Spring 2007

 

Floods in Thames Ditton

 

Shortly after we last went to press the village was inundated by an estimated two and a half million gallons of tap water when a huge main burst behind 44 Basingfield Road in the small hours of 30 November. Our heartfelt sympathies to more than 50 residents who had to evacuate their homes. A dozen are still in temporary accommodation. Several High Street businesses also suffered damage and loss of trade. Our RA councillors and officers were on the scene at dawn and throughout the day. We helped to put affected residents in touch with the loss adjuster, to keep pressure on Thames Water who responded well to the emergency, and later to lobby Elmbridge to get the village cleaned up. With help from alert residents who sent in photographs and reports we were able to post good coverage of the events on our website as they happened, and flag them up to regional and national media. 

Drains in Thames Ditton

Meanwhile Thames Water are currently finishing the works that will connect up the new pumping station in Speer Road to the foul drains and reduce the risk of future clogging and backwashing in our sewers. This should mark the successful end of another long campaign by the Residents' Association to get them to address this problem. 

The flood highlighted beyond doubt that although surface water drains could not have coped with the huge amount of water issuing from the burst main, many such drains in the village, especially those along Station Road, were simply not working. This has long been a problem, and latterly local residents led by Martin Perrin of Station Road have got up a petition about it. The drains in question are mostly not within Thames Water's responsibility, and the new foul-water works will not help with that surface water. It is Surrey County Council who must keep them clear. Our RA County Councillor, Peter Hickman, has mounted sustained pressure on Surrey's Highways Department and it has become clear that part of the problem has to do with insufficient equipment (Surrey are now going to spend a further £1million on more flood control measures and drain-cleaning machines), and partly with inadequate supervision. However, we can report some significant progress: Peter has managed to get them to clear three gullies including the one responsible for the infamous 'Basing Lake' of the past 24 years. The action now is to get Surrey, who are under the illusion that they have fixed all the drains, back to finish the job.

Street cleaning

Linked also to the clogging of surface water gullies and drains are the problems in cleaning the streets caused by parked cars. Elmbridge Borough Council's monthly clean can not often be carried out fully. Leaves and muck build up, and are subsequently scrunched into the drain traps. We are trying to get this issue better addressed. Meanwhile, the Thames Ditton street cleaning schedule for fortnightly periods is now available on our web site, and the one for Weston Green will follow shortly. You can help by moving your cars elsewhere on those days.

Floods and drains in Weston Green

Your RA councillor Tannia Shipley has continued to dog Network Rail and Surrey CC, who between them (and a few private landlords including the kennels on Portsmouth Road) have responsibility for the network of culverts, pipes and ditches that all too frequently fail to drain the lake that forms under Esher Station railway bridge after heavy rain, making life intolerable for cars and pedestrians alike. Tannia's seven-year campaign on this matter was put into perspective when Network Rail discovered in a dusty file cabinet that the problem was first reported by a Mr May in … 1914 ! However, Tannia reports progress in that Network Rail and Surrey are actually co-ordinating efforts and each has performed some of the many necessary works. More remain - the drainage network in question is about two miles long - but Tannia is determined to see it cleared even if, she says, "I have to die in a ditch."

Storm

 

On 18 January a fierce nationwide gale brought down substantial trees in Thistledene, Ennismore Gardens and Ember Lane, and sundry branches and roof slates elsewhere. We were lucky: no casualties were reported to us nor major damage to property or cars. The county authorities acted swiftly to clear the blocked roads and débris. 

Kerbs in Basingfield Road

More progress to report: the value of electing an RA councillor to the County Council is again illustrated by the final success of Peter's efforts to get the kerbstones along Basingfield Road properly refixed. Bad parking, and cars being driven over them while passing or turning, had broken them down. They are now being reset more deeply alongside the concrete road surface instead of lying on top of its edge. This will have the benefit of adding about 18 inches to the width of the road, which should make passing easier when cars are parked down one side.

