The following press notice has been issued by the Council and it will strike a chord with a number of residents across our Association:

An estate agent has been fined by Spelthorne Borough Council for fly-posting.

The Council operates a 'zero-tolerance' policy on fly posting. We have responded to frequent breaches by estate agents who have allowed their contractors to erect for sale, to let, sold boards etc signage on publicly owned/maintained property such as grass verges, road signs and other roadside furniture maintained at public expense.

In order to tackle this problem, our Law Enforcement team have repeatedly written to estate agencies within the Borough highlighting their individual responsibilities to remain within the law, and our team continues to hear concerns from residents on the matter.

After a clear breach of this policy was brought to our attention, the offending sign was removed from the road sign it was attached to and a fixed penalty ticket was issued to a local estate agency, which has been paid by the offending company.

Cllr Richard Barratt, Portfolio Holder for Compliance, Waste and Risk, said: "This Council has demonstrated that it takes a zero-tolerance policy towards fly-posting. We hope that our actions will send a message out to the business community that we will act if they break the law. I ask that residents continue to inform us if there are any breaches of the law so the Council can ensure we have a cleaner, greener Spelthorne for everyone."

Residents can report fly-posting by visiting: www.spelthorne.gov.uk/article/2234/Fly-posting

The following press notice has been sent by the Council and we are pleased to reproduce it here:

If you're getting someone in to work on your house or garden, before you agree anything, check they are a registered waste carrier. That way you'll have peace of mind that when your trader takes your waste away it won't be dumped, causing damage to Spelthorne's beautiful green spaces and create unnecessary work for the Council.

It's easy to do and could save you a £400 fine, because if your waste is found dumped it's you who'll be fined, not the rogue trader. You should always get a receipt for the disposal of your waste. Find out via the Environment Agency's website to if your trader is registered: https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/index.

Fly-tipping is anti-social, and punishment can result in a fine of up to £50,000 or 12 months in prison. In Surrey 100% of fly-tippers who go to court are convicted, so help us to stamp out this unacceptable behaviour by running a quick check online before you employ anyone.

Councillor Richard Barratt, Portfolio Holder for Compliance, Waste and Risk, said: "Our green spaces are particularly precious and do not deserve to be damaged by fly-tipped waste. It takes two minutes to check online to check whether your trader is registered. Let's all work together and do our bit to get rid of this unseemly practice."

You can find out all you need to know about fly-tipping in Surrey, including how to report it where you live, on the Surrey Environment Partnership website: https://www.surreyep.org.uk/fly-tipping/

The following article is posted at the request of the Census Engagement Manager North Surrey, Office for National Statistics:

The census is coming. By taking part, you can help inform decisions on services that shape your community, such as healthcare, education and transport.

The census is a unique survey that happens every 10 years. It gives us a snapshot of all the people and households in England and Wales – the most detailed information we have about our society.

It’s important that you fill in your census questionnaire. Without the information you share, it’d be more difficult to understand your community’s needs and to plan andfund public services.

In one way or another, your information touches the lives of every single person living in England and Wales, whether it’s through using census information to plan new schools, doctors’ surgeries or bike lanes.

Because these things matter to us all, everyone needs to complete the census. Do not worry, government officials dealing with applications you’ve made or payments or services you receive cannot see it.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) runs the census in England and Wales and is independent from government. Your details are protected by law and information published is always anonymous.

Census Day is Sunday 21 March 2021. You can fill yours in online as soon as you get your access code in the post. If your household circumstances change on Census Day, you can let the ONS know.

Everyone should have the support they need to fill in the census. If you, or anyone you know, needs help, there’s a wide range of support services available.

These include a contact centre that can give you help over the phone and guidance in a range of languages and accessible formats, including paper questionnaires and
large print.

If you need help or have any questions, visit http://www.census.gov.uk/

Surrey Heartlands Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) commissions non-emergency patient transport services for residents within the local catchment area. The CCG is currently reviewing these services and wants to hear the experiences of service users and their carers or family members who have helped them access the service.

The CCG hosted five Round Table discussions late last year. These were multi-disciplinary sessions with clinicians, NHS teams, and service user representatives including learning disabled, the elderly, physically disabled, and service users with sensory impairments.

Based on the themes that emerged at the Round Tables, the CCG has launched an online User Survey. It’s a quick, online survey of multiple choice questions.

As some patient transport users may not have access to technology, we are inviting service user carers and families to complete the survey on their behalf.

