To receive any announcements from the Leader.
Minutes:
The Leader made the following announcements:
“It was with great sadness that we learnt of the passing of former Mayor of Spelthorne Sam Budd .
As you have just seen in the video, we held a 100th anniversary ceremony commemorating the end of World War One, focusing on today’s children, here at Knowle Green on Friday 9th November. In excess of 400 children attended the event. Commemorations also took place in all our major towns on Sunday the 11th with very large turn outs.
We have also now planted and dedicated our 100 tree Centenary plantation in Laleham Park with a further 751 trees being planted around the borough in the near future, one for each person of the Borough who gave their life in World War One.
Staying on the tree theme, five trees donated to MP Kwasi Kwarteng were planted in Staines Park on 16 November. The trees are from the Woodlands Trust, Queens Commonwealth Canopy project, a network of forest conservation initiatives to mark Her Majesty's lifetime of service to the Commonwealth and we were pleased to choose Staines Park as a suitable location.
Following our assurance to residents that the new leisure centre will not be sited in Staines Park, we are at an advanced stage of a “Fields in Trust” designation for the Park and this will be addressed further later this evening.
We have recently announced that an initiative to provide dynamic business incubation space for start-ups and pre-starts in the science, technology and creative sectors will be opening in spring 2019 in Staines-upon-Thames. To be known as the Heathrow Launchpad, the scheme is a new partnership between Spelthorne Borough Council, Royal Holloway University of London and the University of Surrey.
Members will be aware of recent press interest in our property investment strategy, which continues to deliver, now in excess of £10million per annum net income to this council to support our services to residents. We now have a Frequently Asked Questions section with 44 questions and answers covering the most common questions, in the Property section of our website.
The Greeno Centre improvements to provide extra space for people with additional support needs are one step closer with planning permission granted. Construction is expected to start in the New Year.
We have now started work on converting Ceaser Court, Sunbury to 52 flats.
We are offering free parking in our town centre car parks from 4pm for late night shopping on Thursdays in the run up to Christmas.
We continue to work proactively with Heathrow Airport to ensure the best possible outcome for our residents.
As Members will recall we submitted our proposal for a Southern Light Railway linking Staines to the planned new western hub at Heathrow and we await the Department for Transport’s decision.
Members will also be aware that there are currently significant issues with, primarily, heavy lorries in Horton Road, Stanwell Moor. Our Council has stepped in and is funding a traffic survey and assessment, with a view to expediting highways works to hopefully alleviate some of this problem. The initial on site assessment is already under way.
The Council is actively encouraging residents to respond to the five Surrey County Council consultations on Children’s Centres, Community Recycling Centres, SEND, Libraries and Concessionary Bus Travel. The Council will also be making robust representations. Please visit Surrey’s web site before 4th January to submit your responses
Members, ladies and gentlemen, this has once again been a very successful year for our Borough and residents. We have been able to protect and, in some cases, extend our services to residents. We have continued to stabilise our finances and crucially this now places us in a position where we are now shifting our focus to providing further home for our residents, including a significant proportion being affordable. We delivered the first of those, a small development in Churchill Way, Sunbury, in October. Our next development is imminent, with completion due in January on the Bugle development in Upper Halliford. All of these have been achieved with a below inflation Council Tax increase and no drawings on reserves.
These successes have only been possible with the support and commitment of both Members and our staff, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you, and finish by wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas and blessed New Year.”
Councillor Beardsmore offered his condolences on behalf of the Liberal Democrats to the family of the late Sam Budd.