The Dragon Says: The London Road Saga – How Not to Manage Change
News that Surrey County Council Cabinet’s decision to scrap the Active Travel scheme for London Road has been “called in” is not surprising: it was very contentious. Cynics might observe that councillors will be mindful of the impending SCC elections next May. It would be surprising if…
Woking Council Had ‘No Business’ Making £2.4m Loan to a Private School
By Chris Caulfield local democracy reporter Woking Borough Council had “no business” handing over millions of pounds in unsecured loans to a private school and was “cosplaying” at being a bank, a top ranking official has said. Greenfield School borrowed millions of pounds from the now bankrupt…
Surrey’s Gritters Gear Up for Winter
With colder weather forecast, Surrey’s team of gritter drivers are ready and available 24/7 to grit the county’s busiest routes before and during severe weather to help keep residents moving during the winter. In preparation, 10,000 tonnes of salt has been stored at four Surrey depots. Seasonal…
Guildford Residents Left Stranded After Heathrow Bus Breakdowns
By Stella Kuchanny Guildford residents were left frustrated and out of pocket after repeated breakdowns on the First Bus service to Heathrow Airport led to significant delays and travel disruption. Jane Hepburn, a Guildford resident, told The Dragon of her attempt to use the RA2 service from…
Mole Valley’s Finance Director Warns ‘All the Low Hanging Fruit Is Gone’
By Chris Caulfield local democracy reporter Mole Valley District Council is facing serious financial pressure and must make “very difficult decisions” over the future of its services. The bleak warning came during a meeting of the scrutiny committee on Tuesday, November 12, when the grim outlook was…
Council Tax Hike Not Currently Planned Despite ‘Black Hole’
By Martin Giles On Wednesday (November 13), Conservatives were warning that a “£2.4 billion” budgetary “black hole” in local government funding would mean a hike in council tax bills, despite Prime Minister Keir Starmer once promising to freeze council tax in his first year in government. …
I Am Stella Kuchanny, The Dragon’s Newest Reporter
Dragon readers might have already noticed a couple of articles with the byline Stella Kuchanny, an English student at Loughborough University who lives in Guildford. She is spending a year with The Dragon to gain some further experience of journalism having already spent time with the Farnham…
Conservation Volunteers Are Granted Prestigious King’s Award
By David Reading The Tice’s Meadow Bird Group has been granted The King’s Award for Voluntary Services 2024 – the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and the equivalent to an MBE. The volunteer group, which helps manage Tice’s Meadow Nature Reserve…
Surrey MP Questions PM on SEND Funding
By Chris Caulfield local democracy reporter The £1 billion in new special education funding is “not nearly enough” to “end the scandal” impacting thousands of children forced to miss school due to inappropriate SEND provision, a Surrey MP said. Countywide there are 1,800 SEND children affected by…
Birdwatcher’s Diary No.316
By Malcolm Fincham Although weather conditions remained mostly dry as we moved into the first weeks of November, it could only…
Photo Feature: Freiburg Guildford’s Twin – Friends for 45 years
By Barbara Ford chair of the Guildford Twinning Association September 2024 saw the 45th anniversary of the twinning of Guildford with…
Review: The Consort Trio Makes Its Debut
By Gillian Lloyd Three accomplished young musicians gave their debut recital to a large audience at Guildford United Reformed Church on…
Sara Sharif Trial Latest – Sara’s Mother and Uncle Will Not Give Evidence
By Martin Giles This is the latest update of the continuing trial of those accused of the murder of ten-year-old Sara…
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