Epsom Guardian, January 26, 2017

23.8 MB·English

by  Newsquest Media Group Ltd

Epsom
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MepsomguAardianS.co.ukSIVEJanuaryT26,2A017XHIKE60p
Counciltaxupsettoriseby15percentthelargestinthecountry
NEWS JanuarNy2E6W,2S017 NEWS SalulorrweaynCcoeurnotsyeCboyunnecailrLlye5a0depreDracveindtHfroodmgeth’sesppreecviiaolursesypeoanrsibility hpmraiCpptretcpldyipcoTa£b£paclaRr@wcRaeinnhreaoooir41lfbnclecrlearaueEavHoohAaaaahosgce5,tCI““UTnuucoenarrgyrovnPtiue2retlnidCinrEr0ooGDnnttrltrfinnuiehoOi6a.condunncd.ehenmynHcscrcfoaon’tg8huiecctroeeeRdscaSacc.ihdoeoaeinngEnf.akiimmmvtnntnnntllei2seToinesurilltuLotow,ietwlneriae8nrgthtEcegewtbssataetpennagIsvsbrDoanswcio,harhR,gqevuewedcnBrn.iedtlroflniyt–sruaxIvrxnaletairuothadCteaede-eioadomnatCkgtiia.sCrhyt£scapntrtdggrinhot”Kctunrhitba2eal.eh1hlcfenrcooesegirdeglcEo0lydpoio7gmhoeaeahrteosnnd-dscasi.roR1Drou0ynfe,lnlntnetbfeoidDokste6neaaimfiSaes,hnlwampta.rdiseuHun/sonysrhbefiadnsOlvvaldtrpS1rnntgeiscoietuarsuaaoerhiNvsSit7nuuriueneeuncairdvnsscdmisdatnih.aou–ncldlseiarislphseiritagsdegtvtclanpAtrnrgcserei£ssi3eiHesedbuhvefastereettehnvdg1mi,sofitheaeiaueselrtopyo1neof9stnte2tturoxesosyat.r5lddeatu0iholc0ncidtaeiirciolfrunr.gjgaraue1osherntoumrp2oreioincmdese0esddeuaoadrwC–4aecgfispeSrocaat,ecauml.ms:ei–tt–rioo.onuauiselscsdhtstibnlncluuulnhhvedyncidorptece“oeyetwat4ngohnnrernauioteeachnWaias.rnhuieeorocinniir9s1iittiunvditoeslnnllydyyydagfeeefee95rssttl,,-------aioscpbfoiaFupopwSrpttrsacrtpRsrf––oonnyyhoheeaeeaonputntorlolauenoaarroaii’-rggffsini““DA“HBTLTnuoosporbtdgswrbvbteefyscswcvihBCPtapwts,tlreohhrhrutpteedeerraeeffiheydeiayshlheteerueaooustseesreeedtdlesnf,hlrnetcaaehserayicedparuotnnaaotnniselphptocatilnesahaonveCbeteirrlrpantiddtydteaypucuryatrtaEnhrtouoaohoemrylgcstilo.uuhccexrooveoenrmifehdGtsndwcaeenvaehnait£outtmmeo7puwefgatuitd:lrseeiy,naacaeosah3fs.awatpcnfyoetrntdrbsmiinh.ruhrv5nvdetcShboelt“rols“dnlecteooaeeeI0eartoeeeosleldaIneliadhpswiisiaagwurlnoda,cv,y’vxkrfstuslln0etf,cirifiwm£te,xmfhrolcslledoanefrmsne.ni0nCouatb2ycdra,ourtipawurgtiLuihw0miiwum4tooJcnwrnsmoliisavufispobnr.haSlmielv.ariaumaiwnnuikdsn8aiebanbnnopleittcguseelfbncnanSulcmlsnhshslacrehuu.iecpayosenis“ireahnideeeulteaebrgteedfiinldperlarsc.otcr’elad”ac3i,rseeEs,tlo”egeooscRcokeivtiddh.umass”rledHht.ys.tcieofsbdpvfca“pa”e.nsonafDbtutatuwaeeesteocatytctotChtnlcfhherrriolcnehehzbanhuieakaiveafeeeioedLleieimmtSrysaeicensimeumedttssinnlst“iharruiiwhisntcsceewoenr£llshoybchoeCWmsoriirr.iged1copbeijanolnuoesnnpirvuvtttnuo5rlrrronnamaoehhhbueglgogteettmannkvosrittnhnkdyyaaooeee”errsssttt---------
Town post Rare coins Jail for rapist
office will found in who pulled
re-open collection of girl out of
shortly stamps restaurant 04 sold
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EpsomGuardian www.epsomguardian.co.uk facebook.com/epsomguardian

BEST AND WORST COINING IT IN HARRY’S DELIGHT
SECONDARY SCHOOL RARE COLLECTION IS NEIGHBOURS RAISE FUNDS
PERFORMANCE REPORT WORTH A TIDY SUM FOR CANADA VISIT
Seepage9 Seepage6 Seepage3
MepsomguAardian.Sco.uk SIVEJanuaryT26, 20A17 X HIKE60p
Council tax up set to rise by 15 per cent the largest in the country
REPORTER ty-widereferendumifitwishesto
RACHELDICKERSON raisealargeramount.
