The July/August edition of Sunbury Matters is in the course of distribution.

To view a copy of the latest award-winning magazine online, click here

From Saturday 4 July and in line with government guidance, children's playgrounds and outdoor gyms will be open.

Please follow Government Guidance when using these facilities:

• observe social distancing
• observe the advisory notice on the maximum number of users in this area at any one time
• parents/Carers should use hand sanitiser gel or wipes to clean children's hands
• avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth at all times
• cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues when you cough or sneeze
• adults and children not to put their mouths on any equipment

Following publication of the Lendy Memorial History (see below) the Association has been asked by members to publish the link to the following petition

Further to the notice published on this site on 15th June and whilst awaiting the Borough's "work with local communities" we publish here a comprehensive and authoritative historical account of the Lendy brothers prepared by our ex-Chairman, Alan Doyle.

It should be recognised that the underlying reasons for the protests go back to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the historical and current issues arising from that terrible event.

It will be seen that the Council has boarded up the Memorial until (presumably) their work with local communities has been completed.

To view the history of the Lendy Brothers, click here

The Council has made the following announcement:

The Council are currently reviewing all historical monuments in the Borough and will work with local communities to assess the appropriateness of these statues.

In the interim we have decided to close the Sunbury Walled Garden whilst this review is being undertaken.

Six of Spelthorne Council’s most senior Councillors have quit the Conservative Party today, following their AGM last night [This press release embargoed until 9th June]. This means that for the first time in Spelthorne’s history, the Conservatives no longer have majority control of Spelthorne Council. The Conservative Group now have only 17 councillors and the other Groups collectively 22 councillors.

Council Leader Ian Harvey, Deputy Leader Olivia Rybinski, Cabinet members Jo Sexton, Amar Brar and Helen Harvey, along with long serving Cllr Richard Smith-Ainsley have been instrumental in delivering financial security for the borough. ‘’It is with regret that we had to leave the Conservative Group. Increasingly over the past 6 months we have witnessed and endured torrid levels of bullying, misogyny, hounding and intimidation which has escalated during the lockdown. This has made our continuing membership untenable. Efforts to seek assistance from the Party, at all levels, including CCHQ, to resolve this, have fallen on deaf ears’’ said Cllr Rybinski.

"This faction clearly believe that whilst the Council is still at Amber Standing; it is a good time to cause massive disruption and distraction within the Council Executive by seeking a change in the Leadership Team, furthermore What is most upsetting is that this divisive faction within the conservatives have put party politics and their own personal ambitions over and above the best interests of Spelthorne Residents’’ said Cllr Sexton.

Leader of the Council for the past 4 1⁄2 years Cllr Ian Harvey said: ‘’When I took over as Leader of the Council in 2016, the Borough was facing a severe financial crisis due to swingeing cuts to government and Surrey County Council grants, compounded by historic poor financial decisions. Our renowned investment strategies have re-invigorated Spelthorne finances to the extent that we have now embarked on our ambitious second stage of regeneration and have commenced a building program which will deliver over 1200 homes within 5 years. We have delivered a balanced budget
with increases below inflation for the last 4 years; the lowest Council Tax increases in Surrey this year. I am proud of what has been achieved under my leadership. Our new group, to be known as United Spelthorne Group, will continue to put the needs of Spelthorne residents first".

The Association has been asked by the Parliamentary Assistant to our local MP to bring this newsletter to the attention of our readers.

The following email has been received from the Riverside Arts Centre in Thames Street. We are delighted to reproduce it here and wholeheartedly endorse the award:

We, as a group of volunteers based in Sunbury, have been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.

The RAC is committed to the furtherance of Art and Culture in Sunbury, Spelthorne, and beyond. However, we could not do this without the time and dedication of volunteers past and present. Everyone from the Management Committee to those of our users who dedicate their time make our centre the community hub that it is today - catering for over a 100 event nights a year & a large number of clubs, social gatherings, and classes

Riverside Arts Centre is one of 230 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. The number of nominations remains high year on year, showing that the voluntary sector is thriving and full of innovative ideas to make life better for those around them.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s
Golden Jubilee. Recipients are announced each year on 2nd June, the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. Award winners this year are always wonderfully diverse.

Representatives of Riverside will receive the award from Michael More-Molyneux, Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, later this summer. Furthermore, two volunteers will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2021, along with other recipients of this year’s Award.

Riverside Arts Centre Chairman, James Ford-Bannister says:
“I speak on behalf of everyone at the RAC when I say that this is a great honour for all of us. When we were unexpectedly nominated, we were proud just to be considered but to be awarded the QAVS is an achievement that further validates all the hard hours everyone gladly puts in to give back to our local community. However, I know that our volunteers won't relax after this and will continue with the labour of love that is providing arts & culture in Lower Sunbury."

Trading Standards has launched a new doorstep callers prevention campaign as there has been an increase since the lockdown restrictions have been eased.

They are asking neighbours, family and friends to look out for vulnerable people who are being targeted by fraudsters.

Find out how to prevent becoming a victim by visiting: https://bit.ly/DoorstepCallers

Spelthorne Borough Council has launched their Discretionary Business Grants Fund scheme, which will provide support during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The government announced an additional £617million would be made available to small businesses across the nation and the Council, which has received £715,000, is now able to open its scheme for applications.

This grant fund is aimed at small and micro businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs who were not eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund, or the Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Fund.

Businesses must be small, have under 50 employees and they must also demonstrate they have seen a significant drop of income due to Coronavirus restriction measures. There will be different levels of grant payments; the maximum will be £25,000 and grants of £10,000, £5,000 and £2,500 can also be awarded.

In line with the guidelines funding will include a variety of businesses falling within the following categories:

• Small businesses in shared offices or other flexible workspaces such as Cafes, shops, restaurants and other food and beverage outlets in industrial parks, science parks and incubators which do not have their own business rates assessment.
• Regular market traders who do not have their own business rates assessment.
• Bed & Breakfasts which pay Council Tax instead of Business Rate.
• Charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rate Relief or Rural Rate Relief.
• Businesses in the Supply Chain to the Retail, Leisure and Hospitality that did not qualify for business grants.
• Businesses who may qualify for a business grant but is waiting for a decision from the independent Valuation Office Agency.
• Start-up businesses who have seen a significant fall in seed investment due to the Covid-19 crisis.
• Private businesses providing a mixture of wellness and medical support that, have been effectively closed due to social distancing measures.
• Properties used for the provision of temporary living / boarding accommodation to animals (eg, catteries and kennels) that were closed or saw a significant reduction in income due to the Covid-19 restrictions on human travel.
• Businesses that provide cultural, arts and tourism services that did not qualify for the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure grants · Businesses who may qualify for a business grant but is waiting for a decision from the independent Valuation Office Agency.

How do I apply?

Businesses can read the full terms and conditions and make their application by visiting this website: https://www.spelthorne.gov.uk/LADGF

There will be a closing date of midnight on Sunday 14 June 2020 for businesses to apply for this discretionary grant fund.

Applications will then be assessed against eligibility criteria. Successful applicants will be contacted as soon as a decision is made with payments commencing the week beginning 29 June 2020.

We anticipate this round of grant funding to be oversubscribed so it is important all businesses applying give as much information as possible and all businesses must sign a declaration stating they are not committing any fraud and fully complying with any state aid limits.