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The whole series of posts are now in place, all around the bend on Brewery Road. I have received nothing from Surrey County Council. Not even an acknowledgement of my email raising concerns. Tomorrow will be a week since I raised by concerns. I know a number of residents have also raised concerns. Surrey just went ahead and erected the rest of the posts.

Residents, quite rightly, have to apply for planning permission when they change the appearance of their home in even a minor way. Why is it that the County Council can erect these posts which have such a dramatic effect on the local scene and block the pavement without telling local residents.

I have found one person who has a use for the posts!

More on those posts

I have taken the opportunity to have a closer look at the new posts in Brewery Road. As of Saturday there are still just two posts in position, but as reported previously there are markings for many more.

I had a photo taken alongside the posts as you can see above. Whilst we were taking the photo a couple walked by along the pavement. They just fitted between the posts and the edge of the moor. My younger daughter and I stood between the posts and the moor and there was little room left on the pavement. If a parent and two children walked along the road one of them would be walking on the grass. There is no room for passing on the pavement and this is not the narrowest part of the pavement!

I have written again to Surrey County Council expressing my serious concerns.

Concerned about traffic posts on Brewery Road

I'm very concerned about some new traffic posts that are starting to be erected along Brewery Road. The aim is to slow traffic but I am not at all convinced that they are going to be effective. The posts are set to cover a huge distance from just past the postbox (near the children's playground), right along the bend towards Woking, and finishing just before the next side road into Horsell Moor.

I think the massed effect of these posts is going to be ugly and intrusive. They will really spoil what is currently a green view across Horsell Moor, defined by trees, shrubs and grass.

The posts are positioned quite a way into the pavement so will reduce pavement width, quite critical as the pavement narrows as it approaches Horsell Moor. I will be difficult for people to pass as the road narrows towards the road into Horsell Moor and quite a problem for double buggies.

Residents haven't been consulted on the erection of the posts and people I have spoken to so far are not convinced that traffic speeds will be reduced.

I have written to the County Council officer involved raising my concerns, as has local Lib Dem councillor Richard Sanderson. Despite being an elected representative in Horsell he was not informed of the County Council's plans.

I believe the posts are being erected because there is some money left in the budget at the end of the year. Residents are not to get their long awaited traffic calming, despite this having been proposed by former Lib Dem county councillor John Doran a number of years ago. I understand the budget is frozen for all road safety schemes for the coming financial year. This scheme appears to be a sop to Brewery Road residents. In my view the County Council are wasting their money. Residents want real traffic calming.

Taking A Stand

I am now in possession of my nomination papers to stand as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Horsell West at the forthcoming local elections.

My long serving colleague, Richard Sanderson, is standing down after 26 years as a local councillor.

I am looking forward to the opportunity to take over and continue his hard work over many years. Of the three councillors representing Horsell West there are currently two Conservatives and one Liberal Democrat. I hope to maintain a Liberal Democrat presence in the ward to reflect the strong Liberal Democrat support in Horsell.

If elected I am keen to continue the work I did on the Council between 2004 and 2008. I will set out my aims and objectives over the next few days. Along with others in the local Liberal Democrat team I have been talking to people around Horsell since last September so I hope I have a good idea about what concerns people. If we haven't visited you and you would like to raise an issue please let me know.

Communication and consultation are key priorities. Residents need to kept informed about what is going on in their area and given a chance to have their say. As a councillor:

• I was successful, against Conservative opposition, in requiring neighbours to be directly informed about applications for extended hours or entertainment licences from licensed premises
• I informed residents about plan for mobile phone masts
• I ensured residents knew about major planning applications

Local Policing on the National Stage

Good to see Horsell and the Allotments featuring on the Today programme on Radio 4 this morning. I was particularly pleased to hear praise for our local neighbourhood police officer PC Parish (now an Acting Sergeant) who was very accurately described by one of the allotment holders interviewed as a “First class local constable”. PC Parish, along with a series of PCSOs (two of who have gone on to become full police officers) has been doing a fantastic job of policing Horsell for almost four years.

Do Conservatives Really Want to Listen?

