Downing Street petition for the Royal Surrey

It is now possible to petition 10 Downing Street directly by email. If you oppose the closing down of the Royal Surrey Hospital, please go to http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Save-RSCH/ and add your name.

The petition reads:

We, supporters of the Campaign to Save the Royal Surrey County Hospital, call on the Prime Minister to halt the possible closure of and cuts to services at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford. The hospital has provided high quality health care to generations of residents from Surrey and the surrounding area, and we believe that the hospital should have an integral role to play in providing excellent treatment for local residents of all ages for years to come. NHS care in our community would be severely damaged by any decision to close or substantially reduce the services available at the hospital. We urge the Government and the Prime Minister not to take this retrograde step and to safeguard the future of the Royal Surrey County Hospital.

Drugs den closed down by police
Haslemere Herald, January 26th

A drugs den in Witley has been closed down by Surrey Police in a raid that saw hundreds of cannabis plants seized.

Scathing criticism for fortnightly bin collection
Haslemere Herald, January 26th

A Haslemere resident has complained that whilst he recycles everything he can, bins are overflowing with filth and disease, and rubbish is littering the once tidy neighbourhood. Whilst many of the town's residents are up in arms over the scheme, the council has won praise for its recycling efforts from Ben Bradshaw, minister for the local environment! Waverley claim that in December they sent the lowest amount to landfill in Waverley's history - below 2,000 tonnes - whilst the recycling figures remain at around 40%.

Editor's note - if the 40% rate has remained constant, then this implies less rubbish was collected overall, which ties in with the fact that many Waverley residents did not have a collection for over three weeks in December.

Borough council's recycling figures "absolute rubbish"
Surrey Advertiser, January 19th

Waverley's waste collection service has been branded as "rubbish" despite high praise from government ministers. In December, the lowest ever amount of landfill waste in WBC's hisitory was collected - below 2,000 tons, and recycling figures remained at 40%. However questions were raised about the accuracy of these figures. Adam Taylor-Smith, councillor for Witley and Hambledon, asked whether this had anything to do with many residents not having their rubbish collected for three weeks in December, and whether it included the increased volumes going to landfill from amenity tips.

Police root out drugs factory
Surrey Advertiser, January 19th
Read article here

A major drugs racket has been uncovered by Surrey Police following a raid on a cottage in the middle of Witley. Between 300 and 350 plants were recovered from a house on Petworth Road.

Householders should pay to tackle "Europe's biggest rubbish heap" says LGA
Haslemere Herald, January 19th

Britain is Europe's biggest rubbish heap, and families should fork out for excessive refuse collection in the near future. Martin Shorten, Waverley's head of environmental services said "We have no plans to propose or implement pay-as-you-throw, but in the event that powers being made open to us, we would look at very carefully"

Traffic Problems worsen as more waste is dumped
Surrey Advertiser, January 19th

The official figures from Surrey show a dramatic increase in traffic into the Witley site. Since 2002, from May to September traffic movements have increased from around 10,000 a month to 14,000 - an increase of 40%.

Lib Dems rubbish Tory accusations over waste trial
Surrey Advertiser, date?

Council leaders at Waverley Borough Council have hit back at claims that they have missed the chance to take part in a new recycling trial. Conservative members have criticised the administration for failing to sign up to a weekly kitchen waste collection trial which would have been funded by Surrey County Council.

Witley tip nears the brunt of festive waste mountain

Haslemere Herald, January 12th

With the twelve days of Christmas ending, Witley tip was hit by a flood of people ditching their festive waste.

Recycling site changes are brought forward

Haslemere Herald, December 29
Click here to see full article

Plans to improve and extend recycling facilities in Waverley have been brought forward to the beginning of 2007. Borough councillors have voted to use £80,000, which they originally planned to spend in the new financial year (from April 2007), this financial year instead. Improvements to the recycling sites include improved information and signage to help users sort out their recycling, increased capacity for cardboard recycling, and improved organisation of the sites so that they are easier to keep clean and tidy.

Improvements should begin soon, and the authority says it is hopeful residents will begin to notice a difference by the end of March. For a full list of sites and materials that can be recycled visit www.waverley.gov.uk/ recycling or phone 01252 717614.

Editor's note: This will have no impact on the Witley site, which is run by Surrey County Council.

Councillor hits out at Waverley’s ‘publicity machine’

Haslemere Herald, December 29th
Click here to see online article

A Waverley councillor has lashed out at the Liberal Democrat regime, and what he calls its “publicity machine”. Tory Adam Taylor-Smith lambasted the Lib Dems in an email, accusing them of issuing biased media statements, before branding them unnecessarily secretive. Mr Taylor-Smith, councillor for Witley and Hambledon, snapped after the receipt of “quasi-political” press releases from Waverley Borough Council’s communications department.

Borough takes tough line on its waste strategy

Haslemere Herald, December 15

Waverley portfolio holder for the environment, Victor Scrivens, has revealed that WBC has so far saved £110,000 "thanks to a recycling push over the past year". However Veolia, the current holder of Waverley's waste contract, were criticised for not providing for recycling of metal and cardboard.

Editor's note - what happens to that £110,000 - will Waverley residents get a refund?

School Ofsted reports

OFSTED is the Office of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools in England.
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/

Click on a name below to see the OFSTED report for the School:

Witley CofE Controlled Infant School
Church Lane, Witley , Godalming GU8 5PN
Report, October 2006

Busy Little Bees
Church Room, Witley Infant School, Church Lane, Witley , Godalming GU8 5PN
Report, September 2005

Godalming College
Report, May 2005
Godalming College is outstanding says inspectors

Woodlands Montessori
Chichester Hall, Petworth Road, Witley , Godalming GU8 5PL
Report, January 2005

Rodborough Technology College
Rake Lane, Milford , Godalming GU8 5BZ
Report, February 2001

Recycling Soars in Lib Dem run Waverley

Lib Dem Press Release, January 4th

LIberal Democrats are claiming that recycling levels are at a record-high in Waverley thanks to the Lib Dem led Council. The percentage of recycled waste has risen to 40%, up from 22% last year putting Waverley among the best performing councils in the country. Nearly three quarter's of the borough's residents now recycle, up by half on last year.

Residents fuming over once a month recycling collections
Surrey Advertiser, December 15th

The threat of more misery for residents in Waverley was lifted when the council responded to complaints about the new refuse and recycling collection schedule. Some households were facing a recycling collection once a month on three occasions in 2007 instead of fortnightly.