Please read this letter to residents/retailers from St Christopher’s Church explaining the Covid vaccination program.
I have brought together representatives from the Health Service, church, SCC Parking and highways team and Waverley Borough Council to get prepared for the logistics of this exciting and challenging program.
From the Community Rail Network | news@communityrail.co.uk
Haslemere partnership wins national award for station redevelopment scheme
A group of Haslemere community organisations and local authorities have won a coveted national ‘community rail’ award for their work transforming the town’s popular railway station and information hub.
The Arts Society, Haslemere, Haslemere Museum, and Haslemere Town Council, supported by Surrey County Council, South Western Railway, and other regional partners, fought off strong competition to take home the Most Enhanced Station award, sponsored by Greater Anglia, at the 16th national Community Rail Awards, on 9 December.
They were recognised for the Haslemere Community Station project, which saw partners come together to develop the station as a gateway to the town and its surroundings, promote rail as sustainable and healthy travel, and boost the area’s social and economic vitality.
The scheme centred around a major revamp of the Haslemere Information Hub, which was transformed from a modest facility only open in the summer to a bigger community space, run by a team of 35 volunteers, now open year-round to make the station a focal point for visitors and the community.
Project chair Nikki Barton thanked the “wonderful” team of volunteers and station staff at Haslemere for the “huge added value” they had brought to the project.
She said: “We are all totally delighted, it is an exceptional partnership that has come together here. The project started from a very small germ of an idea, but community rail has so much potential to deliver good and positive work, and recognition of that has drawn in partners who had never worked together before.
“For the first time, we got the Surrey Hills AONB, South Downs National Park, and the National Trust all sitting around the table with local community groups to look at how we could use sustainable rail travel to promote Haslemere as a gateway to this beautiful surrounding countryside. Also, the new Surrey Hills to South Downs Community Rail Partnership evolved from this project, which is really exciting.”
The Community Rail Awards, organised by Community Rail Network, recognise the important, often unsung, work by community rail partnerships, station friends, and other community rail groups across Britain. They shine a light on vital projects across this growing grassroots movement, highlighting community rail’s contribution to sustainable mobility, social inclusion, community development, and wellbeing.
The awards were delivered as an online gala evening for the first time with 550 guests, including community rail volunteers, officers, rail industry leaders and government representatives.
Jools Townsend, chief executive of Community Rail Network, said: “Our congratulations go to all involved in the Haslemere Community Station project, which has cemented the station’s place at the heart of the community, and made a major contribution to local sustainable development.
“The Community Rail Awards recognise the achievements and passion of community rail volunteers, groups and partnerships across Britain. Their tireless efforts connect local people with their railways and stations, bring communities together, and enable more people to access sustainable travel. This contributes to greener, healthier, happier communities, and promotes wider access to opportunity. This couldn’t be more important right now.
“We will be holding up this brilliant example from Haslemere nationally, to inspire more communities to engage positively and draw on their railways and stations.”
Details of all 2020 award winners are on the Community Rail Network website here.
For information on the Haslemere Information Hub, go to www.haslemereinfohub.co.uk.
ENDS
Notes for editors
For more information, pictures, or further interview opportunities, please contact Nikki Barton at nikki.barton@surreycc.gov.uk.
Community Rail Network – Community rail is a unique and growing national movement comprising more than 70 community rail partnerships and 1,000 volunteer groups across Britain that help communities get the most from their railways. Community rail is about engaging local people at grassroots level to promote social inclusion, sustainable and healthy travel, wellbeing, economic development, and tourism. It involves working with train operators, local authorities, and other partners to bring improvements and help our railways and stations to serve local needs.
Established in 2000, Community Rail Network provides support and advice to the community rail movement. We share best practice and connect community rail partnerships and groups together, while working with government at different levels, the transport industry, and the voluntary sector to champion community rail and share its insights on sustainable transport development.
Community rail is evidenced to contribute high levels of social, environmental, and economic value to local areas. A 2019 study estimated volunteer activity alone was worth £33.2m every year.
See communityrail.org.uk, follow and
tweet us at twitter.com/CommunityRail, find us on
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At the Community Rail Partnership Awards last night, Haslemere won the Most Enhanced Station Award. This is a partnership between many local organisations (Haslemere Town Council, Surrey County Council, Haslemere Visitor Information Centre, Haslemere Hall, The Station House, The Chamber of Trade & Commerce, as well as South Western Railway, Surrey Hills AONB, South Downs National Park, and the National Trust). Thanks to all involved.
Ken Griffiths was shortlisted in The Outstanding Volunteer category. Well done to Ken.
Surrey County Council will ensure help is available for families struggling this winter, through the Government’s £170m COVID Winter Support Grant.
Surrey is set to receive just over £2m funding as part of the grant announced earlier in November.
It is designed to directly help families and individuals who have been hardest-hit by the pandemic, with the majority set aside to ensure children do not go hungry during the winter months.
The council will receive the first £1m of the funding in early December, with further allocations next year.
Surrey County Council will administer the funds, which must be spent by March 31 2021.
The council, through schools, will ensure support to all 17,000 children in the county eligible for Free School Meals. This will be done through food vouchers sent to the children’s families throughout the Christmas holidays.
There will also be a winter grant to care leavers, and direct support to families of younger children eligible for the pupil premium.
The remainder of the funding – around £200,000 from the first tranche of money – will be given to the Surrey Crisis Fund and made available to residents who are struggling through the winter.
