State of the Borough debate - 26th July 2007

11.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 26th Jul 2007

Reigate Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr. Steve Kulka, was given the opportunity to highlight local issues in a speech to the Full Council. His damming summary of incompetence was not well received. The response from the Tory administration was predictably venomous. One councillor was very upset by Cllr. Kulkas criticism of our roads, that he pointed out that his road has just been completely resurfaced. A complete coincidence we're sure, because all other roads in the area are a complete mess. Another thought that the council was doing rather well and mentioned that the Help Shops were really good for the local community. He seemed to be completely unaware that the Liberal Democrats started the Help Shops when they last ran the Council, ten years ago. There was some praise for the ongoing development of the Priory Park in Reigate. This included two environmentally beneficial features. A replacement water feature for children that uses treated, recycled water and an energy efficient heating system for the new Pavilion, using a 'Ground Source Heat Pump'. Both ideas from Lib Dem Councillors.

Text of speech follows.

One of the keys to convincing our residents that you are doing your best to help them 'Love where they Live', is to keep them up to date on what you are planning.

After all the marketing, our local residents still aren't sure that Redhill Harlequin is not going to be pulled down.

But you also have to do the best for them.

There are Councils in England that recycle more than 50% more waste than we do.

Everyone I speak to wants all waste to be collected from their door to increase recycling rates.

Six and a half million pounds is being spent on Reigate Priory Park.

Councillors asked for a bigger car park to justify the enormous amount of Council tax payers money being spent.

I know were getting a bigger car park - but it's going to have the same number of parking spaces.

Just adding extra spaces like we asked for, wouldn't have cost very much and would not have required the car park to be closed and local businesses to suffer.

My ward residents use Earlswood Common for their R&R.

For years they've been promised a new kiosk in place of the two old ones that have been closed for years. They have now been demolished, but we've been told that we don't have the money for the replacement kiosk.

Having spent thousands on architect's fees, they now want £1/3m for a kiosk and they want local councillors to tap local businesses for the money.

All Councillors in this Borough should know, that the poor state of our roads is the number one issue for local residents.

A week ago, at Surrey County Council's Transport Select Committee, the financial out-turn for the year 2006/7 was published.

Members of that committee were stunned to be told that last year was the third year on the trot where the budget was under spent, and this time by £5.2 million!

The excuse given for most of the under spend was "a loss of key design staff and vacancies".

This is the same council that spent most of last year sacking a third of the highways department staff and paying millions in redundancies!

Surrey County Council saved a small amount by scrapping the set up of the Transport Coordination Committee, which would have saved 10% of the highways budget.

If the County Council had got its act together and allowed the Transport Coordination Committee to save nearly £5m,

and it had managed to spend the money it should have done,

then £10 million more could have been spent on Surrey's creaking transport infrastructure without a single penny of extra Council Tax.

You couldn't make this up.

We have been told numerous times at public meetings in this chamber, that this Tory run Borough Council would continue to make strenuous efforts to ensure that the Tory run County Council would look after our highways.

Has anyone noticed any improvements?

Our residents certainly haven't.

In summary then, our assessment of the State of the Borough is that this Tory Council, neither communicates or consults and the result is that they make the wrong decisions about their priorities.