Mole Valley Liberal Democrats

Under Liberal Democrat control, Mole Valley District Council would do the following:

FINANCE AND RESOURCES

• Give priority to front line services and minimise bureaucracy;
• Work effectively with partners including the police, voluntary organisations, the County Council and other District Councils to reduce costs;
• Hold genuine consultations with residents and businesses about options for service provision before taking decisions and ensure that Council Tax gives value-for-money;
• Stop excessive year-on-year rises in charges for services for the elderly and vulnerable and for facilities for young people and ensure that these services are safeguarded and wherever possible improved;
• Review all off-street car parking charges and oppose on-street parking charges;
• Invest in priority services such as street cleaning, recycling and community safety and concentrate on providing essential services effectively;
• Pressure the Conservative County Council to improve the appalling condition of local roads and pavements and restore 9.00am bus pass concessions for the elderly.

RESTORE LOCAL DEMOCRACY

• Abolish the Executive system as soon as possible to give a greater role to Councillors and the public, restore powers to all-party Committees and encourage greater public participation at Council meetings through petitions and speaking rights;
• Establish systems that give devolved responsibilities to communities with the objective of allowing them a much greater say in planning and the use of resources;
• Promote systems for communicating with residents such as the webcam;
• Ensure the retention of Pippbrook for civic and community purposes and as the centre of Mole Valley local government and seek to concentrate public services of the site.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

• Aim for a 60:40 ratio of rented to shared ownership in 'affordable' developments and campaign to re-define 'affordable' to mean homes that people can afford, not just lower priced houses to cater for those who cannot afford to buy;
• Ensure that the local infrastructure of shops, schools and Council services support new housing developments and use the planning tariff to implement this policy.

WASTE AND RECYCLING

• Extend doorstep waste collections to include clothing, all plastic packaging and foil and make special Council provision for the collection of batteries and other toxic substances;
• Encourage the County Council to improve Recycling Centres and to ensure that recycling is processed as close to where it is collected as possible;
• Campaign to reduce business waste and excessive packaging.

SENIOR CITIZENS

• Retain and where possible expand local social facilities for the lonely and vulnerable, make greater use of Council accommodation and facilities for this purpose and work with voluntary groups and organisations to provide special services for elderly residents and those suffering from illness and infirmity.
• Ensure that important services such as Dial-a-Ride and Day Centres are protected;

A SAFER COMMUNITY

• Working in partnership with the police, ensure that the community gains maximum benefit from CCTV, that existing cameras are replaced as they become obsolete and that new technology including mobile cameras are used to target specific trouble spots;
• Build on the success of the Alcohol Designation Areas in Dorking and Leatherhead and continue to promote initiatives such as better street lighting in town centre locations;
• Work more closely with the police to encourage the provision of a more visible and local police force and a greater investment in Community Support Officers.

THE ENVIRONMENT

• Protect the countryside from inappropriate and damaging development pressures particularly in the light of continuing threats to the Green Belt;
• Ensure efficient use of energy and resources to help combat climate change, promote the 10:10 initiative, invest in new processes such as woodchip technology, implement a full energy audit of Council premises and work with community groups to achieve these objectives;
• Initiate and support 'Mole Valley in Bloom' and protect and enhance our green spaces;
• Invest in the environment of our town and village centres and encourage the retention and expansion of the independent retailers and specialist restaurants that give our town centres their character to make them more attractive to residents, traders and shoppers; invest in the essential improvement of village halls, for example at Beare Green
• Seek to develop a neighbourhood warden scheme to ensure that our streets, parks and open spaces are tidy and safe, that graffiti is removed quickly and vandalised facilities are repaired and replaced;
• Provide necessary facilities such as public conveniences and effective parking enforcement in order to protect the viability of our town centres;
• Improve litter collection services particularly in town and village centres and initiate programmes to clear rubbish and improve untidy areas;
• Ensure that supermarket developments enhance town centre viability, provide solutions to traffic congestion issues and are in the interests of the communities they serve and work with community groups to achieve these ends; consequently oppose the principal of supermarket development at Curtis Road, Dorking.

LEISURE

• Ensure the efficient operation and management of Dorking Halls and ensure that it remains under Council control and is operated in the best interests of the community and stakeholders; develop and expand the programme of events and review management arrangements;
• Promote a range of affordable leisure and sporting facilities for all people in our communities and support a wide range of cultural events;
• Support local groups which provide sports and cultural events for the community and ensure that Council facilities are well maintained and affordable.

YOUTH PROVISION

• Work with Youth Voice in order to give young people a genuine say in decisions about facilities and programmes;
• Give urgent priority to supporting facilities for young people including the Leatherhead Bfree Youth Café, the proposed new Dorking Youth Centre and the former Bookham Boys Club.