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This decision record sets out the key information for publication on the decision by the Executive Director for Customer, Digital and Transformation to approve expenditure for a Your Fund Surrey project located in Tandridge. The agreed recommendations are set out below and details of the project are set out in a decision report attached as an annex to this record.
Decision Maker: Executive Director for Customers and Communities
Decision published: 10/11/2022
Effective from: 09/11/2022
Decision:
It was AGREED:
(Officer Recommendations in consultation with the Advisory Panel)
1. To fund project CF333 for the full £99,000 requested, composed of:
· £99,000 of capital funding towards the groundworks and playground equipment to be paid in staged payments, on evidence of spend.
· Including £4,950 (5%) to be held by SCC until final evidence of income, expenditure and evaluation is received.
2. To agree the following conditions for the applicant to be included within the funding agreement:
· final evidence of all other funding secured to complete the project
· final evidence of income & expenditure and evaluation prior to release of final payment
· the applicant uses all possible measures identified to increase sustainability and reduce environmental impact during construction and operation of the facility
3. To encourage applicant to consider all reasonable measures which could be undertaken to expand the reach and use of the facility.
Lead officer: Matthew Snelling
On 26 May 2022 the government announced, as part of a number of measures to provide help with global inflationary challenges and the significantly rising cost of living, that the £421m Household Support Fund (HSF) would be extended from 01 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. As has been done for previous schemes, the fund will be made available to County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England to support those most in need. Local authorities (LAs) have discretion on exactly how this funding is used within the scope of the grant determination and guidance. Surrey County Council’s allocation of the funding is £5,290,829.72, based on the population of each authority weighted by a function of the English Index of Multiple Deprivation.
The expectation is that The Fund should be used to support households in the most need; particularly those who may not be eligible for the other support government has recently made available but who are nevertheless in need. Energy bills may be of particular concern to low income households during the period of The Fund and LAs should prioritise supporting households with the cost of energy. Authorities should also consider providing support to disabled people in their area. Disabled people in particular may be facing acute challenges due to the disproportionate impact that rising costs bring for the additional services they need in order to manage their conditions, remain independent and avoid becoming socially isolated. Authorities have the ability to deliver the scheme through a variety of routes including providing vouchers to households, making direct provision of food or goods, or issuing grants to third parties (with the exception of grants for advice provision). Every area must operate at least part of their scheme on an application basis.
Payment of the grant allocation is on an arrears basis and is subject to the submission of two Management Information (MI) returns to DWP outlining the authority’s grant spend and the volume of awards for period 1 October – 31 December 2022 (due January ‘23 ) and for the period 1 October – 31 March 2023 (due April ‘23).
Decision Maker: Executive Director Children, Families Lifelong Learning and Culture
Decision published: 09/11/2022
Effective from: 01/11/2022
Decision:
It was AGREED that:
The following allocations would be made, to be funded by Surrey County Council’s allocation of the Household Support Grant:
Food vouchers for children entitled to Free School Meals, including Early Years through school holidays |
£2.276 m |
Support to care leavers |
£0.025 m |
Support to children with disabilities |
£0.082 m |
Support to food banks |
£0.2 m |
Support to VCF sector |
£0.2 m |
Enable enhanced offer of Crisis Fund |
£0.2 m |
Distribute to Borough and District Councils to enable local solutions to meet local requirements |
£2.225 m |
Contingency (to be reviewed in January 2023) |
£0.082 m |
|
£5.29 m |
Decision Maker: Interim Executive Director for Customers and Communities
Decision published: 08/11/2022
Effective from: 01/11/2022
Decision:
It was AGREED that:
Sponsors in Surrey hosting guest/s under the Homes for Ukraine scheme should be offered an additional £250 payment per month between November 2022 and March 2023. The additional £250 payment will be top sliced from the £10,500 per guest tariff paid from DLUHC.
Lead officer: Anna D'Alessandro
The existing school accommodation at the St Matthews CofE Primary School does not enable the provision of a full statutory educational offer that meets the educational needs of Surrey’s most vulnerable learners; therefore, a new block is required. The school is forecast to accommodate an additional 13 primary aged SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) pupils. The places are planned to be phased in over a period of 3-4 years commencing in September 2023.
This project therefore will involve the design and construction of a new building adjacent the main school which will provide high quality modern accommodation facilitating the best learning environment for the new cohort of 13 SEND pupils.
Following a compliant tender exercise, it is proposed to award the contract to TG Escapes Ltd. The Contract value is £1,180,500.
