Comet to crash?

Worrying news that retailer Comet is heading towards administration.  The Financial Times says that the end could come as soon as Thursday 1 November.  An article in the paper goes on to say that the company which was bought by a private investment firm earlier in the year hit problems when stocking up for Christmas.

Locally there is a large out of town Comet store at the Wey retail park in Byfleet.  We can only hope the chain is rescued and jobs are secured.

Woking Weekly Round Up

Desmond Tutu visits St Peter's

At the full meeting of Woking Council on Thursday night we heard from the Mayor that he had met Archbishop Tutu at St Peter's hospital just outside Woking earlier in the week.  Desmond Tutu was visiting Woking's local hospital to Woking People has the full story.

Cards victory at Newport

After the disappointing exit from the FA Cup through a late opposition goal last week Woking FC recorded a great 3-2 victory over Newport on Saturday.  The win was a great birthday present for News and Mail journalist and match reporter Tom Oxtoby.

Hustings for Police and Crime Commissioner role

Candidates for the role of Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner have attended several hustings events recently including one in Ashtead reported on by Get Surrey.  Victim Support organised the event which was attended by all 5 candidates.  Unfortunately I have not heard of any events organised in Woking.  Nick O'Shea the Lib Dem candidate has made a number of visits to Woking.  I reported here when Nick and I met residents in Horsell.

Old Knaphill Library to becomes homes and a memorial garden

Woking Council confirmed this week that the site of the old Knaphill library will now be the location of 6 affordable flats and a memorial garden.  Knaphill Resident's Association has the story and resident reactions.

Jail terms for Poppy Tin thiefs

As poppies go on sale for donations to the 2012 Poppy Appeal it is good to hear that two brothers who stole collection tins from Woking and other locations in the South East in 2011 have been jailed.  

Surrey Police report back on the sentencing of the brothers from Kingston who committed a number of theft and burglary offences including stealing collection boxes in Epsom, Walton-on-Thames and Woking.

Report It

Been busy making reports to Surrey County Council over the last couple of days.

First I saw a huge flood at a bus stop on Goldsworth Road. Then I found a streetlight out on Brewery Road.

Although a bit 'clunky' the "Report It" function is a great way to tell the county council about everything from potholes to faulty street lights and blocked drains.

You can access online reporting at the Surrey County Council web site.

Beware phone calls from Direct Response

Sitting at home nursing a cold today I received a phone call from a company called Direct Response.  The man on the end of the line told me that:

• Direct Response was in the local area for a couple of days 
• Direct Response was running a local crime and safety campaign called "Home Safe Home"
• Direct Response was "registered" with the local police.   
• Direct Response was offering a wireless alarm system which directly contacted police, fire and paramedics
• Our household was one of four to have been randomly chosen for receipt of a free trial system

Lots of alarm bells rang in my head as I listened to this sales patter:

Issue 1 - We have TPS so they should not be phoning us trying to sell their alarm system or any associated services
Issue 2 - A call to Surrey Police on the non-emergency 101 phone number confirmed that they do not endorse this company
Issue 3 - I can find no record of a Home Safe Home campaign anywhere, not even on the company's own website
Issue 4 - A little bit of research found this Watchdog investigation from 2010 on the same company.  At that time they offered systems but then charged a monitoring fee of £58 a month (the link to emergency services) as part of a contract that could leave a home-owner with a bill of £3.400.

If you do receive such calls please do try and gather as much information as possible so we can get evidence of any misleading claims that are made.  Report the call to the police using the 101 non-emergency number.  If you are TPS registered also report the call to the TPS.

I do wonder if this company are making calls in our area because Surrey Police this week launched a campaign urging residents to take steps to make their homes safe.  Full details of Surrey Police recommendations to keep your home safe are here.

Woking Weekly Round Up

A weekly round up of news from and about Woking

How would you fill Council Tax gap?
Woking Council launched a consultation on plugging the gap left by a cut in government funding for those who can't pay all of their Council Tax bill. How do you think Woking should cover this hole in its finances.  Take part in the consultation.

Recycled nappies anybody?
Down in the south of Surrey the County Council has just started a trial to recycle nappies.  Residents of Mole Valley will be able to recycle used nappies which will then be turned into plastic pellets and cardboard fibres.  BBC News covered the story.



Woking village among best places to bring up children
Sutton Green has been voted one of the top 20 places in England and Wales to raise a child.  According to Family Investments the Woking village with the postcode GU4 is at no. 19 in the chart.  My council colleague Will Forster has the story.

Train like Lewis and Jenson at McLaren
It's not often I admit to reading the Daily Mail but an article in which their motor racing correspondent tries out the McLaren driver training regime made interesting reading.  If you and a friend fancy training like a champion there are details of a competition at the end of the article.

