Breaking Britain returns, this time it’s the schools
Why is so much of Britain’s infrastructure literally falling apart?
Why is so much of Britain’s infrastructure literally falling apart?
Lib Dems condemn “chaotic and incompetent” budget
The sheer quantity of raw sewage being dumped into Britain’s rivers and coastal areas is a scandal and a disgrace.
Liberal Democrats welcome the single figure increase in Council Tax and the Tories allocating £1m to key worker housing and £100,000 to improve the energy efficiency of the Council's buildings in response to Liberal Democrat initiatives. However, we oppose the way this figure has been achieved because this Conservative budget is not only a missed opportunity to improve services for Surrey's residents by cutting wasted spending by the Council, but it carries hidden risks that could lead to cuts to Council services later in the year.
At the budget meeting of Surrey County Council the Liberal Democrats proposed cuts in spending on consultants, communications and "policy initiatives" in order to fund improved services for Surrey residents.
During the last four years the Liberal Democrat councillors on Surrey County Council have worked hard to achieve the best for the people of Surrey. Of their many initiatives and achievements, the main ones are listed below:
"The Adult and Community Care Committee kept hearing about poor service caused by staffing problems," explains County Councillor Diana Smith. "So it set up a task group to look at recruitment and retention. Proper statistics were hard to come by. We eventually got figures for the reported high vacancy rates in 'front line' teams, from 18% among the essential home based care staff to 31% of highly-skilled occupational therapists. We heard of one team of occupational therapists entirely consisting of stand-ins.
Surrey County Council is planning authority for minerals and waste, and it is disposal authority for waste too. Quite confusing! In the old days Surrey would have plans for these topics. The final stage in plan preparation was the deposit draft, which would be examined in public by an Inspector. The Inspector's recommendations would be considered by the Council, who would adopt the final plan to come into force.
The Conservative administration has recently decided that potholes with a depth of less than 4 centimetres will not be treated as a high priority to be repaired within 24 hours. This latest decision is an admission that the Conservative administration cannot cope with the necessary road repairs.