Decision Maker: Executive Director Children, Families Lifelong Learning and Culture
Decision published: 09/11/2022
Effective from: 31/10/2022
Decision:
It was AGREED that:
1. To direct award a contract to Prosper and Enterprise Ltd for the provision of three block beds at Bransfield Manor residential home.
Decision Maker: Executive Director Environment, Infrastructure and Growth
Decision published: 08/11/2022
Effective from: 31/10/2022
Decision:
It was AGREED that: A Contract is awarded to ThamesWey Sustainable Communities Limited following an open procedure.
Lead officer: Anna Kwiatkowska
Decision Maker: Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Economic Growth Decisions
Made at meeting: 25/10/2022 - Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Economic Growth Decisions
Decision published: 01/11/2022
Effective from: 25/10/2022
Decision:
PETITION: ZEBRA CROSSING AND TWO SPEED CAMERAS IN BLETCHINGLEY HIGH STREET
We, the undersigned residents of Bletchingley, formally request that the present 30 mph speed limit within the High Street of Bletchingley (between The Bletchingley Arms and The Red Lion) remains in force taking into consideration the following factors:
Solutions to improve the present road conditions for motorists travelling along this section of the A25 as well as pedestrians are as follows:
Submitted by: Lucy Denny and Lisa Marriott
Signatures: 100+
Response:
The A25 High Street, Bletchingley is part of the principle A25 linking Redhill in the west with Surrey’s border with Kent in the east. This part of the A25 travels through several villages including, Nutfield, Bletchingley, Godstone and Oxted. The existing speed limit along this part of the A25 varies from 30mph within the villages to 40mph/50mph along the rural sections between the villages.
The A25 High Street, Bletchingley between The Bletchingley Arms and The Red Lion pubs is 30mph. The character of the centre of Bletchingley, including that outside the Village Store and Whyte Hart (please see image below) is such that there is a wide-open public highway, with little to no formal footway. Wide areas of highway which could be formally designated as footway with a formal kerb are mostly taken up with parked vehicles.
Image 1: High Street, Bletchingley – Whyte Hart on the left, Village Stores on the right
There is an existing informal crossing point outside the Post Office, approximately 70m west of the Village Stores and the Whyte Hart.
Image 2: High Street, Bletchingley – informal pedestrian crossing point
Following the receipt of the petition in May 2022 a Highways Engagement meeting was held on 27th June 2022 with one of the petitioners, County Councillor Chris Farr, the Road Safety Team, the Highways Engagement & Commissioning team, Tandridge District Council members and members of the Parish Council.
During this meeting concerns were raised regarding vehicle speeds on the A25 High Street through Bletchingley, as well as epicormic vegetation at the base of trees located alongside the A25 next to Grange Meadow playing field shielding pedestrians trying to cross the A25. County Councillor Chris Farr raised concerns regarding the epicormic grown with Tandridge District Council. The remaining concerns are being addressed by the County Council as follows:
An assessment of the existing road signs will be carried out before the end of this financial, for any signing improvements to be funded in the 2022/23 financial year.
Each year local County Councillors can nominate a highway scheme to be put forward for prioritisation for funding from a central “Integrated Transport Scheme” budget. There are challenging technical difficulties that would need to be overcome to be able to implement a zebra crossing in the centre of Bletchingley, and it is not clear that these could be overcome. This is because there aren’t any footways, there would be a need to remove parking spaces which could be opposed by affected residents and businesses, and there would be understandable objections to positioning a zebra crossing with Belisha beacons immediately adjacent to the war memorial. Consequently, the Local Elected Member has not nominated this for prioritisation this year.
This stretch of road was also discussed at the Tandridge Road Safety Working Group meeting on 12 October 2022. This is a meeting hosted by the County Council’s road safety engineering team every six months and includes police and County Council road safety specialists who are invited to identify and discuss collision hotspots throughout the District.
It was noted that the stretch has suffered several collisions leading to injury (including some leading to serious injury). These were scattered throughout the length involving different road users and manoeuvres, with no clear pattern. Consequently, speed surveys will be commissioned using pneumatic tubes to assess the speeds at various locations within the 30 mph stretch including the outskirts and centre of Bletchingley. This data will be used to inform upon the extent, locations and nature of the speeding problem and help inform upon the best solutions. This could include average speed cameras, spot speed cameras, or vehicle activated signs. Investment in such measures in future years will depend on the number of casualties and extent of the speeding problem compared to other sites in Surrey.
Kevin Deanus
Cabinet Member for Highways and Community Resilience