Woking out of FA Cup
You know when you read an article and think that's tempting fate.  This piece on BBC Sport following an interview with Woking Assistant Steve Thompson did it for me.  The article title referrred to Thompson "eyeing an FA Cup run" only for the Cards to lose 1-0 to a very late Ebbsfleet goal on Saturday in the fourth round of the competition.


Call for new water main
After the collapsed water main on the A320 near St. Peter's Hospital the other week Horsell resident and Horsell Common Preservation Society Estates Manager Paul Rimmer has called for the water main to be replaced.  Paul refers to almost annual incidents over the last ten years in a Get Surrey piece.  

Councillor hits out at Tories on European Arrest Warrants

Speaking at the Liberal Democrat Regional conference in Guildford in support of an emergency motion proposed by Nick O’Shea, candidate for Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner, Cllr. Ann-Marie Barker said “Wanting to opt out of the European Arrest Warrant is yet another example of crazy Tory little islander mentality.  Do they think their insularity will protect us?”

Cllr. Barker continued “We know here in Surrey that crime crosses the border from London let alone the drugs that come across many borders to reach our streets.  Police need as much help as we can give them to work in partnership with other European law enforcement agencies.  Don't let the Tories destroy this important plank of European working together”.

South East region Lib Dems unanimously passed the emergency motion which condemned Teresa May’s recent announcement that she intends to opt-out of cross-Europe law enforcement measures, including the European Arrest Warrant.  In proposing the motion Nick O’Shea referred to the recent case of the Eastbourne schoolgirl and her teacher who were located in France thanks to close cooperation with other European law enforcement agencies and the European Arrest Warrant.  Nick noted that 13 former security and police chiefs had written to the Home Secretary asking her to reconsider on this matter.

If you would like to support the campaign to keep the European Arrest Warrant you can join Nick and Ann-Marie by signing the petition.

What's all this about Police and Crime Commissioners?

Good question.  Many people aren't aware that in England and Wales (except for London) we will all be asked to vote for a Police and Crime Commissioner in less than 4 weeks time on Thursday 15 November.  In this election Woking votes elect a Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey.

What is the role?

A Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for each county is a Conservative idea to give the public more control over local policing.  The Home Office web site tells us that having a PCC will make police more accountable to the public and cut crime.  The Surrey Police Authority sets out the role of the PCC in more detail here.

Independent candidates

It was originally suggested that elections for a PCC would attract good Independent candidates.  It was implied that it wouldn't be politicians that stood for the roles.  Take a look at the Home Office web site and there is lots of talk about how anybody can stand for these new roles.  David Cameron says it is "a big job for a "big local figure" and the Home Office says "This is an opportunity for people from all walks of life to stand and to make a difference".

Sounds great but the reality is rather different.  A candidate needs 500 signatures to stand.  Political parties have access to the electoral roll all year round so it is easy find signatories.  Independent candidates will only get access when they are nominated and nominations only closed this week.

National elections such as the General and European elections include a Free Post - allowing candidates to send a piece of literature to the electorate at no cost to themselves.  They have to pay for design and printing of the literature but the Royal Mail delivers it free of charge. There is no Free Post for the PCC election.

Party political

Having said the roles would primarily attract non-political candidates the Conservative and Labour parties have gone about putting candidates in every county.  These candidates include several former MPs.  Michael Mates is standing in Hampshire and former Woking MP Humfrey Malins tried to get the Conservative candidacy for Surrey.   Among the Labour party it is also a popular role for past MPs.  John Prescott and Alun Michael are in the running.

Initially the Liberal Democrat position nationally was not to run candidates.  The party recommended that we back good Independent candidates instead.  There was some logic in this approach but when it became clear both Conservative and Labour parties were to stand candidates it seemed illogical to a majority in Woking and Surrey not to give the electorate the choice of a Liberal Democrat candidate as well.

Then came the issue of a candidate. I heard there was a Member in Mole Valley who was interested.  He was a local businessman and former district councillor with experience of policing.

Nick O'Shea Lib Dem PCC candidate

In fact Nick O'Shea is the ideal candidate.  If elected he is excellently qualified to be Surrey's first PCC.  Nick comes from a line of policing. Both his father and his grandfather were policemen in Surrey.  He lives in Dorking now but has lived all across Surrey at various times including in Woking.  He is a trained accountant and he runs his own business so he knows how to budget and make the numbers add up.  He has much knowledge of policing in Surrey.  

On selection he set up a programme to spend time in each of the eleven Surrey boroughs.  In Woking I took him around Horsell and we talked to residents in Graylands about local issues including policing.  Colleagues took him to Goldsworth Park to hear of local issues in that part of Woking.

