Surrey County Council elections

Elections will take place on Thursday 2 May for Surrey County Council. There are five seats in the borough of Epsom and Ewell and the Residents Associations have a candidate for each of those seats.

The candidates are

Paul Ardern-Jones (Epsom West Division)
John Beckett (Ewell Division)
Neil Dallen (Epsom Town & Downs Division)
Eber Kington (Ewell Court, Auriol & Cuddington Division)
Jan Mason (West Ewell Division)

Election material is promoted by Keith Lugton of 49 Harefield Avenue, Cheam, SM2 7ND on behalf of the Residents Associations of Epsom and Ewell.

Death of Gill Heym, secretary of College Ward Residents' Association

Gill Heym, who has died, has been a long-time servant of the Residents Associations and of the residents of Epsom and Ewell. As a Borough Councillor and as secretary of College Ward Residents' Association, Gill has been widely respected by all who met her.

Mark Walter, chairman of College Ward Residents' Association, said "Gill has been a pillar of the community for many years. She has given so much time and effort to the well-being of residents of this Borough and partcularly of this Ward. She will be sorely missed."

Independent Police and Crime Commissioner elected

Residents of Surrey have elected Kevin Hurley to be Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey. Mr Hurley who is a former police officer stood for Zero Tolerance, and is independent of any national political party. One of his first acts was to extend the appointment of the current Chief Constable Lynne Owens to 2017.

Changes for Epsom Hospital have been put on hold

The future of Epsom Hospital is again in doubt. It had been proposed that the current arrangement with St Helier’s Hospital should cease and that Epsom Hospital should be acquired by Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals but this change will not take place.

At a meeting on 25 October 2012 the NHS London Board agreed that the proposed acquisition of Epsom Hospital by Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust should be halted. Although the project had received a high level of support from local people, patients and hospital staff, the parties involved have been unable to develop a financially viable plan for the future of the hospital as part of the merged trust.

Urgent discussions are now taking place to determine whether a way forward can be found. Councillors in Epsom and Ewell are acutely aware of the situation and will do all that they can to ensure that a satisfactory solution is found.

75th anniversay of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell

The year 2012 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Borough. During the whole of that time the Borough Council has been controlled by Residents' Associations Councillors. The success of all those Councillors in making and keeping the Borough such a splendid place to live is a clear demonstration that local government can exist very satisfactorily without being controlled by national political parties.

The anniversary was marked by many activities throughout the Borough led by the Mayor, Councillor Christine Long. These events were given even greater significance as they came at the same time as the wonderful Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and the hugely successful Olympic Games of London 2012. The Queen started her Diamond Jubilee weekend at the Derby at Epsom Downs racecourse and various of the Olympic cycling events took place very close to Epsom and Ewell.

Death of Chris Pottinger, chairman of Ewell Village Residents' Association

Tributes have been paid to Chris Pottinger who died recently. Chris has been a stalwart of Ewell Village Residents' Association for many years.

Chris was also a keen supporter of the Ewell Village Morris Men. The funeral was held at St Paul's Church, Howell Hill and a team from the Morris Men performed a dance in recognition of the huge contribution Chris had made to the Morris Men and to the village.

Continuing success in Borough Council elections

The Residents Associations have controlled Epsom and Ewell Borough Council for the past 70 years. On Thursday 5 May 2011, the electors of the Borough again showed their faith in the RA ethos by voting for the RA Councillors to retain control of the Council for another four years.

There are 38 seats on the Council and the RAs now have 26 seats, with the balance made up of 6 Lib Dems, 3 Labour and 3 Conservatives. This is a resounding demonstration of the trust put in the RA concept by the voters of this Borough, which is one of the few in the country to be controlled by RA Councillors.

Death of Alan Lloyd, chairman of Howell Hill Residents' Association

The Residents Associations of Epsom and Ewell learned with great sadness of the death of Alan Lloyd on 23 August 2009 following a short illness. Alan had been chairman of Howell Hill RA for several years and had worked tirelessly for the Association.

