http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/newsarchive.php Recent News Stories from Mole Valley Liberal Democrats en-GB Mole Valley Liberal Democrats http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2008 Mole Valley Liberal Democrats 2008-08-21T18:25+01:00 United Kingdom http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000022/public_meeting_on_monday_july_21_re_bookham_supermarket_proposal.html The opinion survey carried out by Liberal Democrat Councillor Anne Howarth (see "Thumbs down to Lower Shott Supermarket" June 10 2008) has continued to reveal massive opposition to the idea first publicly announced in a statement by Conservative Councillor Janet Purkiss. A welcome initiative has been taken by Bookham Residents Association to call a public meeting at the Old Barn Hall, Church Road, Bookham at 8pm next Monday July 21. Members of the Council Executive will be present. A high turnout of local residents and traders is inevitable and searching questions will be asked. Clear answers will be expected. 2008-07-16T20:37+01:00 http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000019/lib_dems_united_in_opposing_capel_incinerator__tories_face_both_ways.html Conservative controlled Surrey County Council - including several Mole Valley representatives - has approved adoption of the Surrey Waste Plan which includes building a major incinerator near Capel. Liberal Democrat County Councillors maintained their consistent stand against the plan and once again argued for consideration of alternative waste disposal technologies which would be more environmentally friendly and avoid the health risks which are widely feared to flow from mass incineration. 2008-07-11T20:41+01:00 http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000024/tories_go_back_on_phone_masts_pledge.html Despite having a commitment in their last manifesto, Conservative MP's failed to support an amendment to the Planning Bill that recently went through Parliament. The effect of the amendment would have been to bring mobile phone masts less than 15 metres tall under local planning control. This would have given local communities more say over these controversial proposals. Liberal Democrat MP, Andrew Stunell, who proposed the amendment said: "I cannot understand the Tory decision to sit on their hands. It was the best chance possible to bring these masts back under local control, and they blew it. They had this proposal in their last manifesto, and one of their own MPs had already put forward exactly the same plan, so what does that tell us about their real commitment to local residents?" 2008-08-14T16:14+01:00 http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000020/leatherhead_leisure_centre_to_be_leased_to_a_charitable_trust.html Following a lengthy review of Leisure Services in Mole Valley the District Council has decided to pass over management of Leatherhead Leisure Centre to a Charitable Trust. In October 2008 "Fusion Lifestyle" will be granted a full repairing lease of the buildings for 15 years and will take over complete management of all facilities. Fusion Lifestyle is a non-profit making organisation which already carries out a similar function for several other Councils. 2008-07-11T20:49+01:00 http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000018/dorking_halls_safe.html Mole Valley District Council agreed on 3 June to maintain the in-house management arrangements for the Dorking Halls thereby removing the threat of privatisation that has hung over the Halls for more than a year. The controlling Conservative Group had decided that it might be cheaper to hand the management of the Halls over to a private company or a trust and engaged in a costly exercise to find out how much money they might save. The answer was very little and they have now agreed to abandon the exercise. 2008-07-11T20:31+01:00 http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000021/thumbs_down_to_lower_shott_supermarket.html Only when one of the retailers in Grove Corner, Bookham spoke to Councillor Anne Howarth did she realise that a developer was seeking to build a large supermarket on this site in the heart of her ward. This would inevitably mean the demolition of the row of shops (including that rarity - a fishmongers) and several houses, albeit the suggested development was said to include some "affordable housing". 2008-06-10T00:00+01:00 http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000011/lib_dems_welcome_change_of_mind_on_start_time_for_free_bus_passes.html Following pressure from Liberal Democrat councillors, Tory-controlled Mole Valley District Council has set the start time for the new bus pass scheme at 9am thus reversing the original decision to delay the start-time to 9:30am on Mondays to Fridays. The previous plan would have prevented many residents from benefiting from the scheme when they needed an earlier start. In Box Hill, for example, residents would not have been able to use the new bus pass on the 9:15 bus, so would have had to wait till after 11:30 to start their journeys. Other villages with infrequent services would have faced similar problems. Even where bus services are more frequent, the later start time would have inconvenienced many people with hospital or doctors' appointments. Under the new decision, the start-time for the new bus pass will remain at 9am. 2008-03-03T14:17+00:00 http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000010/pump_corner__tory_county_council_takes_no_action.html The County Council's Pump Corner Task Group, set up following a meeting with residents last November, has finally met. However, the Tory controlled County Council has failed to explain why the changes to Pump Corner introduced last year included elements, such as the West Street traffic lights, which were not in the original proposals presented to and agreed by residents; it has also failed to bring forward to the Task Group a viable set of options to improve traffic flow through the junction. 2008-03-03T14:00+00:00 http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000008/save_carbon__save_money.html Mole Valley District Council has joined forces with British Gas to offer a £75 rebate on your Council Tax account when you have cavity wall or loft insulation installed in your home. For further information on this and other green topics, see: http://www.molevalley.gov.uk/greener/ 2008-02-21T19:41+00:00 http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000007/leatherhead_parking_problems.html One of the most pressing problems in Leatherhead is parking. Visibility is so poor in many streets that accidents will happen as Liberal Democrat Councillor Penny Hedgeland found last month when her car was driven into. "Thank goodness no one was hurt" said Penny, "but bad parking makes access to our streets so dangerous. There could be a serious accident at any time." 2008-02-19T08:49+00:00 http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000009/19_councillors_petition_secretary_of_state.html All 16 Liberal Democrat Councillors and the 3 Independents have joined together to write to Hazel Blears, the Secretary of State for Communities, asking her to reject the application from Mole Valley District Council to replace the present committee system with an Executive of 7 members drawn entirely from the Conservative Party. This Executive would take almost all Council policy decisions and would exclude other members (of any Party) from any meaningful part in decision making. 2008-02-08T17:00+00:00 http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000006/chaos_as_tory_reorganisation_loses_data.html All records of routine maintenance tasks undertaken by Surrey Highways services have been lost. These jobs included the regular grass cutting and hedge trimming which are so important in a rural area and formed the specifications for the work gangs. 2008-01-30T16:23+00:00 http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000005/alice_chosen_for_mole_valley.html Mole Valley Liberal Democrats have chosen Alice Humphreys to be their parliamentary candidate. Alice is a former head girl of Therfield School in Leatherhead and is now a trainee solicitor in Guildford. 2008-01-29T20:49+00:00 http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000004/pump_corner__seeking_a_solution.html Liberal Democrat County Councillor Hazel Watson has taken the lead in seeking a solution to the problems caused by the new traffic lights at Pump Corner - a scheme designed by our Tory-controlled County Council. 2008-01-29T20:42+00:00 http://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/news/000003/sand_quarrying_on_the_common_field.html Liberal Democrat Councillor Maurice Homewood reports - The unwelcome prospect of sand extraction from the Common Field in Betchworth took a leap nearer when Surrey County's Planning Committee gave its permission at its December meeting. 2008-01-29T20:24+00:00