Surrey County Council, Woking Borough Council, local police and other agencies involved in providing services to people in Woking held a 'Community Question Time' last Wednesday. It was one event, for the whole borough, held in the HG Wells in the town centre. Many attendees will have had to park in the centre and incur a parking charge.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend the event - conflicting pressure of husband, older daughter and me all wanting to be in different places at the same time and a younger daughter to get to bed. From reports I have heard it sounds like I didn't miss much. It was not so much a question time as a talk at you time. I recognise that there is a need for a certain amount of introduction and scene setting required at this type of event but when an event is billed as a community question time you would expect the floor to open up to public questions with the minimum of preamble. Not so at this event apparently.

The funny thing is a local Conservative is now suggesting that a quarterly or twice yearly event that moves around the borough would be a good idea. It's a great idea and one that was put in place under the theme 'Tune In' through a local Liberal Democrat initiative.

I did see the term 'Tune In' on some advertising for last week's event, but it was a misnomer. The purpose of 'Tune In' was to hold a regular dialogue in the community. As with last week's event the various local service providers got together. The difference was that there were several events around the borough, based on policing areas. One 'Tune In' event was held in each area before the Conservatives quietly forgot all about it. 'Tune In' set a framework and really engaged local people. I attended two events, in Horsell and in Goldsworth Park, both were packed and there were many people keen to play ar part in their local community. As far as I can see all that is left of the initiative is 'clean-up days' in some areas. These are great events and a good chance for the community to work together but Tune In was meant to be so much more.

You Don't Have to Clean Your Wheely Bin

Hot on the heels of my experience with the dodgy burglar alarm company I hear news of a company offering to clean wheely bins. Nothing wrong with this. Some residents may appreciate having their wheely bins cleaned for a fee. The issue with this company, according to BBC News is that they tell residents that Woking Council requires their bins to be cleaned to meet council standards. Woking Council has confirmed that it does 'advise' residents to keep their bins clean but it does not employ a company to enforce bin cleanliness. The company concerned uses the name 'Woking Wheelie Bins'.

You can see Woking Council's advice on this matter here. This includes using the Surrey Police non-emergency number if you are concerned by a sales representative at your door 0845 125 2222.

Beware of Callers Offering Free Burglar Alarms

Last night I recieved a sales call at home. This, in itself, is unusual because our phone is TPS (Telephone Preference Service) registered. Signing up to this free service dramatically cuts down the number of sales calls. There are still a few that come through but most companies abide by the rules and the threat of a fine.

The caller said they were from the 'National Crime Research Group' and due to 'a slight increase' in crime in the area they were working on a campaign to improve safety. Alarm bells immediately started ringing for me as I had never heard of this organisation and I knew there hadn't been a rise in crime in our area. I carried on listening as I wanted to know the reason for the call. I can't recall the exact words used by the caller but the implication was that this organisation was working with police or another recognised body.

The caller told me that my household was one of four lucky winnners of a free burglar alarm. She offered to get her colleague to call me straight away to arrange a visit and a time to fit this new 'free' alarm. At this point I said 'no thank you' and ended the call.

I tried dialling 1471 but the number was withheld. I did an internet search and no record of the company name I was given. I then sent the details of the call to our local neighbourhood police officer to see if this was something he had encountered before.

As expected I had a prompt reply today. The neighbourhood officer had not come across this before but colleagues came up with details. I was sent a very useful press release explaining that these people provide a free burglar alarm but commit 'lucky winners' to contracts that can cost thousands of pounds.

The 'con' has been reported to trading standards across the country. Callers use various 'company names' and say they are working with the police or calling as part of a government scheme or researching for a fire and security alarm company. They aim to visit straight away to fit the 'free' alarm but also sign people up to pay fees for monitoring, upkeep, and rapid response facilities. These fees can add up to thousands.

If you do sign up for one of these schemes you have a seven day cooling off period in which you can cancel. However if you have the alarm fitted within these seven days you waive this right.

The warning is beware. Be very cautious. If you receive one of these calls report it to the local police. Please advise older residents you know of this con.

National Parking Award for Brewery Road but WBC still want to build over it

Brewery Road car park has won a "prestigious award" for its 'recent' refurbishment. This award is supported by 'Parking Review' and the 'British Parking Association'. The Conservative Leader of the council said he was "delighted that Woking's efforts to improve our car parks through a multi-million pound refurbishment programme have been recognised nationally".