rachel.dickerson A county council spokesman
@london.newsquest.co.uk could not confirm speculation a
referendum would cost Surrey
THE leader of Surrey County residents£350,000.
Councilhasconfirmedrumoured The council was last month
planstohikecounciltaxupby15 forced to use £24.8m of reserves
percent–thelargestincreasein –itslargesteveruseof reserves
the country and nine times the –afterblowingitsbudgetby£15m
rateofinflation. thisyear.
Councillor David Hodge, lead- ButleaderoftheSurreyLabour
er of the Conservative adminis- party at the council, councillor
tration, which has a majority of Robert Evans, branded the Con-
about two-thirds in the council, servativesa“disgrace”.
confirmed the plans following a He said: “I’m afraid this just
partymeetinglastweek. showshowbadlySurreyConserv-
In a statement sent out last ativeshavemismanagedthecoun-
Thursday, Cllr Hodge said: “We ty’sfinancialaffairs.
have to set a budget that will “Council tax is an unfair and
protect vital services for Surrey unbalanced tax, which hits the
residents. pooresthardest.
“Governmenthascutourannu- “Buttherealissueisthecom-
algrantby£170msince2010–leav- placencyandincompetenceinthe
ingahugegapinourbudget. waytheyhaverunthecouncil.
“Demandforadultssocialcare, “Presumably, they even think
learning disabilities and chil- Surreypeoplewillbackthemina
dren’sservicesisincreasingevery referendum.Ithinknot.”
year.SoIregret,despiteusfinding Despite the Conservative pro-
£450mworthof savingsfromour posal,partyopinionhasbeensplit
annualbudget,wehavenochoice on the matter, with Epsom bor-
but to propose this increase in oughcouncillorJaneRacetweet-
counciltax.” ingthatthehikewouldbea“huge
The average Surrey resident blowforcashstrapped,hardwork-
accordingtohousevalue–those ingpeopleandfamilies”.
livinginBandDproperties–paid Leaderof theLiberalDemocrat
£1,268.28in2016/17.A15percent opposition,councillorHazelWat-
increasewouldseetheseresidents son,saiditwouldbe“astonishing”
payinganadditional£190.24. fortheConservativesto“carrythe
Undercurrentrules,thecounty canfortheirownfinancialfailings
council can only raise its share and the Government’s failure to
of the tax by an additional 4.99 properlyfundservices”.
percenteachyear–3percentof Theproposalswillbedecidedby
SurreyCountyCouncilLeaderDavidHodge’sspecialresponsibility whichisring-fencedforadultso- atthenextfullcouncilmeetingon
allowancerosebynearly50percentfromthepreviousyear cialcare–andmustholdacoun- February7.Seepage3
2 YOURNEWS 02087226301 January26,2017
EPSOM&SUTTON YOURCOMMUNITYNEWS
COLLEGEHIGH-FLIERS: PULLING FESTIVEFLURRY:Itwasabusy Digital winner
EpsomCollege’sSTEMClub WESTENDactorandformerWar pre-ChristmasperiodfortheAsh-
haswonallthreecategoriesin HorseperformerDannyDaltonis leyCentre,inEpsom,withclose
theBoscombeDownBalloon bringinghisWarHorseWorkshop to24,000morepeoplecomingin
Challenge. THE toDandelionTheatreArtsthis todotheirshoppingcompared Epsom College has been
TheSTEMoutreacheventwas Februaryhalf-term,givingchildren withthesameweekin2015. named senior school winner
organisedbytheBoscombe therareopportunitytoexperi- CentremanagerDavidBeddows intheprestigiousParentZone
DownBranchoftheRoyal encewhatitfeelsliketobeaWar said:“Itwasincrediblybusyinthe Digital School of the Year
AeronauticalSocietyto Horsepuppeteer. centreatChristmas. Award2017,whichrecognises
celebratethesociety’s STRINGS Duringthisone-dayworkshop, “Havingcheckedthefigures,it commitment to online safety
150thanniversary. childrenwilllearnhowhorses hasbeenconfirmedthat221,186 anddigitalresilience.