Nick has a clear manifesto and knows exactly what he would do if elected on 15 November.  See his website here.

Other Runners and Riders in the race for PCC

Julie Iles - Conservative candidate 

Current member of the Police Authority and magistrate.  She supported abortive plans to privatise policing which cost Surrey taxpayers £160k.  Has held positions in the Tory party such as Chair of Southern Women's Conservative Association.

Robert  Evans - Labour candidate 

Former London North West MEP.  Despite being MEP for the area he failed to hold the parliamentary seat of Brent East for Labour being beaten into second place by Lib Dem Sarah Teather. He has also been beaten by Conservatives in Uxbridge .  He appears to have Iived in Weybridge throughout his time of representing London in Europe.  He made a big issue of opposing police privatisation but now that is ruled out he seems to have run out of ideas.

Peter Williams - Independent

Current Chairman of Police Authority and magistrate. 

Kevin Hurley - Independent

Beaten in race to be Tory candidate so is going it alone.  Former police Borough commander.  Says he is standing for the zero tolerance policing ex chief party.

Robert Shatwell - UKIP

Ex police officer and past UKIP agent for local elections in Woking. 

Here in Woking polling cards have started dropping through letterboxes ready for the election on Thursday 15 November.

Byfleet stays in Woking thanks to Lib Dems

Lib Dems keep Byfleet part of Woking

The Boundary Commission has announced its latest proposals for future parliamentary constituencies including Woking.  Having consulted on its initial plans the Commission is now proposing that Woking should keep its current parliamentary boundaries.  I never understood the reasoning behind the changes proposed so this is great news for Woking.  

Original plans for Woking constituency involved the loss of Byfleet and the addition of Pilgrims ward from Guildford.  This meant the loss of a Woking borough ward and its replacement with an area outside the borough and closer to Farnham than Woking.

Byfleet is closely linked to the other two wards in the east of the borough  West Byfleet and Pyrford.  The links between these areas are strong and they are commonly known as the "three villages".  Taking Byfleet out of Woking constituency seemed illogical to local Liberal Democrats.  

Lib Dem Borough councillor for Byfleet Anne Roberts put Byfleet's case at the Boundary Commission's public hearing in Crawley.  Cllr. Roberts pointed out that Byfleet looks to Woking as its major town and administrative centre.  This assertion appears to have been supported by the Commission.

Disappointingly local Conservatives took a different view and the Boundary Commission report refers to “Those supporting the transfer of Byfleet, including the Conservative Party, have argued that it is separated from the rest of Woking by the M25.”  It's hard to believe that local Conservatives were prepared to cast Byfleet adrift because a previous Conservative government allowed a motorway to be cut through the borough.

Pilgrims ward is a very rural part of Guildford.  For much of it the nearest town centre is Farnham.  There seemed no logic in attaching this area to Woking.  It is a ward that elects one Conservative councillor with a large majority so you can see the attraction for one party if this area became part of Woking constituency.

Thankfully common sense has prevailed.  This may all be academic for the moment as the new boundary proposals are unlikely to get through parliament.  However they could return after 2015 so I am pleased that the Boundary Commission now supports the status quo for Woking constituency.

A Safer Junction from Arthur's Bridge to Well Lane

More than two years after I called for action on the accident hotspot that is the junction of Arthur's Bridge Road and Well Lane I am pleased to report that Surrey County Council is acting.

Work is due to start next week to remove the extra lane that exists for a short distance close to the lights on Lockfield Drive.  A number of accidents have been caused as drivers race up the outside lane and collide with vehicles completing their turn out of Arthur's Bridge Road.  Hopefully the removal of this lane will prevent future accidents.

I asked a question of the Woking Local Committee back in July 2010.  At that time I summarised the chequered history of this junction on the blog.  My question called for a safety audit in response to a number of accidents that had happened at the junction.  I was told a safety audit could only be carried out on new road junctions but my concerns would be put to a road safety committee of the county council.

Who should pay to "localise" Council Tax

Have you heard about the government's great wheeze to "localise" Council Tax.  Sounds like a good idea.  Local decisions on local finance.  All makes sense.  That is until you realise that national government is not just giving local government responsibility to make decisions on council tax it is also giving it financial responsibility to pay for council tax discounts.

Until now the government has funded council tax discounts.  These are reductions given to single people (25% off council tax bill), those who aren't in work and those who work but earn a low income.  There are also discounts for empty properties and those undergoing structural repairs among others.

From your next council tax bill in 2013 local councils such as Woking and Surrey have to start charging more to all or some of those who currently get discounts or find the money from somewhere else to fund the discounts.

Woking Council is running a consultation on how you think this issue should be dealt with.