It is nice to get national recognition and I am sure residents appreciate having clean and safe car parks but, this refurbishment is hardly 'recent' and it seems incredible that WBC is taking praise for a car park they seek to build on just as soon as they can.

A classic quote in the Council's press release says "It is also clear the Council has a strategy for ensuring the parking environments are well maintained into the future." Well, I hate to tell you 'Parking Review' and 'British Parking Association' but this one is not planned to be well maintained into the future. WBC plans to replace the car park with an office block. The site will still provide car parking but at least some will have to be above or below ground.

Parking in Horsell to avoid expensive Woking car parks

I was down at the bottom end of Horsell Moor recently and saw the terrible state of the edge of the ground around the sports field and down to the squash club and junction with Arthurs Bridge Road. Cars have driven all along the area, some have really churned up the earth. There is no grass here at all, just mud. It really is an awful mess. This is a popular areas for commuters to park and walk into Woking.

Cars are also parked all along the road here, which at least means they are not blocking up residential roads and preventing people parking near their homes.

I can understand why people park their cars out of the town centre. It is just so expensive to park in Woking now. For somebody working a 5 day week you are talking about a cost of £8 per day or £40 a week. Add to that the ever increasing cost of petrol and its a huge chunk of many people's salary.

Now I am all for encouraging less car use and more cycling and walking but its not always possible for all sorts of reasons.

Perhaps Woking Council should look at another type of car parking provision. I wonder if there is any spare land on the Kestrel Way industrial estate where parking could be provided at low cost and a minbus service could bring workers into the town centre?

Clearing up Horsell

Saw a huge pile of litter all along the edge of Brewery Road last week. It's on the wooded area that separates Brewery Road from Horsell Moor. I immediately informed the excellent neighbourhood officer for Horsell and she got straight back to me to say she had passed a request for a clean-up to SERCO, the council's contractors.

I came along there again this morning and all the rubbish is still there, plus a bit more. I've contacted WBC again. They are awaiting confirmation from SERCO. Hopefully the area will soon be clean and green again.

Inaccurate Conservative bar charts

Conservatives complain long and hard about bar charts on Lib Dem leaflets. Grumbles range from claims of inaccuracy, through the choice of election result shown to which parties are displayed. I was very surprised therefore to see a recent Conservative leaflet, displaying, guess what, a bar chart.

Now, you would think, that for an election in Woking the local Conservatives, who under the incumbent MP Humfrey Malins had a majority of 6612 at the last general election would want to a bar chart showing the local situation. But no, perhaps the Lib Dems are just a bit too close for comfort, especially when Mr Malins is standing down and they only get around to selecting a marketing man from outside of Woking to fight their corner late last year.

The Conservatives have gone for the national general election result in their bar chart - and they can't even get that right!

Living in the UK's 'pothole capital'

Surrey is the UK's pothole capital, according to a survey by Kia cars. Our county is in first place in a survey by the car manufacture with Hampshire in second place. Kia has seen a 150% increase in claims resulting from potholes in the last month.

It seems its impossible to make a journey around our area at the moment without spotting potholes. The sheer quantity of holes in the road is incredible. I can't see how Surrey expect to get them fixed with their extra money, which comes down to just a few thousand for every ward in Surrey.

Here's a pothole recently spotted in Horsell.

Poll says no to Wolsey purchase

Hardly a scientific sample but amongst those who voted in my mini-poll on whether Woking Borough Council should have bought Wolsey Place 71% said no.

I think the Council stil has some work to do if it is to convince residents of Woking that this purchase was a good idea.

Threat to Local Fire Service

Very worried about the latest news on our local fire service. There are threats of loss of fire stations in Surrey (although Woking is not mentioned) and reductions in staff numbers and hours and the number of engines. It is being suggested that there will be less full-time fire fighters and more retained staff on duty at night. This will reduce response time as retained staff need to travel to a fire station before responding to a call. Fire Brigade staff say this could lead to fires spreading further and potential loss of life.

Following a county council meeting on Friday the Executive member responsible said she could not "confirm or deny" rumours of up to 60 job losses.

I am concerned about the way this is being handled by Surrey County Council. The future of the fire service was due to be discussed in an open meeting, with public and press attending. At some point this decision was changed and the public and press were asked to leave the meeting.

