by Paul Scully | Apr 9, 2018 | News |
SES Water is currently having a public consultation about its Draft Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP).
The WRMP is about preparing for the future.
SES Water said: “Our latest plan looks 60 years ahead and addresses important issues such as projected population growth in the area, the impacts of climate change and how we continue to protect and enhance our local environment.
“We receive less rainfall than many other parts of the country and our supply area is classified as being in serious water stress. To address this, and make our service more resilient for the future, our plan focuses heavily on reducing demand for water over the coming years.
“Our customers use more water than in any other part of the country, around 150 litres per person per day. Some of our neighbouring companies have seen this fall to around 130 litres by installing more water meters and helping customers by providing wide-ranging water efficiency advice and retrofits. We believe that we can do the same – potentially going further by using smart meters. At the same time, we plan to reduce leakage levels further, so less water is wasted and is available to supply our customers.”
You can view the plans and have your say here.
by Paul Scully | Apr 8, 2018 | News |
8,000 people across Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park are now saving towards their retirement, new figures show, as a result of the Government’s auto enrolment scheme.
Employers must enrol staff aged 22 and over who earn more than £10,000 into a pension.
Figures from the Pensions Regulator show 1,290 businesses in the constituency have enrolled in the scheme since it started in 2012, meaning 8,000 workers are benefiting.
Local businesses are showing how committed they are to helping their employees save for a future and I am delighted to see so many businesses on board. I want to thank business owners for supporting the Government’s drive to change the way people save and plan for their future.
Nationally as of January, more than 1.032 million employers were signed up with 9.3 million employees registered in the scheme.
Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey said: “Saving at a young age for pensions is vital and that is why I believe the automatic enrolment will change the way future generations think. It will become the norm for people to put away money for later in life.
“We have made great success with this scheme but I know we need to go further and that is why we are going to lower the age for automatic enrolment to 18 which will benefit another 900,000 people across the country.
“Government is committed to helping save for the future.”
The Department for Work and Pensions is also exploring solutions with experts for self employed people who have different income and saving needs.
For more information, visit the Pensions Regulator website here.
by Paul Scully | Apr 7, 2018 | News |
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) are operating a new rail timetable from May 2018 following a public consultation.
GTR, who operate Southern and Thameslink rail services that go through Sutton, have been consulting on a new rail timetable that will begin to come into operation from May 2018.
There is some good news for Sutton in the new timetable, including the introduction of a new Sunday service to Belmont station. There will be a train every 30 minutes to Belmont station on Sundays under these new proposals.
This is all part of GTR’s RailPlan20/20 campaign to improve its services, which have been very poor for Sutton commuters in recent years. You can read more about the plans and see how your regular commute will be affected here. More details can also be found in a letter from GTR here and a presentation they have compiled here.
Whilst I am pleased to changes being implemented to improve the service, commuters will undoubtedly be wary of getting too optimistic given poor rail service they have endured in recent years. There has been some noticeable small improvements since the strikes, but I still believe that when the franchise is up for renewal, the Southern rail network in particular, which covers over 20% of the entire UK’s rail network, should be broken up. The contract is too big and unwieldy, so I would like to see this change.
In the meantime, I continue to push for short to medium term improvements, such as infrastructure improvements from Network Rail, which I hope when combined with new rolling stock and the changes already being made will result in a better rail service than commuters are currently used to.
by Paul Scully | Apr 6, 2018 | News |
I am delighted that the 166 bus route has been protected following discussions between TfL and Surrey Council Council.
The 166 bus route runs from West Croydon to Epsom Hospital and is jointly managed by Transport for London (TfL) and Surrey County Council. It passed through the southern end of the Borough and is often used by Belmont and south Cheam residents to get to Epsom and back.
The service looked in danger of being terminated as TfL and Surrey County Council began discussions about this route. However, following pressure from myself, local residents and councillors, as well as neighbouring MPs and councillors, TfL and Surrey County Council have agreed to financially support the cost of these routes, with no alterations, for the next five years.
Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for Transport Mike Goodman said: “There’s a vital need to fund these services in Surrey to help people get to and from hospital – it’s what our communities rightly expect us to do.
“We know just how important these buses are to people’s daily lives, which is why we’ve worked with TfL to invest the money that ensures they continue to run, whether that’s to help people go for a medical appointment, get to school or do shopping.
“It means we’ll be investing around £130,000 annually to ensure the 166 bus continues operating between Banstead and Epsom Hospital and the 216 carries on running from Staines to Ashford Hospital as normal.”
Claire Mann, TfL’s Director of Bus Operations, said: “We welcome Surrey County Council’s offer to part fund these services, and are very happy to work with them to continue running these important hospital routes.”
You can find details about the route here.
by Paul Scully | Feb 28, 2018 | News |
I have been working with Belmont councillors David Hicks, Patrick McManus and Jane Pascoe, along with residents and local business owner, Lisa, to campaign for a new post office counter for Belmont.
The Post Office in Belmont closed many years ago and has been greatly missed. Since then I have joined councillors and residents to campaign for a new counter at one of the local stores in Belmont village.
I’m delighted that Lisa Kear, the owner of the Pet Shop in Station Road, has been granted a licence to operate a new Post Office in her shop. The new counter will open on Friday 16 March 2018 at 1pm.
This will be a very welcome addition to Belmont and should have a positive effect on local businesses. Credit in particular goes to Peter Mattey from the Belmont and South Cheam Residents’ association for helping to achieve this great result.
For more information and to see what services it will provide, please see the letter from the Post Office here.
