By Hugh Coakley The government has written to Guildford Borough Council demanding an explanation for its poor performance on the slow speed of decisions on non-major developments. It says the council “may be liable for designation” under the planning act if it cannot show “exceptional circumstances that…

Woking High-rise Development Limits Slammed

By Emily Coady-Stemp local democracy reporter Plans to limit high-rise development in Woking is akin to slamming the stable door shut after the horse has bolted, Surrey County Council’s ex-head of planning has said. On Thursday (February 2) Woking Borough Council’s Executive Committee agreed to press ahead…

State of Roads ‘No Fault of the Council’ – More Government Money Needed

By Chris Caulfield local democracy reporter The state of Surrey’s roads is “no fault of the county council” its cabinet has heard, as councillors vowed to put more pressure on central government for highways funding. In what the council’s leader called “pothole season”, the problems facing the…

Ockhamite Diary: And It’s Goodbye from Ockham, for Now at Least

A sidelong glance at the world from Tony Edwards… Did I hear that correctly? My headmaster once told me that I needed to enunciate more as my words were sometimes unclear and confusing. His comments echoed down the years when, as a young reporter, I attended a…

Dragon Interview: Council’s Complaints Process Is ‘Not Fit For Purpose’ Pt 2 – How Do We Fix It?

It is rare to get an insider’s objective view of the borough council so we should really value this contribution from Bernard Quoroll, a retired solicitor living in Guildford, who was a senior figure in six local authorities. See Part One of this interview, Council’s Complaints Process…

No Councillor Prepared to Chair Planning Meeting So Traveller Pitches and 93 New Homes Delayed

By Emily Coady-Stemp local democracy reporter and Martin Giles No councillor was prepared to step in and chair last night’s Planning Committee meeting at Guildford Borough Council in the absence of the chair and vice chair, so decisions on building 93 homes and traveller pitches in Guildford…

Surrey Councillors Say No to ULEZ Signs on County’s Roads

By Emily Coady-Stemp local democracy reporter Surrey councillors say they could stop Transport for London (TfL) putting signs on the county’s roads ahead of the planned Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion. Surrey County Council’s leader said the authority would “stand its corner” on the expansion “blindly…

Striking Teachers Protest In Guildford High Street to Increase Pay

By Hugh Coakley Striking Surrey teachers from the National Education Union (NEU) gathered in a good-natured protest at Holy Trinity in Guildford High Street yesterday (February 1) and were joined by pupils supporting their action. The teachers said they wanted a “fully-funded pay rise” which didn’t come…

Caption Competition – Winners Announced

Readers were asked “What has happened at this North Street post box? Were the boots to be posted before the sender…

Highways Repair Bulletin February 6 – 12

Next week there will be road closures in Ash, Bramley, Compton, Effingham Junction, and Guildford (Epsom Road). Traffic light signals will…

Dragon Interview: Cllr Rigg Says ‘If the Developers Walk Away It Will Be A Disaster for Guildford’

John Rigg, the lead councillor at Guildford Borough Council responsible for Regeneration, is still clearly smarting from the rejection in January…

Birdwatcher’s Diary No.272

By Malcolm Fincham Moving into the last two weeks of January, thankfully the prevailing wet westerly winds began to ease. Temperatures,…