a) Councillor Richard Wilson to move that
“this Council
(i) recognises that the borough ward boundaries review of 2016/17 split Windlesham village over two new wards, causing frustration and distress to its residents;
(ii) understands that this division of an established settlement area has led to residents feeling disenfranchised and, despite the best endeavours of all councillors representing this area, as though the village does not have a single voice;
(iii) accepts that the creation of the 2016/17 ward boundaries, covering Bagshot, Chobham and Windlesham, had a negative impact on democratic representation across these areas because the pattern of wards no longer reflects community ties and identities and has not led to effective and convenient local government;
(iv) recognises that Windlesham village and Bagshot village, individually, have a strong sense of community cohesion and belonging, which has been damaged in Windlesham by the unnecessary division caused by the 2016/17 borough ward boundary changes and would be strengthened if the changes were reversed;
(v) understands that all residents of Windlesham, north and south, use the same amenities and resources;
(vi) notes that many residents of Windlesham feel they were not consulted effectively during the 2016/17 boundaries review, unlike residents of other villages; and
(vii)calls on the Chief Executive to write, on behalf of the Council and the residents of Windlesham and the wider Borough, to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to request an urgent review of borough ward boundaries, with the objective of reversing the changes in the previous review affecting Bagshot, Windlesham and Chobham villages and re-creating a separate borough ward for Windlesham.”
b) Councillor Jonathan Quin to move that
“this Council
(i) notes that Camberley experienced a persistent and intolerable odour issue over the summer due to the local sewage works operated by Thames Water, and in response to the community’s complaints, notes that Thames Water expressed, in a number of meetings, a desire to make a financial contribution to a local community project in order to acknowledge the impact on residents over a five month period from May to September;
(ii) notes that Thames Water has since backtracked on its offer to make a financial contribution to a project, leaving the community frustrated and angry;
(iii) calls on Thames Water in the strongest possible terms to honour its previous commitment to make a financial contribution to a community project, and commits to publishing a statement to this effect on the council website and on social media;
(iv) requests that the Leader of the Council writes to Thames Water and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to express dissatisfaction regarding management of the situation triggered by the importing of sludge onto the Camberley site; and
(v) invites Thames Water to appear at an External Partnerships meeting of this Council.”
c) Councillor David O’Mahoney to move that
“this council
(i) notes that:
a) Frimley Park Hospital is administered by the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust which provides hospital and health services for over 900,000 people across an area covering parts of Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, and South Buckinghamshire.
b) Frimley Park is one of the largest employers within Surrey Heath.
c) Frimley Park was originally opened in 1974 and over the years has expanded its services, as well as becoming host of one of the Ministry of Defence’s Hospital Units.
d) Government funding has been identified to deliver a new state-of-the-art hospital.
e) Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust does not cover the entirety of Surrey Heath, and residents in the east of the borough may be covered by Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust.
(ii) believes that:
a) Frimley Park is an excellent hospital, and a new hospital will be a major benefit to the healthcare needs of the borough’s residents;
b) the new hospital should be located within Surrey Heath;
c) residents should not be required to travel long distances to receive medical care, and if the replacement hospital is located outside the borough it could add significant time to residents receiving care, attending appointments and visiting loved ones;
d) losing the hospital from the borough would result in the loss of a major employer of Surrey Heath residents;
(iii) resolves to:
a) proactively encourage the replacement hospital to be located within Surrey Heath and to consider potential sites for relocation, which could be included within in a wider regeneration scheme;
b) call on the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust to actively seek sites within Surrey Heath;
c) ensure that any site for the new hospital will deliver the necessary infrastructure, including direct and sustainable public transport options to connect the new hospital with key transport hubs; and
d) request the Leader of the Council write to the MP for Surrey Heath, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust Board to request their support for the replacement hospital to be located within the borough of Surrey Heath.”
Minutes:
It was moved by Councillor Richard Wilson, seconded by Councillor Victoria Wheeler, and
RESOLVED that
(i) the Council
a) recognises that the borough ward boundaries review of 2016/17 split Windlesham village over two new wards, causing frustration and distress to its residents;
b) understands that this division of an established settlement area has led to residents feeling disenfranchised and, despite the best endeavours of all councillors representing this area, as though the village does not have a single voice;
c) accepts that the creation of the 2016/17 ward boundaries, covering Bagshot, Chobham and Windlesham, had a negative impact on democratic representation across these areas because the pattern of wards no longer reflects community ties and identities and has not led to effective and convenient local government;
d) recognises that Windlesham village and Bagshot village, individually, have a strong sense of community cohesion and belonging, which has been damaged in Windlesham by the unnecessary division caused by the 2016/17 borough ward boundary changes and would be strengthened if the changes were reversed;
e) understands that all residents of Windlesham, north and south, use the same amenities and resources;
f) notes that many residents of Windlesham feel they were not consulted effectively during the 2016/17 boundaries review, unlike residents of other villages; and
(ii) the Chief Executive be asked to write, on behalf of the Council and the residents of Windlesham and the wider Borough, to the Local Government Boundaries Commission for England to request an urgent review of borough ward boundaries, with the objective of reversing the changes in the previous review affecting Bagshot, Windlesham and Chobham villages and re-creating a separate borough ward for Windlesham.”
Note 1: In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16.4, a recorded vote on the motion was taken.
The following Members voted in favour of the motion:
Councillors Alan Ashbery, Louise Ashbery, Cliff Betton, Jonny Cope, Kel Finan-Cooke, Lisa Finan-Cooke, Shaun Garrett, Mark Gordon, Julie Hoad, Nirmal Kang, Sarbie Kang, Rob Lee, Shaun Macdonald, Emma-Jane McGrath, Lewis Mears, Sashi Mylvaganam, Liz Noble, Jacques Olmo, David O’Mahoney, Ying Perrett, Jonathan Quin, Bob Raikes, Murray Rowlands, Morgan Rise, Pat Tedder, Josh Thorne, Kevin Thompson, Victoria Wheeler, Valerie White, Richard Wilson.
Note 2: It was noted for the record that the Bagshot and Windlesham & Chobham ward councillors recognised that they would be impacted by any changes to the current ward boundaries.