Teamsfrom12schoolsaround moveandbreathe,thebasic peoplecamethroughourdoorsin ParentZoneworkswithpar-
theUKtookpartinthecompeti- physicalskillsofpuppetry,andby theweekbeginningDecember19, entsandschoolstoofferexpert
tion,whichsoughttochallenge theendoftheworkshopwillbring comparedto197,215duringthe onlineadviceandcontent.
studentsinafieldthatisnot theirownwarhorsetolifeusing sameweekin2015. Thecollegewasselectedfor
normallyavailabletothem. justaballoonandsomesticks. “Thenationalyear-on-yearaver- the award following its out-
Themainobjectiveswerethe Theworkshopwillbeheldatthe ageforthisperiodisanincrease standing work in this area,
selectionofahigh-pressure LeatherheadTheatreonFriday, of4%buttheAshleyCentre spearheaded by director of
foilballoonoflessthan2min February17,from9.30amto3pm. reached12.2%morefootfall.” Welfare,HelenKeevil,pictured
diameterandthedevelopment Itcosts£35foreachplaceand Therewillbetwonewshops below.Shesaid:“Lessonsand
ofatelemetryunittotryand placesarelimitedsoearly openingsoonatthecentre. whole school internet safety
achieveany,orall,ofthree bookingisstronglyadvised. Formoreinformationaboutcentre awareness days to help keep
goals:thefurthestdistancefrom FormoredetailscontactJennai@ andallthelatestevents,please pupils safe online are an im-
launch(range);thelongestflight dandeliontheatrearts.co.uk, “like”thecentreatfacebook. portant part of the academic
duration(endurance);andthe call01306886243orvisit com/theashleycentre,followit year. Lower sixth pupils also
highestaltitude(height). dandeliontheatrearts.co.uk. onTwitter(@ashley_centre)or tidy their digital footprint
Thefirstflightwonboththe visittheashleycentre.co.uk. aheadof startingUCASappli-
rangecategory,withadistance
cationsandworkplacements.”
mfroilmesl,aaunndchthoefe1n2d0u.8rannacuetical S! Wreequreesctseivteoacolavergrestnourmiebseranodf csoom.ukg/usaernddiayno.ucron.euwk/ssenordyoeupr- TheinpriAzemianzcolundevsou£2c5h0-
ocafttehgreoeryh,owuitrhs,a11tomtailnfluigtehst,time U punufbolristuhneavteelryythwinegawreenw’toaubldleliktoe nmeitwysoaunrdarfitlilcilne.thPelefaosremitnocsluudbe- enrsolotogwy,arpdlsustecahn-
aTcnahtdeegfi1on7arsyleflwcigiothhntdawsn.oanlttihtuedheeoigfht LL ttooion.neHoocnwaneovuuerprw,loweabedsnittoehwewirhhaesvrteoeraeyvseaerncyd-- aiWnschlmautdu’scehmadoerpetah,iolwatoesywifoilulpcotaasknseibaalnesd. o3th0peppourSptkuilynsittAoycvaifdsoeirt-
78,510ft,whichisalmost E picturestobepublishedonline. manyofyourstoriesaswecan myskillsstudios
twicethecruisingaltitudeof T Just go to suttonguardian. andpublishtheminthepaper! inIsleworth.
commercialjets.
January26,2017 www.epsomguardian.co.uk NEWS 3
Christmas treat at Chessington Road home raises £1,800 to help send boy with cerebral palsy to Canada
Light shines on family who have helped boy
REPORTER mentsforchildrenwithcer- TheFaceyfamilyofChess- sessionswillhaveonHarry.
