Tandridge District Council

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The Conservatives have relinquished their grip on Guildford in local elections.

Earlier they lost of Tandridge council, a stronghold which has been blue for almost two decades.

The Tories also saw the Liberal Democrats take Mole Valley, where the Conservatives were previously the largest party.

It has left the Tories suffering their worst defeats in Surrey for over 15 years - senior party members have blamed Brexit and housing plans on the greenbelt.

The Conservatives have lost control of Tandridge after almost two decades.

The Tories were running the council with a majority of just one, but lost six seats overnight.

Reflecting on the Conservative party’s losses in Tandridge, the Tory council's now former leader, Martin Fisher, who lost his seat overnight, is calling for leadership at Westminster on the issue of housing.

Although he supports the idea of new affordable homes, he says they have been under pressure to build thousands more and that means development on the green belt and he believes this has cost them seats.

There is also concern that the handling of Brexit has meant a drop in support.

The Independents and Oxted and Limpsfield Residents Group now have more power than they have ever had before in Tandridge.

But the Liberal Democrat’s also have more seats and they will certainly have a part to play in determining which parties or groups get to run this Council.

In a night dominated by Brexit and the impact of Westminster politics on local elections, the Conservative loss of Tandridge stands out as something different.

Wealthy East Surrey is traditionally Tory territory but the Conservatives have seen their control there steadily ebb away over several years.

The beneficiaries have largely been Independents and Residents Groups.

It’s not Brexit that’s done that but a failure to balance house-building with concerns over the greenbelt.

That is solid Tory policy territory in the South East and could suggest there may be more for the party to worry about than their immediate Brexit concerns.

Tandridge District Council has begun consultation with 105 members of staff at risk of redundancy as part of its "radical transformation programme".

There will be 96 positions available as the restructuring takes place so only a handful are likely to lose their jobs.

The borough council is hoping to encourage as many people as possible to access its services online.

The restructure will include a "locality services team" which will "work closely with residents, ward councillors, parishes and the voluntary sector, resolving local issues and enabling communities to be more resilient", the council said.

It comes after 66 members of staff were put at risk of redundancy in an earlier phase of the transformation. This resulted in seven people being made compulsorily redundant and another six opting for retirement or to leave the council voluntarily.

Police have called for the speed limit to go up on the A25 Godstone Road in Bletchingley from 30mph to 40mph because drivers are "criminalising themselves".

Surrey and Tandridge councillors will consider the concerns on Friday.

Papers outlining the proposal said: "The speed limit on this section of the A25 has been set too low. If a speed limit is set too low and is ignored then this can result in the majority of drivers criminalising themselves."

The speed limit in Bletchingly had gone from 50mph to 30mph but Surrey Police said the change had not been effective.

BBCCopyright: BBC

There's anger in South Godstone after Tandridge District Council chose the area for a new so-called "garden community" of 4,000 extra homes.

Council leader Martin Fisher told BBC Surrey the site is more likely to be delivered than developing Blindley Heath or Redhill Aerodrome.

The council's promising three new schools and improvements to the A22 and Godstone train station.

Critics say the greenbelt should be protected.

Google MapsCopyright: Google Maps

Planners have decided the location of a new town in Surrey.

They want to build 4,000 homes at South Godstone.

Tandridge Distric Council had been looking at three potential sites, and has now rejected Redhill Aerodrome and Blindley Heath for the "Garden Village".

In an open letter Keith Jecks, chairman of the planning policy committee, said: "I am a passionate defender of the Green Belt. Our beautiful district is 94% Green Belt, the highest proportion of any district in the entire country."

But added: "We need to provide for future generations. We need them to keep this district vibrant, thriving and economically successful."

The local plan, released later this month, will suggest the total number of new homes the district can accommodate is around 6,200, less than half the government’s need calculation of 12,900.

Tandridge has previously warned that building at South Godstone would require improvements to the A22 and Godstone railway station.

Ukip now has no councillors in Surrey after losing their single remaining seats on Mole Valley, and Reigate and Banstead councils.

Correction 13 July 2018: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that UKIP fielded no candidates in either Tandridge, Runnymede, Woking or Elmbridge.

The Conservative Party lost seats in Tandridge but held on to power.

You can read the full story here.

BBCCopyright: BBC

In the local elections it's been a bad night for the Conservatives in Tandridge.

The party lost eight councillors to the Liberal Democrats and Residents Groups.

The Tories still control the district council, but only by one seat.

The loss is being partly blamed on opposition to plans to build a garden village of thousands of new homes.

Quote Message: We've obviously lost a significant chunk of our majority which means on the council we would have to work differently, but the issues of housing still remain and that is how can we build more houses for the community but at the same time make sure it's consistent with our local area.

We've obviously lost a significant chunk of our majority which means on the council we would have to work differently, but the issues of housing still remain and that is how can we build more houses for the community but at the same time make sure it's consistent with our local area.

Quote Message: We can't say we wouldn't build, but that is the issue at this election." from Sam Gyimah MP (Con) East Surrey

We can't say we wouldn't build, but that is the issue at this election."

Border Force officers at Gatwick seized £220,000 worth of cocaine.

On 19 April, officers in the North Terminal stopped and searched a passenger travelling from Jamaica.

Officers searched the man's suitcases and found the cocaine hidden in four tins of hot chocolate.

The contents of one of the tins was tested and proved positive for cocaine.

A British national was arrested and the investigation passed to the National Crime Agency. He was later released under investigation while enquiries continue.