Planning

Several major planning issues where we are actively supporting residents are at critical points. An impressive 550 residents have signed a petition against plans by Cranstoun House to admit current drug users to their rehabilitation premises at 5, Ember Lane. For the past thirty years, only those who have come off drugs have been accepted there. Much more on our website (address at end of article). 94 residents have petitioned against a plan to demolish the historic pub Ye Olde Harrow in Weston Green Road and replace it with a massive block of flats abutting Green Belt land. The Planning Officer has recommended against this development. Despite 60 residents having lodged objections, the Planning Officer has recommended that the third application to build 6 flats in the back garden of 16 - 18 Embercourt Road be approved. This will be vigorously contested by residents before the Elmbridge East Area Planning Subcommittee on 26 February, after we go to press, where these applications are to be addressed. Meanwhile 208 residents signed a petition reinforcing objections to development plans to demolish 13, Queens Drive and build a terrace of six townhouses there. The developer is appealing to the Planning Inspector against the earlier Elmbridge decision to turn this down.

Graffiti

This continues to be a problem, but Elmbridge Borough Council's Environmental Care graffiti removal unit has reacted with commendable promptness to remove fresh graffiti on buildings and walls in the village when we report it. Dealing with persistent and less accessible trouble spots is more problematic.

Goodbye to "Iron Mike"

Iron Man triathlete Mike Lockwood is leaving Elmbridge Borough Council after an outstanding decade including seven years as Chief Executive, during which he raised £2000 for our Hospital in the London Marathon among many services to Thames Ditton and Weston Green. We wish him well.

New PCSO

A warm welcome to Laura Deyoung, our new Police Community Support Officer who joined Surrey Police last November and after training is now with PCSO Richard Platt on the beat for Thames Ditton, Long Ditton and Hinchley Wood. Laura's spare time is spent looking after her two-year-old son, and she enjoys swimming and outdoor activities.

Congratulations

To Sarah Searle for organising the best Christmas Fayre ever in the High Street on 13 December. A report and photos are on our website.

To Vivienne Harris and the Thames Ditton branch of Cancer Research UK on raising £14,000 for cancer research over the past year. Their recent dinner and cabaret at the Vera Fletcher Hall raised £2500. Performed by The Shakespeare Revue Company, the cabaret was sponsored by Lodge Bros. (Next is the quiz and supper on 20th April. Call Vivienne 0208 398 6787).

To a small but remarkable group of street carol singers centred on Newlands Avenue, for raising £500 for the Princess Alice Hospice. Their number includes at least two opera singers of international repute.

AGM and updated Constitution

As the existing Constitution of the Association has not been updated since 1994, it is proposed to put an updated constitution to members for adoption at the AGM (see p.5). This will reflect current best practice. Copies of the proposed updated Constitution will be available at the meeting and can be obtained beforehand upon request to the Hon. Secretary. The Resolution before the AGM reads:

"THAT the Constitution submitted to this meeting, initialled by the Chairman of the Association for the purposes of identification, be adopted as the Constitution of the Association in substitution for the existing Constitution."

Local Elections - 3rd May

Please do turn out and vote. We don't take office for granted. If you are disillusioned with the national political parties, there is an alternative - your Residents' Association candidates.

 

 

The Business of Education

 

Thames Ditton can sometimes seem a little too somnolent when everyone has rushed to work and children have been delivered to school. So it gladdens my heart when I spy little groups of young men and women chattering and laughing as they make their way past my house to College. They do inject life into our community and they also seem very happy to be going to their day's education. Every day 1,506 newly emerging adults come into our village and yet, because the college is tucked away from the road, nestled in greenery, how many of us know what fantastic work is achieved on the site of what was once a pig farm? 