The local press are also reporting that Surrey twice misssed out on a chance to get additional funding through not submitting a business plan on time.

Horsell on Google Streeet View

Take a look at Google Maps and discover Horsell on StreetView. You can wander the streets of Horsell and zoom in and out on the area.

It is interesting to work out when Google filmed here. On Wheatsheaf Common Carters Steam Fair vehicles are in situ. This puts the date to mid September. On the corner of Broomhall Common and the Brewery Cut footpath there is a bare tree stump but no amazing Pegaus carving so filming must have been before 2009. Church Hill is closed and there is a water company van on the village side. My best guess at the moment is September 2008.

This is certainly a fascinating way to look around the area. It is very much a street (or road view). As far as I can see none of the footpaths are covered through Horsell and you can't even take the route from Brewery Road car park to the town centre.

Sections were obviously filmed at different times. Check out a dry Brewery Road (in the main) but a very sodden High Street and surrounding roads.

Here's Brewery Road and the car park entrance.

I posted yesterday about whether Lord Ashcroft would pay all those back taxes he owes. I think it is highly unlikely but it is an interesting comparison between the wealthy lord and the average man or woman in Woking.

Lib Dem Chris Huhne has calculated that Ashcroft owes an astonishing £127 million in unpaid taxes. This is the total that is likely to have been levied on his wealth since 2000 when he was appointed a Tory peer.

It is beyond belief that a man who has a say in setting our taxes has failed to pay taxes that could have paid for health services, police on the street or schools.

A petition has been set up calling on Lord Ashcroft to pay up. Why not sign here http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/ashcroft-should-pay-a-decade-of-taxes.html

Tories reject plans to slow traffic in Horsell Village

Conservative run Surrey County Council has rejected plans to slow traffic in Horsell Village. Former Lib Dem County Councillor John Doran had persuauded the Council to include plans for a 20mph limit through the village and around local schools. This plan has now been deemed 'too costly' and dropped so far down the County's list of schemes it is not likely to happen in the foreseeable future.

Evidence shows that a pedestrian struck by a vehicle driving at 20mph is likely to suffer slight injuries. At 30mph a pedestrian is more likely to be severely hurt and if hit by a vehice driving at 40mph or more a pedestrian is likely to be killed.

Lib Dem run Portsmouth has shown that all is needed for such a 20mph scheme is to erect 20mph signs. This has been done in Portsmouth and they now have evidence of reduced accident rates.

The sad thing is that Surrey now has a policy to support 20mph zones, having shown little interest in the past. What a pity they can't put their own policies into practice.

Will Lord Ashcroft pay his back taxes?

It has taken quite some time but Lord Ashcroft, a Tory peer and major party donor has finally admitted he is non-domiciled. This means that although he pays some tax in the UK, he does not pay tax on all of his interests. As everybody with the slightest interest in the political world has known this for some time it is hardly news.

Lord Ashcroft is a Deputy Chairman of the Conservative party and is currently using his millions to fund campaigns to elect Conservatives in target seats. The BBC suggests he has spent £4 Million in Tory target seats in recent years and that he has been the largest single Tory donor since 2005.

However, credit where its due. Lord Ashcroft has finally come clean. About time too! He now appears to say that, if his party leader, dear Dave, goes through with plans for “anyone in the Lords to be resident and domiciled” he will pay UK tax. Mind you he doesn’t state this explicitly. Oh no. He says he agrees with Dave’s plans on the Lords and that he expects to be sitting in the Lords for many years. Maybe he knows that Dave won’t get around to requiring the Lords to be ‘resident and domiciled’ for many years.

I can’t help but compare this to a Mr or Mrs Jo Public who rely wholly or partly on benefits. Their status changes, maybe through employment, it could just be a few hours extra work. If this is not declared, and the relevant agency finds out about a change in status, immediate amendment to benefit payments will be required. Mr or Mrs Public will also have to pay anything that has been overpaid.

Surely Lord Ashcroft is effectively over paying himself. He is not giving up the tax that we ordinary citizens have to pay on the money that we earn. Now he implies that, if the law changes, he will pay UK tax. About time too. But my question is will you be paying your back tax Lord Ashcroft?