This money will provide support towards food costs and utility bills, but also emergencies such as replacing broken white goods, to guide people away from long lasting debt.
Tim Oliver, Leader of Surrey County Council, said: “Throughout these difficult and uncertain times it has been our absolute priority to protect our most vulnerable residents.
“I’m delighted that funding from the Winter Support Grant will help us to continue to do that. It is vital that support and supplies are always available to those who need them most.
“The coming winter months will prove challenging for us all, but our message to those who are struggling is clear – we are here to help.”
The funding from the Winter Support Grant is only available for a limited time. More information can be accessed on the government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-winter-package-to-provide-further-support-for-children-and-families
For further information on the Surrey Crisis Fund, please visit: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/people-and-community/surrey-crisis-fund
I’m attending the Surrey County Council full council meeting today.
Here is the agenda.
Dear Nikki,
I wanted to write to you to provide an update on our plans regarding our timetable from 13 December 2020.
In October SWR informed our stakeholders about our plans to increase services from 13 December 2020. The decision to increase our services was made earlier this year, at a time when we were seeing a steady increase in passenger numbers.
However, since I wrote to you, the nation has entered a second lockdown and from tomorrow we will again be entering a tiered system of restrictions. As you will appreciate, these measures have had an impact on our passenger numbers both current and forecasted.
In light of this, with the permission of the Department for Transport, we have taken the decision to “rollover” our weekday timetable from 13 December 2020 to 26 March 2021. We believe this is the right decision for our business and the taxpayer, who through the Government have been supporting the rail industry throughout this pandemic.
To summarise our timetable from 13 December 2020:
Weekdays – SWR will continue to operate the same timetable that has been running since early September 2020, subject to final approval by Network Rail and planned engineering works, particularly over the Festive Period.
Weekends – Some weekend timetables will still change to reflect patterns in demand and to accommodate planned engineering works, so we are advising our customers to check before they travel.
I hope you will appreciate the scale of the challenge posed by the fast-moving situation presented by COVID-19 as we try to keep our passengers informed of changes in a timely manner. Please rest assured that my colleagues at SWR and Network Rail are working hard to ensure journey planning systems are up to date with the latest information.
While weekday services should be correct through to March 2021, we are working closely to ensure that planned engineering works during the festive period and weekend changes are reflected in the system. We are confident the journey planners will be fully updated by 5 December 2020, although weekend timetables will be subject to change up to 4 weeks in advance of travel.
More information on our current and future timetable can be found at: https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/timetables
Thank you for your continued support.
Yours sincerely,
Mark Hopwood
Managing Director
South Western Railway
There will be an Extraordinary Council Meeting on Monday 30th November at 7pm.
1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Council to decide whether or not to accept apologies for absence. RECOMMENDED: That where reasons are given by Members they are approved.
2. DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS To receive from members declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Non-Pecuniary Interests, in addition to those listed attached in relation to any items included on the agenda for this meeting, in accordance with LOCALISM ACT 2011 s. 29 and The Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012.
3. DISPENSATIONS Town Clerk to report on any dispensations granted prior to the meeting relating to the approval of the budget, the approval of any borrowing under the Local Government Act 2003, the making of the precept, the making of the calculations under ss 49A, 49B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, the approval of an allowance, payment or indemnity to Members.
4. NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN APPENDIX 1 To review and consider the amended Haslemere Town Council Neighbourhood Plan for Regulation 15 submission to Waverley Borough Council for Regulation 16 public consultation, prior to independent examination and referendum. Recommended: the amended Haslemere Town Council Neighbourhood Plan be submitted to Waverley Borough Council for the Regulation 16 public consultation.
I am working with the traffic management team as there is insufficient signage for these works.
Dear Cllr Barton
Please find attached the letter for the pre-patching work on Longdene Road, Haslemere. Letters have been delivered today.
Roadworks during the coronavirus restrictions
The government and Department for Transport have asked the Highway Sector Council to make every effort to deliver essential highways projects on all local authority highway networks, whilst abiding by the COVID-19 safe working practices. We are therefore carrying out these works in line with central government and COVID-19 safe working practises and in accordance with the CLC Site Operating Procedures, endorsed by Public Health England.
Our sub-contractor will have appropriate procedures in place to ensure their staff can comply with government advice. We would ask that you please respect these workers as they deliver these highways services.
We will continue to keep Surrey moving and all key routes will remain open and safe for key workers. For more information visit www.ourroads.today.
If anything changes with the details of these works, we will let you know. You can also find up to date details of the works on www.surreycc.gov.uk/roadworks. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us on works.communication@surreycc.gov.uk.
Kind regards
Works Communication Officer
Works Communication Team
Surrey Highways
Dear All,
This has been an exceptional year, and in many ways we have been closer and more present in different ways with many of the residents we serve, despite the challenges of getting out and about in our communities. As the year draws to a close, the Chief Executive and I will be running two virtual ‘roadshow’ sessions, inviting residents to submit questions in advance and take part a Q&A. I am grateful that Rob Moran has agreed to chair the panel.
I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to engage with our communities in this way, in what I’m sure will be a lively discussion. If there are any residents that you are in contact, I would be most grateful if you could pass on this link to them, to give them the opportunity to contribute to the session. We will be running two sessions, one at 1900 on 1st December and one at 1800 on 17th December.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Kind regards, Tim Oliver
Leader of Surrey County Council