Jobs for Tory pals and weak management of Woking Borough Council officers by the Conservative leadership.
Independent LGA (Local Government Association)reports in 2015 and 2019 highlighted poor management practice and managerial incompetence by the Woking Tories. These reports have been hidden and ignored. In our latest podcastAdam Kirby and Dale Roberts probe the details in WokingSpotlight.
The Lib Dems have condemned the Chancellor for failing to introduce a comprehensive plan to save jobs after it was revealed that almost 3,000 people in Woking are currently on Universal Credit.
Lib Dem Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine criticised Rishi Sunak's "constant chop-and-change approach" urging him to put in place a proper plan to protect jobs as the Government still struggles to get a grip over rising cases of coronavirus.
The Conservatives running Surrey County Council have launched a consultation on plans to cut school funding for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
They plan to abolish the "additional SEN funding" which goes to 67 primary and 2 secondary schools in Surrey. Beaufort, Goldsworth, St Hugh of Lincoln, West Byfleet Infant and West Byfleet Junior Schools in Woking would all be hit by the changes.
Earlier today, the Conservative majority on Surrey County Council used their own amendment to vote down a Lib Dem motion that would have tackled child food poverty.
If approved, the original proposal by Lib Dem County Councillors would have committed the Council to taking the small, albeit valuable steps of ensuring the availability of breakfast clubs at schools across Surrey - as well as to lobbying Central Government for changes to the welfare system.
Following a request from Councillor Will Forster at last week's Police and Crime Panel the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner agreed to work with the Ministry of Justice to try to reopen the former Magistrates' Court in Woking.
Cuts to the justice system coupled with the pandemic lockdown have resulted in a huge backlog of court cases across the country. In the criminal courts the situation is so bad that there are now 558,000 outstanding cases; 509,347 cases waiting to be heard in Magistrates' Courts and 48,713 in Crown Courts.
Surrey's Police and Crime Commissioner is already working with the Ministry of Justice, the HM Courts & Tribunals Service and others in the justice system on tackling the backlog in the courts. Capacity at Guildford Crown Court has recently been expanded by installing a portacabin and rebuilding one of its courtrooms to enable 5 court cases to take place there.
Lib Dem Councillor Will Forster, said:
"To help clear the court backlog and get justice for victims of crime I am pleased the authorities will look at reopening the Woking Magistrates' Court. The court closed ten years ago and is now used as a Coroner's Court, but it could clearly be used for criminal cases as well."
"Years of cuts have stretched the justice system to breaking point. The Government needs to build a more effective judicial system as we come out of the pandemic and this should include reopening Woking's Magistrates' Court. We cannot allow justice delayed to become justice denied."
We have all become more aware of the need for free school meals in the last few months, but child food poverty did not start with the covid pandemic.
That is why the Lib Dems are calling on Surrey County Council to take steps to address this growing problem across the county.
Surrey is a comparatively wealthy county, but this generalisation hides a number of uncomfortable truths about the level of poverty experienced by those living in some of its poorer areas. Some families are already struggling to put food on the table for children in a county where housing costs are four times less affordable than the national average and are amongst the highest in the country.
Our NHS is bearing the brunt of this pandemic. Would the system collapse with the influx of COVID-19 patients? What about cancer patients requiring regular treatment or those booked for routine operations?Ellen Nicholson is a nurse, health researcher for the Liberal Democrats and chair of the General Practice Nurse Forum for the Royal College of Nursing. If that wasn't enough, she'sour 2021 candidate for Mount Hermon& Woking South East. In this podcast Ellen, interviewed by Adam Kirby and Dale Roberts,talks us throughthe digital appointment revolution, her thoughts on herd immunity and the incredible work going on behind the scenes to keep the NHS serving those who need it most.
Will Forster and the Lib Dems are asking people across Woking who care for relatives to get in touch and share their story - to mark national Carers Rights Day.
Lib Dem Party Leader Ed Davey has said he wants the party wants to be a "strong voice" for the millions across the country - including the 9,817 people in Woking who care for those who need it.
The Lib Dem Police and Crime Commissioner candidate, Paul Kennedy, is calling on Surrey's current Commissioner to take action to stop the 101 service being overwhelmed by the pandemic, as Lib Dem research reveals 30-40% of non-emergency calls to Surrey Police went unanswered in late summer.
In August alone nearly 10,000 callers - representing 32% of total 101 calls - gave up in the face of a 4 minute average waiting time, while nearly 1,000 callers had to wait more than 20 minutes to get through.
The local Lib Dems have welcomed the Early Day Motion tabled by Lib Dem MP Daisy Cooper which raises concerns regarding the proposed new M25/A3 junction alongside RHS Wisley.
In the motion Daisy Cooper MP highlights RHS Wisley's concerns around the impact the proposal will have on 44 trees along their boundary with the A3, including the felling of 17 Grade II Heritage trees and 27 other trees being negatively impacted by the undermining of their root strength. She also notes local concerns from residents and the local councils about the wider environmental impact as a result of the unnecessary extra mileage and inevitable increased pollution created by the junction, ending with a call for the Government to stop the proposal and require Highways England to consider and implement an alternative approach.