Mr Keith Blackwell, the Principal for the past ten years, is fiercely proud of his Sixth Form College. After an investment of £7 million in buildings and facilities and achieving Grade 1 in every category of the Ofsted inspection it has now been given Beacon College status. Mr Blackwell has overseen some dramatic changes, not least the removal of such colleges from local authority control, thrusting Esher College into a new role as an almost independent small business. The building, which once housed Surbiton Boys School, now boasts an amazing Learning Centre and IT facility, of which the students have unlimited use. The state of the art computer suites mean that students can also interact with their teachers from their own home and although they do not have to be on site for the whole day, they have an electronic registration system and their attendance is carefully monitored. 

The students come not only from Thames Ditton, but from far and wide attracted by the high standard of education provided by the College. Esher College is one of the top ten colleges in the country, with 85% of its students going on to study at university. Any student of the age 16 -19 is welcomed by the college, but applications are taken on a first come first served basis, and it is always hugely oversubscribed! Keith has successfully strived to create an adult atmosphere, an half way house between the rigid structure of a school environment and the totally independent university life. The college, aided by modern buildings and friendly student/staff relationships, has created a very positive feeling in which the students can work. They can also relax at breaks and lunchtimes in a spacious modern cafeteria that serves an appealing menu of hot food and snacks. Plasma screens across the college advertise the daily cafeteria menu, the lunchtime talk on the history of anaesthesia and the performances of "The Return of the Native" which was being held in the College's 300 seat theatre. 

 

Keith believes that his students not only need academic development but also interests outside of academia. The college has two football pitches, a rugby pitch, tennis and netball courts and a huge indoor sports hall. The youngsters are given opportunities to act in Drama performances and attend lunchtime lectures on a variety of subjects by exciting speakers. Students also have a "wider skills week" at the end of their first year, where they might have experience in travel, field trips and work. With tough Health and Safety requirements it is getting much harder to arrange work experience - a vital aspect of their education. Can you help?

Mr Blackwell is also very keen to foster close relationships with the local community. With this is mind he stresses to his students the need to be respectful to the College's neighbours and to the village. He meets with representatives of the surrounding roads every six months to discuss any concerns arising. Mr Blackwell has also set up a team to nurture the College's Adult Education Programme. Jo Hampton, the Adult and Leisure Activities Manager, tel: 020 8335 2544, is continuing to develop the programme, getting a feeling of what interests the Thames Ditton community through the many inquiries she receives. At the moment languages are really popular, Mandarin is being introduced in September, but there are also courses in Health and Fitness, Art and Design, Counselling and Life Skills and Computers/IT. The college employs 30 part time adult tutors mostly from the local community. It is not only the adult community with which Keith wishes to build links. The Elm Partnership is a group of schools and colleges, which meet to discuss how they can work together. The College allows schools to use its facilities free of charge. Thames Ditton Junior School is having its Sports Day in July at Esher College. Local groups and clubs also use the wonderful facilities. Molesey Junior Football Club under 11 Girls Five a Side team play in the Sports Hall, Surrey Youth Ballet,Kingston Chamber Music Society and the Institute of Directors are some of the diverse groups that use the College after the students have gone home. Mr Derek Hempston is the person to speak to if you think your group would be interested in hiring a College facility: his telephone number is 020 8972 9106.

So when you see those youngsters passing through Thames Ditton, remember that they come here as older children, nervous and excited about attending a new school. At the end of two years they leave as mature young adults, ready to tackle the world and all it can throw at them. We are as fortunate to have them here, as they are to spend two years in such a fine environment. Our reporting staff

 

 

How Does The Council Work?

RA Councillor Edward Rowe explains...

Good simple question. I wish there was a good simple answer but let's try. 

Which Council are we talking about? There are two Councils of course. The County Council headquartered in Kingston is responsible for things like education, roads, social services, libraries, trading standards, and some environmental matters such as waste disposal and wildlife protection, throughout Surrey. The one I'm going deal with, that I sit on, is Elmbridge Borough Council based in Esher. This Council handles matters within the Borough such as planning, leisure and community affairs, the local economy, licensing, car parks and cemeteries, rubbish collection and, through choice, the provision of many services for the elderly. It comprises an elected Council with a Cabinet and Committee structure, plus a permanent staff.The wards in Elmbridge each elect councillors on a rolling basis for terms of four years: sixty councillors in all, of whom currently 27 are Conservatives, 25 are the various Residents' Associations and similar groups, and the remainder are Liberal Democrats. This is 'the Council' that holds ultimate civic authority and responsibility for the Borough. 

