Recent News

September 2010

Mole Valley’s Conservative Councillors have warmly welcomed an innovative idea to bring together day care for older residents in Dorking.

Conservative Councillor and Portfolio Holder for Well Being and Customer Services, Vivienne Michael explained the current situation “The Council’s existing Day Care services offered at the Mayflower Centre, behind Dorking High Street, are extremely highly valued by our residents that use them and we have we been looking for a way to make sure these services reach as many residents as possible as well as deliver value for money. The number of residents visiting the Mayflower Centre has decreased over the years, and we welcome this suggestion that helps protect this much appreciated service for elderly people.”
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September 2010

The Dorking Business Show – to be held on 16th September at Dorking Halls – has been backed by Mole Valley Conservative councillors who think all local businesses, of whatever size, could find a visit worthwhile.
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August 2010

Mole Valley residents, as well as Mole Valley District Council and Guildford Borough Council, have had and are still having real problems with unofficial traveller sites and planning applications.

Thankfully the Government are taking steps to tackle the problem of illegal gypsy and traveller sites.

With the August bank holiday upon us, the new measures are particularly apt. In the past, travellers have bought land and laid concrete on it during bank holiday weekends, safe in the knowledge that planning authorities will not interfere for three solid days.

However, Ministers will prevent this from happening by giving Councils new powers to stop such settlements and by ensuring that enforcement officials are on duty during the weekends.

As the government have stated, it is clearly unfair on local homeowners that certain travellers use this loophole to create a home for themselves over the bank holiday and then seek planning permission afterwards.

Changes in the planning system should seek to quell any tensions with travelling communities. The current government have criticised the previous Labour government for undermining relations. Ministers remain committed to providing travellers with better access to education and health.
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Jobless figures fall

August 2010

UK unemployment has fallen to 2.46m. The three months to June saw the largest increase in the number of people employed since 1989.

The number of people unemployed in the UK fell by 49,000 to 2.46 million in the three months to June, according to official figures.

It was the second month in a row that the jobless number fell - the biggest drop in three years.

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits fell by 3,800 in July to 1.46 million.

Changes in Parliament

August 2010

The House of Commons Commission has approved a package of measures that will cut £12 million from this year’s budget.

These measures include a commitment to save £500,000 by raising catering prices.
From Monday 23 August 2010, Cafeteria prices increased to be brought into line with staff restaurants of Central Government Departments. Increases in other venues will be phased in during the autumn.

In accordance with the wishes of the Speaker, John Bercow, The House of Commons nursery will open to its first intake of children on 1 September.
Open to children aged three months to five years, the facility will offer forty places for the children of Members, Members’ staff and House of Commons staff.

July 2010

A communications company recently commissioned the polling company ComRes to conduct research into how the new Government was viewed by businesses.

Between 12th and 19th July, the poll asked 136 business leaders on their opinions about the Coalition Government, the Chancellor and the Emergency Budget and the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. Read full story

Recess Dates Announced

July 2010

The Summer Recess dates have been announced by Sir George Young MP, the Leader of the House of Commons. The House will rise on Tuesday 27th July and return on Monday 6th September. Then, in order to allow Members of Parliament to attend the three Party Conferences, the House will rise again on 16th September and return on 11th October.

June 2010

Here are the headline measures announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, in the Budget on Tuesday 22nd June 2010.

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June 2010

National Recycling Week 2010 (21-27 June 2010) may be over, but Conservative administered Mole Valley District Council are celebrating the start of the long heralded doorstep collection of food waste.

“This fantastic scheme will allow all our residents to reduce further the quantity of waste sent to landfill, improve our recycling and is being introduced at no cost to council tax payers” says Cllr James Friend, Conservative Leader of Mole Valley District Council, “We all know that we should only to prepare just the right amount of food for each meal, but inevitably there can often be some waste and we can now recycle that into compost or agricultural fertiliser.”
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May 2010

Following the State Opening of Parliament, the House of Commons debates the Government’s legislative programme, as outlined in the Queen’s Speech. As our new Conservative Prime Minister, David Cameron, has made clear, his Government believes the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility are the key themes of the Queen’s Speech and legislative programme. Read full story

Conservative Success throughout Surrey

May 2010

As well as Sir Paul Beresford, the following Surrey MPs were re-elected:

Epsom & Ewell - Mr Chris Grayling
Guildford - Ms Anne Milton
Reigate - Mr Crispin Blunt
Runnymede & Weybridge - Mr Philip Hammond
South West Surrey - Mr Jeremy Hunt
Surrey Heath - Mr Michael Gove

The following fresh faces ensured that the whole of Surrey remains Conservative:

East Surrey -Mr Sam Gyimah
Esher & Walton - Mr Dominic Raab
Spelthorne - Mr Kwasi Kwarteng
Woking - Mr Jonathan Lord

April 2010

David Cameron said some Budget measures had been borrowed from the Conservative Party, but that the Budget as a whole did not constitute much-needed real action. Responding to the Chancellor, the Cameron told the Commons, “Labour have made a complete mess of the British economy and they are totally failing to clean it up. Labour say ‘don’t do anything before the election, let’s just sit tight and keep our fingers crossed’, and the Conservatives say ‘we need real action to get our economy moving – and urgently’.”
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