The biennial awards scheme run by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council celebrates dedicated environmentalists who go the extra mile to help to make the borough a nicer, cleaner and greener place to live and work.

Cllr Julian Ellacott, Executive Member for Environment, said:

“The aim of these awards are to express our thanks to those who really show that they love where they live by selflessly caring for the borough for the benefit of everyone, and to encourage others to join them in making the borough a more attractive place in which to live and work.

“The Council does and will continue to do all we can to maintain and improve our local environment, but the involvement of residents, local businesses and voluntary groups is also crucial and will be even more so in the future. We all have the same goal at heart – improvement of the local area for the benefit of the community.

“The government’s “Big Society” involves similar concepts to our Love Where You Live campaign and I hope that we can find ways to widen the scope of the campaign in future.”

Nominations can be made in two categories: the Love Where You Live Award or the Conservation Group/Project award.

This year, a new Raven ‘Green Award’ will be awarded to a Raven Housing Trust resident or group of residents whose actions at home or in the workplace have had a positive impact on the environment, such as encouraging others to recycle more; joining a local eco team to share ideas on reducing their impact on the environment; helping to reduce litter, dog fouling, graffiti or fly tipping in their local neighbourhood or encouraging colleagues to car share.

The Council will also be making awards to local schools, businesses or organisations and youth and uniform groups that have played an important role in keeping the borough clean and green.

A special recognition award will be chosen by the Council from nominations to the other awards categories.

Awards will be presented by the Mayor at a special ceremony at the Harlequin Theatre in November.

For details of awards categories and to download a nomination form see the Council’s website www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk, or contact Terry Boardman on 01737 276407. Forms are also available from the Council’s Help Shops and Town Hall reception.

The deadline for nominations is Friday 30 September 2010.

It can be accessed here: Southern Stakeholder Brief Aug 10.

You can find out more at the next meeting on 22nd September at 7.30pm, at Redhill Methodist Centre.  See the flyer for more details:  EcoTeams Flyers New

“This is a very practical scheme for helping people save money.  Participants share tips on saving energy and water, and there is access to energy monitors and other devices to help.  A number of local residents and councillors are already involved in the scheme.”

The new recruits who started six month work placements at the end of July will be gaining a range of experience helping to keep our parks, open spaces and town centres clean, tidy and attractive. Twelve will be working with our parks team and supporting our litter crews and two will be supporting our commercial waste service and helping out at the Harlequin Theatre.

The Borough Council secured government funding for the placements through the Surrey Future Jobs Fund. The scheme is designed to help offset the impact of the recession by supporting 18 to 24 year olds who are not in education or training and have been unemployed and claiming Job Seekers Allowance for six months or more by helping them into work.

Cllr Roger Newstead, Executive Member for Personnel and Organisational Change, said:

“This is a great example of partnership working. Many of these young people have struggled to find employment for a considerable time. By signing up to this scheme they have shown that they are willing and ready to work and they will gain valuable skills and work experience that will really improve their prospects when looking for a permanent job. Not only that, they will also be helping the Council to deliver important local services to the community at no cost to the council taxpayer.”

The vacancies were advertised through Job Centre Plus and following a successful recruitment day at the Harlequin Theatre, 14 job seekers signed up. The new recruits had the opportunity to do a work trial day before starting and they are currently undergoing their induction training. They each have to work a minimum of 25 hours a week, or more.

Mary Angell, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Families, said:

“Reigate and Banstead have been quick off the mark in taking up and implementing the Surrey Future Jobs Fund initiative, ensuring their local unemployed young people didn’t miss out on this time-limited opportunity. They have also taken on more recruits than any other Surrey authority so far.”

The Surrey Future Jobs Fund aims to fund the creation of 350 entry level jobs in the county by March 2011. The fund will pay basic wages, some overhead costs and for training and support. Jobs must make a positive contribution to the community and must be additional to the employer’s current staffing structure.

Since the scheme started in March over 80 jobs have been created, varying from Community Support Assistants for the Youth Development service, landscaping and Grounds Maintenance staff in schools, Curatorial Assistants in Museums and Art Galleries to recycling and waste management operatives.

Cllr Julian Ellacott added:

“I’d like to commend our Head of Neighbourhood Services, Nic Martlew, and his team for their enthusiasm in agreeing to take on and support 13 out of the 14 recruits as well as our personnel team for ensuring a successful start to the scheme in Reigate and Banstead, where we have taken on more recruits than any of the other councils in Surrey.”

Matt Donn has joined the existing team of three grounds maintenance staff who are based in the park full time, and will be on patrol until October.

As well as making the park litter free, Matt and other colleagues also have the power to issue £50 on the spot fines (known as a Fixed Penalty Notice) to anyone they catch littering the park.

As part of the Priory Park Restoration Project, 15 new litter bins and seven new dog waste bins were installed on the site, which means that there are around 30 bins throughout the park, including in the woodland area. In addition, more recycling bins and three large wheelie bins have also been installed. Despite this, littering in Priory Park continues to be a real issue, particularly in the summer months.

Cllr Julian Ellacott, Executive Member for Environment, said:

“We are making every effort to keep Priory Park clean and safe for visitors and most people are responsible about their litter. Unfortunately, there is a minority who think it is acceptable to leave their litter for others to clear up and do not consider the dangers it can cause to other park users, particularly young children, and park wildlife.