After ward elections each year the full Council elects a Leader of the Council from among their number. At the moment this is a Conservative, as the Residents Group lost a couple of seats last May. The Council also elects a Mayor and a deputy who is normally expected to take over as Mayor the following year. These prestigious, largely representational posts are by convention shared round the elected groups in turn. The Mayor is the titular head of the Council, but is not the Leader of the Council. The Leader enjoys considerable power, selecting colleagues to form a Cabinet of 10 persons, all being Conservatives at present. Other committees such as the Overview and Scrutiny Committees, the Planning, Licensing and Environmental Affairs Committees are shared out on a proportional basis between the elected groups. 

The Cabinet effectively sets the agenda for Council business and farms out tasks to the other Committees, which report back with recommendations to the Cabinet for decision. These Committees can add items to their own agenda. The Cabinet can take decisions at that point on some issues, if there are no resource implications. Otherwise they send their recommended decisions to the full Council. This cycle, from Cabinet to Committees, back to Cabinet, then if necessary to the full Council, takes place five or six times a year. There are particular procedures for Planning and Licensing, and the planning process will be dealt with in a future article.

At the bottom of it all is the perpetual quest for Value for Money. Even the Cabinet can't get its pet schemes through without referring them to the open scrutiny of full Council if they have resource implications. Any proposal to change what's done or how to do it has to be accompanied by a statement of costs, prepared by the permanent executive officers. Such proposals are subject to a challenging process. If you want to achieve this kind of change you have to persuade other members of the Council to support your proposal. The essence is to pick issues where there is a real possibility of support from both the officers and the Council, to research them well and persuade key portfolio holders to endorse them. If you haven't got or can't get budgetary provision for the proposal within the 3-year rolling Financial Strategy Document (voted by the Full Council) you're usually wasting time. Wasting everyone's time is as sure a way to prejudice one's chances as jumping up and down being obnoxious to colleagues. While residents can phone their councillors and vent their feelings (and you do), your councillors must remain calm and focused at all times...! But then, who said it was easy?

For day-to-day things that need fixing, such as a street clean or a sewer smell, the first problem is often finding out who within the maze has the responsibility (and the budget), and here it is a great help if your representative knows that part of the executive well. RA councillors seek to build up a reputation for pragmatism and persuasion so that officers will be inclined to listen and help, and we get a good response from them in general. Often we'll find that the main responsibility lies outside the Council and several other bodies such as Surrey CC, Thames Water, or EDF will have to be roped down as well.

I'll spare you, if you're still reading this, Audit and Standards, Disciplinary investigations, Disciplinary Appeals, Joint Staff and not forgetting Appointments. You'll want to know: does the whole system work? Yes it does, with reservations. It's cumbersome, complex and generates too much paper. But it's transparent, with enough checks and balances to prevent people from doing daft things with your money. It should be very clear by now that your Residents' Association needs its representatives on the Council. Otherwise we should be very hard put to know what buttons to press for any results, let alone get close enough to press them.

 

Your Say Counts

From RA County Councillor Peter Hickman

Many of you have taken the opportunity to express views on parking in Thames Ditton following my article in the Autumn edition of this magazine. Over 80 residents attended the meeting on 16 November where issues were "brainstormed." In addition there have been at least 50 responses by telephone or via either the website form or the forum. Views have been many and varied and the role of the RA under Ben Ellis is to distil these into acceptable solutions that can be put to Surrey County Council. The RA concluded, following the meeting, that there were two areas needing different solutions to fit differing problems: the High Street, and the Station Area.

