Mole Valley Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat county councillors in Surrey have expressed their concerns over the long waiting times faced by children and young people with mental health problems in the county.

Ahead of next week's Children and Education Select Committee, where the matter is due to be discussed, Cllr Chris Botten, Lib Dem Spokesperson for Children & Education, said:

Liberal Democrat Councillor Margaret Cooksey has launched a campaign to prevent Surrey Police closing the Police Desk at Pippbrook in Dorking. Announcing her proposal to raise this issue at the next Mole Valley Council meeting, Margaret says:

"In January, Surrey Police announced the closure of the front desk at the Mole Valley offices at Pippbrook in Dorking. The decision was taken without any consultation with Councillors and Council officers. It comes at a time when residents are very concerned about reductions in police patrols and when the Police Council Tax precept is scheduled to rise by £12 per household from April.

A petition set up by Liberal Democrat county councillors calling on Surrey County Council to axe its charges on residents disposing of DIY waste has attracted over 1000 signatures in just over 2 weeks. The petition was set up after the Government, as part of a wider consultation on fly-tipping, stated that "The Government's view is that residents should be able to dispose of household DIY waste free of charge" and "The Government will consider clarifying the law if councils continue to charge for disposal of reasonable amounts of DIY waste". The County Council introduced the unpopular charges, dubbed the "Tory Tip Tax", in September 2016 and earlier in January this year ended the daily allowance for local residents to dispose of waste for free.

Liberal Democrat county councillors have criticised Surrey's 11 Conservative MPs after they all voted in favour of the Local Government Finance Settlement in the House of Commons on Wednesday 7th February. The Settlement sets out the level of funding from central government to local authorities for the next financial year and has been heavily criticised for not providing adequate funding to councils to provide essential services. All 9 Liberal Democrat county councillors in Surrey had written to the 11 MPs asking them to vote against the Settlement but no Conservative MP in Surrey spoke in the debate and all voted in favour.

Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council have criticised the Conservative-administration for budget proposals containing £54m of further cuts to services and a 6% council tax rise. The budget recommendations will be approved by the Council's Conservative Cabinet on Tuesday 30th January, and then by the County Council on Tuesday 6th February.

Liberal Democrat county councillors in Surrey have written to the county's 11 MPs asking them to vote against the Local Government Finance Settlement in Parliament on Wednesday 7th February. The Settlement sets out the level of funding from central government to local councils for the next financial year, and has been widely criticised for failing to address the financial problems that many councils face.

The Government has published proposals calling on local authorities, including Surrey County Council, to be more open and transparent about their purchases of commercial properties for investment purposes. The consultation, which closed on December 22nd 2017, states that local authorities need to "demonstrate more transparency and openness and to make it easier for informed observers to understand how good governance and democratic accountability have been exercised", and that "local authorities need to remember that their prime duty is to deliver statutory services for local residents". The new rules, if adopted, will be introduced in April 2018 and take effect immediately.

The Government have stated that they wish to see an end to charges by local authorities, including Surrey County Council, for residents disposing of DIY waste. A consultation released this week by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) states that "The Government's view is that residents should be able to dispose of household DIY waste free of charge" and

The Conservative administration in Mole Valley District Council has announced plans for a 67% increase in car park charges from 60p to £1 an hour from August. The extra charge aims to fill a hole in the Council's finances after Tory councillors backed a 4-year deal with Government which will leave the Council with just 1% of business rates collected locally.

Conservative-controlled Mole Valley District Council is asking developers to submit proposals for sites including in the Green Belt.

Liberal Democrat Councillors have strongly criticised Mole Valley Council for its decision to invite developers to submit proposed sites for house building in the Green Belt. Group Leader, Councillor Stephen Cooksey, says, "The Council is doing this because it has adopted a housing target that is simply too high. They are giving too much weight to assumed demand from outside the area, including London. A more modest target would avoid damaging the Green Belt.