“People should remember three things – first, littering is against the law and you can end up with a hefty fine if you are caught. Second, although we have provided lots of bins they will never be enough for everyone’s rubbish – therefore please take your rubbish home with you if you can. Third, the more rubbish and litter left in the park, the more work the Council has to do to tidy it up – costing residents money through their Council tax.”

Matt and his colleagues start their day in the park at 7.30am. Their first job is to clear the litter from the popular areas like the children’s playground and skate park. If necessary they are assisted first thing in the morning by other grounds maintenance staff before they start their other duties. The sand in the children’s playground is raked over and checked for debris and all the litter bins across the site are emptied. Further litter picks are carried out across the park throughout the day and the litter bins are emptied again before staff end their day.

Cllr Ellacott, added:

“If you spot broken glass in the park, particularly in the children’s playground or skate park, please report it to the park office straight away so that it can be cleared away as soon as possible.”

The out of hours number to call is 01737 242 179, if the park office (located within the Pavilion) is closed.

The survey can be completed at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G6PTYYV

Southern’s Programme Manager, Corinne Sharpe said:

“This is a great opportunity for our passengers to have a say in what and how they would like their stations to be improved. We have a number of proposals for each station and, although we won’t be able to everything, we will try to take account of what our passengers tell us they want the most.”

Cllr Julian Ellacott, ward councillor for Redhill West said:

“It is very good news that Southern are investing in the station and asking passengers for their views.  As a local train user I will be submitting my views and urge other Redhill residents to do the same.”

Among the choices for improvements are improved layout of booking halls, improved waiting rooms, better lighting, relocation and improvement of seating, upgrading of toilets, additional cycle spaces, improved pedestrian routes. Each station has its own unique list of improvements for passengers to choose from, and the survey closes on Monday 16 August.

The new route will operate Monday – Saturday between Copthorne and Redhill via Horley, Salfords, East Surrey Hospital, Meadvale, Woodhatch, Reigate & Batts Hill. The new route will run every half hour for most of the day * between Horley and Redhill. Full details will soon be posted on www.southdownpsv.co.uk; for further information please call Customer Service 01342 719619.

The new service has resulted from a recent review of local bus services by Surrey County Council.  After vocal support for the existing 324 service (see previous article) Surrey County Council and Southdown PSV agreed on the new 424 service, which will increase the frequency of service along the main section of the current route.

Cllr Lynne Hack, county councillor for Redhill who worked at County Hall to ensure that the service continued, said:

“This is a good result for local residents.  The 324 is an important local service, especially for residents in Batts Hill and Timperley Gardens who have no other bus services.  It is excellent news that Southdown are improving the service, and at the same time that Surrey County Council have saved money for local ratepayers.

Cllr Julian Ellacott, councillor for Redhill West, said:

“I am sure the new 424 service will be a success but I have a warning to residents – use the service or we may risk losing it in future, as no bus service can survive in the long term if not enough passengers use it.”

* Please check timetable.

The sign had been severely damaged, with one arm missing and another having been knocked off, probably by a passing lorry (see previous article).  Local residents took up the challenge of getting it restored, together with the help of Will Powell, a local blacksmith, the Holmesdale Museum and the Surrey Mirror.

As a result of this collaboration, old photos of the sign were used to design a replacement for the missing arm.  The majority of the funding for the new arm came via Cllrs Julian Ellacott and Natalie Bramhall, from the Councillors’ Community Awards fund, with local residents making up the rest.

Mr Powell undertook the repairs, fitted the new arm and relocated the sign post a few yards away from its original position, to prevent future damage to the sign, which is believed to date from the late 19th century.

Cllr Julian Ellacott, who attended a ribbon cutting ceremony this week by the Mayor, along with local residents, said:

“This sign post is a great piece of local history, cherished by residents and the thousands of people who pass by each day.  Thanks to the efforts of all involved, especially the local residents, the sign once again stands proudly at this junction.”

Each of the 11 local committees will be asked how and where the extra money should be spent, enabling residents to influence what improvements are carried out in their communities.

Dr Povey said:

“It is clear that quality of roads is a prime concern for Surrey residents which is why I am pledging an extra £1 million towards improving them.

“Surrey’s roads are not up to the standard we want them to be at due to a lack of central government investment for more than a decade. This extra £1 million will not solve the problem but it will help and I hope it will show residents that we are serious about getting our roads up to scratch.”

Dr Povey pledged to continue the fight for more investment in Surrey’s roads. Earlier this month he tabled a motion at the Local Government Association’s annual conference in Bournemouth calling for more central government investment in highways.

He argued that national road investment should be concentrated in the South East to boost the regional economy and help businesses prosper. This would provide millions of pounds in extra tax revenue for the Government which could be reinvested elsewhere in the country.

The Neighbourhood Panel is your opportunity as residents to meet with your Local Councillors, Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team and other local representatives to discuss issues or concerns you may have.

Residents who attend will be given an opportunity to raise issues for the Police and Council to look into over the next 3 months, with a vote being taken to determine the local Safer Neighbourhood Team’s priorities for the next quarter.

The meeting will be chaired by Cllr Natalie Bramhall.