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by Paul Scully | Jan 10, 2008 | News |
Nonsuch Mansion plays a vital role in the Heritage of the Borough. Sited in Nonsuch Park, Cheam it is administered by a joint committee comprising of councillors from Sutton, Kingston and Surrey Councils. There has been considerable doubt as to its future for a number of years, with Surrey County Council as the owners, the final arbiters.
Recently, the Local Committee for that area under the chairmanship of Graham Whitham agreed an urgent motion supporting the retention of Nonsuch Mansion and its adjacent parkland for public use and access. This attracted the support of Sutton Council’s Executive.
Graham Whitham, also a Cheam ward Councillor, attended a public meeting in Ewell where he conveyed both the Committee’s and the Council’s backing for the campaign to keep the Mansion in public use. The support was welcomed and we are continuing to push for this valued local amenity to be kept within public use rather than be surrendered to private development.
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by Paul Scully | Jan 3, 2008 | News |
Salford Council has wasted £75,000 of a regeneration grant on this sculpture on a roundabout in Cadishead, near Manchester. Some say that “Marge and Steel” pays tribute to the town’s industrial heritage and that it is an “inspired piece of work,” others call it “a giant barbecue with lap dancers on the side.”
Personally I think that it looks like two mating wigwams and so links nicely with our very own totem poles. Rather than inspiring warm memories of successful industry, it looks unfinished and shoddy, thus devaluing the efforts of the region’s businessmen to keep some semblance of industry in the area.
The final kick in the teeth for Sutton residents is the thought that the poor settlement that our Council receives from the Government is to redistribute funds into areas just like this in the North.
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by Paul Scully | Jan 3, 2008 | News |
Before Christmas, the Sutton Guardian likened Council Leader Sean Brennan to Scrooge, after the LibDems announced their draft Budget which will lead to yet another inflation-busting rise in Council Tax.
Now, the same newspaper reports a stern warning by the father of one of the Deputy Leaders of the Council to think of pensioners before committing them to finding the extra cash from a pension that won’t see an increase anywhere near the tax hike. David Dombey, Chairman of the Sutton Seniors Forum reminded his daughter and her colleagues that “Anyone just on state pension is likely to suffer as council tax represents a large percentage of their spending.”
Ken Andrew, our parliamentary candidate has met retired residents who have told him that they have had to choose which meals to miss in order to pay their Council Tax bill. I hope that the LibDems still listen to their parents and heed the warning. Amongst the people that will not fret about their bills in April are the two Deputy Leaders who received an extra £6000 allowance each this year and the residents of Conservative Hammersmith and Fulham who can look forward to a second successive reduction in their bill. Meanwhile we wait with baited breath to see if our increase is less than the 4.9% of last year, the second highest increase in London.
H/T for photo before hamfisted changes, Cllr. Phil Taylor
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by Paul Scully | Jan 3, 2008 | Carshalton Central, News |
600 residents on or around Westmead Road and Lower Road were consulted on a traffic calming scheme shortly before Christmas. This was as a result of the poor accident record in Lower Road.
Proposals included two mini-roundabouts, changes to junctions and several speed cushions. Ward councillors were asked for comments on the plans following the consultations. Now, I have a well-publicised aversion to speed bumps at the best of times as they are too often used as a lazy-man’s way of “doing something”. The question was asked of residents “Do you agree with the road narrowing and speed cushions along Westmead Road between the mini roundabout junction with Shorts Road and the junction with Ringstead Road?” 59 people said yes, 82 people said no. In the amended plans, I was amazed to see that all 10 speed bumps remained between these two roads despite a clear rejection. The justification was that accompanying comments only feared that they would lose parking spaces. Since that wasn’t the case, it was OK to leave the bumps in.
Needless to say that this was unanimously rejected by us. Since the problems occur up to a mile away from the humps in Sutton Central (whose councillors graciously approved the speed bumps in our patch), I cannot for the life of me see why Westmead Road residents should suffer the extra noise, pollution and inconvenience of speed cushions. Watch this space for updates.
Update: I am informed by Cllr Janet Lowne that the Sutton Central councillors only approved the changes in their ward. I’m happy to set the record straight.
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by Paul Scully | Dec 26, 2007 | News |
Mint House is to be extended and improved following planning approval given on the 19th December. The office block on Stanley Park Road, Wallington is owned by one of the GP partnerships practising in Shotfield Health Centre.
The building is not exactly the apogee of good design. The proposal is to add extra floors and to improve the look of the building with new materials. It is an integral part of the “Better Healthcare Closer to Home” programme, whereby Shotfield will be redeveloped to offer better, more extensive healthcare to local residents (unsurprisingly, closer to home.)
The Doctors’ practices will move into Mint House whilst Shotfield is rebuilt. At the end of the development, this building will revert to office use, housing the administrative support for the new clinic. Shotfield will provide consulting rooms to enable some outpatient procedures to be carried out on site saving journeys to St Helier and Sutton Hospital. Since my doctor is located here, I’m as keen as anyone to see the improvements over the coming years. The planning application for Shotfield itself is due to be submitted in January.
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by Paul Scully | Dec 26, 2007 | News |
Last Thursday saw a hearing by the Adjudication Panel investigating the case brought against Councillor Eleanor Pinfold by the Standards Board of England following a complaint by the Monitoring Officer of Sutton Council. Eleanor was disqualified for twelve months meaning that she has to relinquish her position as councillor for Cheam ward with immediate effect.
The findings of the Independent Adjudication Panel are a serious matter and we will carefully examine ways in which lessons need to be learned. It is appropriate to await Miss Pinfold’s announcement on her right of appeal, or alternatively her intention to accept the findings as they stand, with their attendant penalty.
Further comment, opinion or actions, pending an appeal, may be considered prejudicial at a time when due process is still underway. The Conservative Group adopts the Council’s Code of Conduct as its guide to acceptable behaviour by elected members.
Members of the Conservative Group are individually and collectively bound to obey the spirit and letter of the Code of Conduct. Breaches of the Code of Conduct by members, which result in sanctions against them, are mirrored by corresponding sanctions within the Conservative Group Rules which range from reprimand, suspension or expulsion.
The Conservative Group will make no further comment on this case until it has been fully discharged by either the Independent Adjudication Panel or by the Courts following an appeal.
Nonsuch Mansion plays a vital role in the Heritage of the Borough. Sited in Nonsuch Park, Cheam it is administered by a joint committee comprising of councillors from Sutton, Kingston and Surrey Councils. There has been considerable doubt as to its future for a number of years, with Surrey County Council as the owners, the final arbiters.