Read the background information and have your say in the consultation here

Inside the Living Planet

View down long side of the building

Looking across to bridge location

View along side wall closest to bridge

Edge of the stairs to WWF

On Saturday I and many other residents of Horsell ventured inside the Living Planet Centre.  That is we took a close-up look at the work done so far on the World Wildlife Fund building work on the site of Brewery Road car park.

There is still a lot of mud around but the main structure of the lower part of the building can be clearly seen and the footings are in place for the bridge.

Although the bad weather (that is rain, rain and more rain) has affected the schedule the Wilmott Dixon team carrying out the build hope to catch up later in the programme.

The new "Bedser Bridge" over the canal is still due to open in January.  I know many people will be pleased to have their direct route to the town centre and station open again.

The new bridge will arrive in pieces and be constructed on site.  A crane will then left the new bridge into place.

Questions for SW Trains

Thousands of SW Trains passengers suffered disrupted journeys this afternoon and evening, 12 October.  Delays of an hour or more affected journeys in and out of Waterloo.

Problems started with a power failure at Clapham Junction.  This led to signal problems that had a significant impact on services.

As SW Trains battled to get the service back on track stopping services to Woking were taken out of the schedule.

I travelled on a delayed service towards London which terminated at Woking.  This left a large number of passengers struggling through Woking station to get the next London bound train.  Their passage along Platform 5 was compounded by the large number of passengers waiting for a south bound train.

I have nothing but praise for the guard on my train who kept passengers fully informed when we came to a halt outside Woking due to congestion at the station.  He didn't have a lot of information to share but he told us what he knew  and provided regular updates.

Praise should also be heaped on staff  running the @SW_Trains Twitter feed.  They gave out information and answered queries throughout.   Their quantity of tweets was so great they exceeded their "tweet" limit.

Trains returned to normal around 10pm.  Now there are questions to be asked about how this incident developed:

- what caused the power failure at Clapham Junction?

- how did the power failure affect signals 

- given the incident happened early in the afternoon why did it take so long to get trains back on a track

Woking Weekly Round Up

A weekly round up of news from and about Woking ...

Knaphill man badgered

Knaphill man is mired in controversy after his badger picture is chosen for front of BBC Countryfile calendar.  Spotted this story on Woking People wokingpeople.co.uk  Well done to Dave Foker from Knaphill.  It’s a fantastic picture.

Bomb hoaxer admits guilt

Richard Pell of Knaphill whose bomb hoax led to a massive police response one July evening has pleaded guilty to charges of a hoax bomb call and having a gun with intent reported BBC News report  Mr Pell will be sentenced in November.

McLaren fine ruled tax deductible

Tribunal judges have ruled that McLaren’s fine for a spying ‘controversy’ with Ferrari can be considered tax deductible.  McLaren can now claim a corporate tax deduction on the £32Milion fine.  Autosport has the story.

 

Horsell councillor calls for more police resource

My call for extra police resource to tackle the spate of burglaries in Horsell was picked up by Woking People 

 

Community Matters help local groups

The annual P&G Community Matters awards (in association with the Surrey Advertiser) were handed out to their deserving recipients this week.  Get Surrey has the story of the 10 local groups which promote sport and recreation for children and young people and shared the £15,000 prize money. A wide range of sport and leisure activities benefitted including dance, gymnastics, boxing, and football.

Woking FC overcome Cambridge

Woking FC had a good win over Cambridge FC in mid-week.  Manager Garry Hill talks about it on BBCSport 

  

New stores for Woking

Good news this week about a new shoe shop for Woking – Jones the Bootmakers plus Pandora and Paperchase all set to open in time for Christmas shopping  

Major rail disruption and it was only Friday 12th

Passengers travelling to and from Woking were affected by major rail disruption at the end of the week.  Following a power failure at Clapham Junction there were signalling problems that delayed SW Trains services in and out of London Waterloo.  Delays of up to an hour affected passengers from early afternoon until 10pm.  Get Surrey summarised the disruption.

Hope McLaren Tax Windfall speeds up visitor centre

Tribunal judges have ruled that McLaren’s fine for a spying ‘controversy’ with Ferrari can be considered tax deductible.  McLaren can now claim a corporate tax deduction on the £32Milion fine.

This huge (and I would say seemingly disproportionate fine) was one reason given for McLaren not creating a visitor centre at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking.  A visitor facility was a requirement when McLaren were given planning permission for their new HQ more than a decade ago.

Woking Borough councillors made much of the failure to provide a visitor centre when McLaren applied for planning permission to build on the other side of the A320.  Permission for the development of the McLaren Applied Technology Centre was granted early in 2012.  In agreeing the application planners sought to work with McLaren to bring a visitor centre to a town centre location in Woking.

Let’s hope this tax windfall helps McLaren to fund a town centre presence sooner rather than later.