Alan's particular interest was to preserve the local area, which he loved, for the benefit of future generations. He was heavily involved in ensuring that new buildings and alterations were compatible with the area and that roads and footpaths were safe for residents to use. He actively supported the successful campaign to save Nonsuch Mansion House and he was widely respected by members of the Howell Hill RA and by his colleagues in the RAs of Epsom and Ewell.

Keith Lugton, chairman of SCoRA, said, "Alan put a great deal of effort into Residents Associations activities in Epsom and Ewell - he was a delightful, dependable, intelligent man who will be sorely missed".

Alan was always keen on sport and was a season ticket holder at Chelsea for many years. It was perhaps fitting that Chelsea went top of the table and England won the Ashes on the day Alan died.

Continued success in County Council elections

On Thursday 4 June 2009, the electors of the Borough again showed their faith in the RA ethos by voting for RA Councillors to hold four of the five County Council seats in the Borough for the next four years.

This restored the position which had applied previously of 4 RA County Councillors and 1 Lib Dem. The position had been disrupted by the defection of County Councillor Petrie to the Conservatives, however he was defeated resoundingly when he stood as a Conservative candidate.

The RA County Councillors are part of a group of 10 RA and Independent members of the County Council.

Concerts at Epsom Downs Racecourse

A proposal for two concerts over the weekend following the Derby in 2009 was approved by the Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators.

The intention was that the concerts would be held on Epsom Downs Racecourse and would consist of a pop concert on Saturday 13 June 2009 and a classical concert on Sunday 14 June 2009. The type of performers envisaged were the winners of the Brit Awards and the winners of the Classical Brits. While some details had been made public, many details were still to be worked out. The basis was that there would be a full review of the concerts in 2009 before the Conservators decided whether similar events would be allowed in future years.

However the economic climate led to a review of these plans. It is understood that the concerts will be reconsidered in the future.

The Conservators are responsible for the maintenance and control of the Downs. More information about the Conservators is given on the Epsom and Ewell Borough Council website www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk.

Agreement to 125-year lease for Nonsuch Park

On 25 March 2008 Surrey County Council agreed to give a lease for 125 years on Nonsuch Park and Mansion House to Epsom and Ewell Borough Council and the London Borough of Sutton jointly. This was the culmination of a long battle fought by the Residents Associations to save Nonsuch Park.

The recent history started on 27 February 2007 when Conservative-controlled Surrey County Council's Executive Committee met to vote on their own proposal to dispose of the historic Mansion House and to relocate the Nonsuch Museum elsewhere. More than 300 residents from Epsom & Ewell and Sutton boroughs attended the meeting to protest at the County Council's plans.

Following that meeting the Residents’ Associations fought for the management of the Park and Mansion House to be returned to the Nonsuch Park Joint Management Committee (which had managed the Park for the last 70 years) and for safeguarding the future of Nonsuch Park and Mansion House for the use and enjoyment of residents and visitors for the years to come. Surrey County Council had commissioned a report which outlined various options, including converting the Mansion House into a block of offices or a five star hotel or residential apartments.

At a public meeting on 8 October 2007 residents turned out in force and made their views clearly known. The message to Surrey County Council was simply "return the management of the Park to the Joint Management Committee, subject to a lease with conditions which are reasonable and realistic, and do it quickly". This has now happened but it has taken a long time and a lot of dedicated effort to achieve this simple result.

Possible Development of the Durdans and Lavendou Stables

Plans were put forward for the redevelopment of the Durdans and Lavandou Stables. Opposition to the plans was led by Woodcote RA Councillor Teresa Cass with substantial local support.

A public meeting was held which was attended by representatives of the Woodcote (Epsom) Residents' Society. Special articles about the issues surrounding this proposed development and actions instigated by the Society's Councillors are shown in the Society's Newsletters, which can be accessed through the Woodcote page of this website.

Dame Annis Barn application opposed

College Ward Residents Association mounted a vigorous campaign to stop development on the Dame Annis Barn and 18 Burgh Heath Road site.

This issue was of prime importance to all Residents Associations as it seriously questioned the entire concept of a Conservation Area, of which there are 21 throughout the Borough. Granting planning permission would have created an inability for the Council to refuse similar applications on other Conservation Areas in the Borough.