To take the survey, click here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/PTS_ServiceUserSurvey/

It closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 7 March 2021. Please take five minutes to offer your experiences and suggestions.

February's fraud newsletter, where the police caution against Covid-19 vaccine fraud. HMRC and broadband scams may also be viewed by clicking here

The Council has released the following letter to the local press to put on record Spelthorne's deep concerns over the level of housing demanded by the Government.

To view, click here

We hope that the Minister's reply (if indeed there is one) will also be published.

Further to the article posted here on 18th January, the Association has made the following submission to be considered by Cabinet on 27th January:

"It is great news that the O&S Committee is recommending to Cabinet that the hoarding on the Lendy Memorial [pictured] be removed. The further recommendation that the Council should support additional research by two Brunel University academics is more problematic.

"One of those academics, Dr Dornan, tweets: "Toppling monuments does not mean erasing history ... Nor is putting them in a museum a way of removing them from public scrutiny – quite the reverse. Pulling down statues has nothing to do with history, & everything to do with memory. Statues are about the present, not the past" A delightfully equivocal polemic from Dr Dornan, it could be argued; however, any vestige of ambiguity disappears when we consider a re-tweet (amongst others) from Dr.Inge Dornan's Twitter account on 25th August which reveals with alacrity the British Museum's removal of the founder's statue over slavery links: "Hans Sloane pushed off pedestal"

"It is curious that one of the lead voices in the O&S debate, Cllr. Langden (Staines), postulated that support for the two academics would "send out the right message nationally" (whatever that means) and that bias might be perceived if the well researched paper by Alan Doyle was seen as "just from a local resident" and would scream "dodgy". A few minutes of research by Cllr. Langden would have revealed that the academic in whom he asks the Council to put its trust is anything other than impartial; and this goes way beyond a mere 'perception'.

"The academic, Dr. Inge Dornan, is of course entitled to her views and, laudable though they may be, she will not be perceived as an honest broker in this affair. In any event, as the officer was able to inform the O&S Committee, the two academics would proceed with their work regardless of Council's endorsement. If such an endorsement were to be forthcoming it's reasonable to suppose that the Council would find itself beholden to the outcome whatever that may be.

"We ask therefore that you decline the recommendation of the O&S Committee which was passed with the least possible majority of one vote."

A number of residents are puzzled as to why, having gone through a 'Call for Sites' process already, the Council should be repeating the process three years later. The following email has been received from the senior planning officer which explains why:

"The Council did indeed run a call for sites in 2017. We are now running a further call for sites to identify any new sites that may have not been on our radar previously. The Council has a challenging housing target of 606 homes per annum and we are looking to explore all of our options for meeting this need.

"The Council have previously left an open call for sites on the website so that landowners that wished to promote a site could do so, however it is hoped that this further ‘formal’ call for sites will help to boost activity and our awareness of potential development sites in the Borough.

"Following our Preferred Options consultation, councillors are in the process of deciding on the Local Plan strategy to take forward to the next stages of the Plan. We will assess any new development sites thoroughly and carry out a public consultation at the next stage of plan preparation."

Kind regards

Hannah Bridges MRTPI

Senior Planning Officer (Strategic Planning)

Spelthorne Borough Council is launching a consultation to establish whether residents support the introduction of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) prohibiting the possession and use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) in the Borough.

Formerly known as ‘legal highs’, NPS contain one or more chemical substances that produce similar effects to drugs like cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy. It is not currently an offence to be in possession of, or to use, NPS which means that authorities are unable to take any action in Spelthorne unless a PSPO is put in place.

The PSPO would be enforced by Council Officers and the Police, and anyone breaching it could be prosecuted or issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £100.

Nitrous Oxide, or ‘laughing gas’, is a well-known example of an NPS and Spelthorne Council receives many complaints from residents concerned about the large quantity of tell-tale silver canisters discarded in the Borough’s streets, parks and open spaces by users of this particular substance.

Cllr Richard Barratt, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: ”Use of NPS appears to be a growing problem in the UK, particularly among young people, and we are very concerned about the negative impacts for the individuals themselves and our local communities which are impacted by associated anti-social behaviour and litter. We are keen to gain residents’ views on the possible introduction of a borough-wide PSPO to help tackle this, and I encourage as many people as possible to take part in our consultation.”

To take part in the consultation which runs from 18 January – 28 February 2021, visit https://spelthorne.inconsult.uk/

Alternatively:

• write to: Communications, Spelthorne Borough Council, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames, TW18 1XB
• email your comments to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.