, and what needs to be done to make them cleaner, healthier, and part of a thriving wider environment. As well as learning where pollution and wildlife are spotted, we also want to know how spending time near rivers affects people’s wellbeing, so I’d encourage anyone and everyone to spend some time by their river and make their voice heard.”

Roald Dahl Story Day

Roald Dahl Story Day is celebrated every year on his birthday, the 13th September , and people all over the world come together to celebrate the magic he brought to, and continues to bring, children everywhere.

On Saturday 14th September Bourne Hall will be hosting a range of events to celebrate this. Please see theses detailed below:

Roald Dahl Story Day

Science Boffins show Saturday 14th September 11:00am -12:00pm

Join us as Science Boffins host a fun and interactive way for the kids to learn about various scientific principles while having a great time. It will engage their curiosity and show them the wonders of the natural world through hands-on experiments and demonstrations.

watch as they conjure up an ancient scientist from a bottle. They will then do some experiments to see who’s naughty or nice testing their observation skills and more importantly their morals! As water disappears from a cup one willing victim risks getting wet as the remaining children decide their fate. Next the children will learn about a poorly elephant with a toothache and be amazed how 3 small quantities of chemical can make such a huge amount of toothpaste! With the amount of noise, the children will have made so far, it’s time to test how big their lungs are with our windbags. Using Bernoulli’s air flow principles, we can make a child fill a bag up with over 10 litres of air in one breath!  Finally, we use Bernoulli’s principle to show where a stream of air goes with metres of loo roll being flung across the room as the air carries it over the children.

Book your tickets now, to be a part of the fun, adults go free with a children’s ticket. All children must be supervised.

To book https://sessami.co/events/6bfa3697-07b5-47e0-90fe-e8c559576542?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=Bourne%20Hall%20 or alternatively visit our website at www.bournehall.org

Roald Dahl Story Day

Quentin Blake illustration workshop for adults Saturday 14th September 1:00pm -2:00pm

Join Martine Spencer who will be hosting an illustration workshop with us on the 14th September 2024 to celebrate Roald Dahl day. she will be guiding you to explore techniques similar to Quentin Blake and look at different mediums to create small sketches from your favourite books.

What to expect:

A short presentation

Demonstrations explaining the process.

Resources that show how to draw the features, mark-making, and an A5 sketched character that can be copied for proportions.

All materials (paper, fine liner pen, watercolours, brushes)

Drawing one character and a variety of animals

So, book on now, as there is limited availability.

To book https://sessami.co/events/2cf2605f-3b3e-4dfc-abdf-3b4723d84847?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=Bourne%20Hall%20 or visit our website at www.bournehall.org

Roald Dahl Story Day

Ghost writers’ children poetry competition:

To run alongside the Museums Ghost writers’ event, we are holding a poetry competition for local children to write poems on what they like about the local area or a local place. These will be judged by the poet Ana Mclaughlin in the following age groups: 5-8, 9-12, and 13-16.

The top 3 in each group will win a signed copy her new anthology Heroes and villains, which will be presented by her at an event in October at Bourne Hall.

Poems should be emailed to David at [email protected] or dropped of at Bourne Hall reception desk by the 14thSeptember.

Roald Dahl Story Day 
Museum Ghost writers’ Saturday 14th September 2024 10:00am-4:00pm – free entry

Bourne Hall museum will be celebrating some of the many writers who have celebrated our local area. All have died, hence ghost writers. 4 re-enactors’ will be playing the writers’, Mrs Beaton, Robert Fabian, Samuel Pepys and Charles Dickens. So come and join us as our Museum comes to life.

Roald Dahl Story Day

Animatronic James and the Giant peach display 9th – 21st September 2024

Come and see some of the characters form James and the Giant peach, brought to life as animatronic models by the super talented and legendary Bob Ballan. Available to view to from the Main Foyer.

 

Roald Dahl Story DayEwell library:

Running: 10th – 14th Sept

Dressing Up as a Roald Dahl character

Prize:- Book Giveaways

Crafts on Sat 14th Sept:- Based on Roald Dahl books £1 per craft.

Running:- 10th – 14th Sept

Roald Dahl Treasure Hunt around the Library and Museum

 

 

Operation Spotlight targets fatal five offences

Officers from Surrey Police and Sussex Police made hundreds of arrests and stopped thousands of drivers as part of Operation Spotlight in July. 

Officers engaged with thousands of motorists across Surrey and Sussex as part of a nationwide road safety campaign.

Throughout July, officers from Surrey Police and Sussex Police joined other forces across the UK to shine the spotlight on the “fatal five” factors which are considered the main causes of serious injury or fatal collisions on our roads.

These factors are dangerous or careless driving, driving while distracted such as by using a mobile phone, drink or drug-driving, driving at excess speed, and not wearing a seatbelt.

The campaign, named Operation Spotlight, was supported by Maria Dennis, the mother of 11-year-old Harry Dennis, who was tragically killed by a dangerous driver in East Sussex.

That is because July is recorded as being one of the worst months for people being killed or seriously injured on our roads in the UK.

During July officers carried out proactive patrols and stop checks across the road network to help raise awareness and to prevent offenders having access to our roads.

Across both forces, 3,205 vehicles were stopped by officers, and more than 2,000 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) and traffic offence reports (TORs) were issued.

Officers made 188 arrests, and 170 drivers were reported for summons for driving offences. Meanwhile 697 roadside breath tests were issued and 260 roadside DrugWipe tests were issued to detect offenders who were drink or drug-driving.

Surrey and Sussex Roads Policing Unit (RPU) Chief Inspector Chris Tinney said: “Officers carried out increased proactive patrols across both counties to deter and catch offenders, to prevent serious collisions before they happen, and ultimately save lives.

“During the campaign we heard the experience of Maria Dennis, who spoke eloquently about the devastating consequences for her family and the ongoing impact of an entirely preventable collision.

“We want to prevent other families having to experience the same heartache.

“Operation Spotlight coincides with the rise in deaths and serious injuries which occur in July, with on average more than 2,700 people killed or seriously injured in the UK each July over the past five year period.

“The roads are busier due to summer holidays and days out, and with more vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists, cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians on the road. It is all the more reason to drive safely and be more vigilant.

“Reducing the numbers of people killed or seriously injured on our roads is a key priority for both forces.

“This operation shows the importance of educating and engaging with road users, and demonstrates our determination to catch offenders.”

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.”