High Street

 

There are basically two issues in the area of the High Street. 

It is absolutely vital for the health of the village to have an active shopping area along the High Street and we must encourage the use of our shops. Without them we would become just another dead suburb with no soul. We must provide spaces for visiting customers of shops and businesses. Equally, space should be provided for those who live there. 

Currently many vehicles are parked all day in the High Street. Some park inconsiderately causing obstruction, particularly around Ashley Road, Church Lane and Harvest Lane. There have been several occasions when service vehicles have not been able to access these roads. Occasionally a long line of cars parked along Watts Road can cause obstruction. All day parkers should use their own off street parking facilities or if they have none, the Ashley Road Car Park has space for nearly 70 cars. 

Station area

Here we have problems with commuters and students who park all day as the roads around Thames Ditton Station have no parking controls. There is frequent obstructive parking at road junctions, outside the schools, alongside residents' driveways and congestive parking in cul-de-sacs.

Action to date

We have had an on site meeting with SCC to discuss the situation and possible solutions, identify the roads that need to be considered and outline ideas that you have all put forward. With experience from elsewhere, Surrey will be visiting the area to collect more facts by surveying parking in trouble spots. Various options have been discussed: residents parking permits, curfew parking, no parking areas etc. Some of the solutions could be controversial and not suit everyone. Surrey will delineate on a map the areas that may be subject to parking controls, and issue questionnaires to gauge public feelings. These questionnaires should give an accurate picture of your views and are a tried and tested way of achieving consensus. This we hope will be carried out in March/April. Following this initial phase a detailed plan will be drawn up identifying the controls and every property affected will be asked whether the detailed proposal is acceptable. For the proposal to go forward a good response rate and a good majority in favour is absolutely necessary.

Meanwhile please send any views or opinions you wish to be taken into account via the widely visited RA website at www.residents-association.com or phone Ben Ellis (8398 2114) or myself (8399 0931).

Peter Hickman

 

A Friend In Deed

 

Karen Randolph, Chairman of the Friends of Thames Ditton Hospital, doesn't sit back while causes need to be fought for: "If you can't care for the good things close by in your community, what chance is there that the wider world will become a better place? But," she adds quickly, "don't make me out to be a goody-goody!"

Surrey-born Karen studied History and Politics at Reading University, then worked in management for BT in Guildford and London before joining Williams and Glynn's Bank. Under the auspicious dome of the London Planetarium she met Paul, and when their son arrived twenty-three years ago they moved to Thames Ditton, with Karen working locally in marketing research. Three years later, the very premature birth of daughter Hannah prompted Karen to become an active supporter of the Born-Too-Soon charity at Kingston Hospital. When in the early 1990s she read in Thames Ditton Today about Tesco's plans to despoil beautiful Giggs Hill Green with a supermarket, garage and carpark, Karen picked up the phone to the Chairman of the Residents' Association and was immediately recruited. Although Tesco was able to deploy immense resources, the RA's campaign was successful. Karen went on to become Membership Secretary and later a very effective Chairman of the Association. Meanwhile Karen ran a very strong Junior section at Thames Ditton Tennis Club, which weighed heavily with the authorities when in an historic legal case the Club succeeded in resisting plans to develop their leased land.

Karen is able and effective when presenting a case, pragmatic and energetic in pursuing one. Paul cautions that although he's a barrister he doesn't win many arguments over the breakfast table! Personable, engaging and refreshingly down-to-earth, she caught the eye of Sir Curtis Keeble and was brought onto the Committee of the Friends of Thames Ditton Hospital. As Chairman, Karen keeps a sharp eye on Surrey's Primary Care Trust and has fought repeated battles to keep going a local facility that would, if the NHS's promises had been kept, provide 14 beds for needy local patients. Karen's acquired a taste for getting things done. The last word is with her: "We've all had experiences in our lives where we got frustrated. I just decided I should do something about it."

 

Your Residents' Association In Action 2006 - 2007