To receive any announcements from the Leader.
Minutes:
The following are the latest service updates from various Council departments.
The Council recently purchased the Elmsleigh Centre in the heart of Staines-upon-Thames which provides around one third of all the retail space in the town. This purchase is a major step forward in Spelthorne Council’s wider plan to regenerate Staines-upon-Thames. Along with our other recent acquisitions which include the Oast House, Communications House, Thameside House and Hanover House, the Council is now firmly in the driving seat to deliver the revitalisation of Staines-upon-Thames.
A four week consultation for a new leisure centre will run from 28 February – 27 March. The Council is inviting residents to come along to the public exhibition events being held at the current Leisure Centre on 28 and 29 February to give them the opportunity to find out more. As well as being online, consultation documents are also available at the Council offices, at the leisure centres and in local libraries. To feedback their views, residents can come along to the public event, complete the online survey, email or write to the Council. Paper copies of the questionnaire are also available.
Entries open on 4 March for the Spelthorne Means Business Awards. There are award categories to suit all businesses - large or small.
The Council has fulfilled its commitment to plant a tree in memory of every local soldier killed during the First World War. The commitment was made in 2018 as part of the centenary commemoration events, with the first 100 trees being planted at the Centenary Wood by Laleham Park. Since then, the planting has continued and all 851 trees – one for every soldier lost – have now been planted as a tribute to the fallen.
The owners of the Hope Inn in Stanwell Moor have been convicted for failing to comply with two planning enforcement notices. Sentencing has been scheduled for 6 March.
The Freemasons of Middlesex have made a generous donation of £10,000 to the Mayor’s charity, Eikon. The Mayor introduced the two charities after the Freemasons of Middlesex learnt of Eikon’s plans to introduce a special programme this summer for young people struggling to make the transition from primary to secondary school.
The National Audit Office (NAO) has published a report looking at the amount of money being borrowed by councils to invest in commercial property as a way of offsetting budget cuts. Spelthorne Council was a contributor to the report and met with the NAO team, led by Aileen Murphie, in September 2019 to explain the Council’s own rationale for buying commercial properties. The full report can be viewed at https://www.nao.org.uk/report/local-authority-investment-in-commercial-property/
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and plans are underway for various celebrations in Spelthorne. Friday 8 May has been designated a national Bank Holiday and a special ceremony will be held at the War Memorial in Market Square in Staines. On Saturday 9 May, the Council and Staines BID will also be hosting a Picnic in the Park in the Memorial Gardens in Staines with live music, food and entertainment. Concluding the weekend on Sunday 10 May, services will be held at St Hilda’s Church in Ashford and St Mary’s Church in Sunbury.