CRAIGRICHARD ebral palsy, developmental ington Road, Epsom – who Harry used to be unable
craig.richard@ delay,acquiredbraininjury, arerenownedfordecorating to pick himself up, where-
london.newsquest.co.uk andpaediatricstroke. theirhousewithbrightlights asnowheispushingupon
Hisparents,JoandMark, depicting Father Christmas, his knees, Jo said. He also
ABRAVEboybattlingcere- fromChadacreRoad,Stone- reindeer,snowmenandwom- ‘crawls around everywhere
bralpalsywillbejettingout leigh,launchedafundraising en,robinsandotheryuletide now’, whereas he used to
toTorontoforrehabilitative campaignforfour-weektrips characters and creatures – draghimselfaround.
physiotherapysessionsafter totheclinicwheretheyhope readHarry’sstoryintheEp- Jo added: “He’s got so
a festive family touched by he can build up the muscle somGuardianandwantedto muchmoreability.He’smore
his story raised money for memorytowalkunaided. help. confident.
himwithadazzlingdisplay Last Christmas, Steve, 47, “I think the whole eight
of Christmas lights and Carla,35,Freddie,10,Sammy, weeks will be focussed on
charity. seven,andFinlay,three,held walking and standing and
Four-year-oldHarry a collection outside their getting him stronger and
Stanesby was born family home, with the pro- stronger. You have no dis-
with an upper mo- ceeds going to the Stanesby tractionswhenyouarethere.
tor neuron lesion family’stripstoToronto. I have all day, every day, to
in his brain which On Saturday, January 21, practice with him. It’s the
causeshimdifficulty they presented Harry and bestthingeverforhim!”
moving. hisparentswithachequefor Sheaddedthatherfamily
The youngster £1,851. were overwhelmed by the
undergoes week- CarlaFaceysaid:“Hewas supportof theFaceyfamily
ly physiotherapy localandhisfamilyweretry- andthepeopleof Epsomand
sessions to master ingtoself-raise,sowewanted Ewell’sgenerosity.
crawlingandother to help them. It was Christ- “Peoplehavestoppedusin
typesofmovement. mas–it’squitechildren-ori- thestreettosee‘Harryfrom
But the most ef- ented.Thestorytouchedour the‘paper’.He’slikealittle
fective treatment is heartsreally. celebrity!,”Josaid.
from sessions at the “He is such a lovely boy. “People we don’t even
Health in Motion He’sthehappiestthingever.” know,knowabouthim.”
clinic in Toron- The money raised has She added: “The lights
to, Canada, helped the Stanesby family wereamazing.Theyworked
which pro- Money closeinontheirongoingtar- reallyhardonthem.We’llbe
vides spe- wasraised getof £20,000tosupportHar- helpingthemnextyear.”
cialized forHarry ry’sphysiotherapy. Todonate,visit justgiving.
treat- Theyhavenowbookedtwo com/crowdfunding/helpin-
Stanesby
four-weektrips–fromMarch gandfollowingharry?utm_
from
10andJune10–andJoisop- id=2&utm_term=Q9RYZ-
Stoneleigh timistic about the effect the K4VX
Petition launched against ‘outrageous’ rise
OUTRAGEDopponents shock resignation of
of a proposed 15 per allthemembersof the
cent increase in coun- council’s Independent
cil tax have launched Remuneration Panel
a petition to highlight (IRP).
the “unfairness” and The Lib Dems have
“unaffordability” of nowlaunchedapetition
therise. againsttheincreasein
The majority Con- counciltax–thelargest
servative faction of inthecountry.
Surrey County Coun- Councillor Watson
cil agreed to vote in said:“Sincethepropos-
favour of an increase al was announced last
inniflneatitoimne(s1.6theperratceenotf) waepeukb,litcheoruetcrhyasacbreoesns CDeomunoccilrlaotrsHoanzSeluWrreaytsCono,ulnetaydCeoruonfctihleLiberal Laser-guided
atapartymeetingheld Surrey, opposing this A county council anadditional£190.24. leaflet delivery
behindcloseddoorslast steeprise. spokesman confirmed CllrHodgeconfirmed
week. “Signingthepetition thiswouldtakeplaceon plans for the proposed
CouncilleaderDavid willsendamessageto Thursday,May4–atthe increaseinastatement,
Hodge cited govern- the Conservative-run sametimeasthecounty which read: “We have
ment cuts, and rising administration and councilelections. tosetabudgetthatwill
demandforadultsocial central government Government legisla- protect vital services
careandlearningdisa- thatthisriseisunfair, tion stipulates council forSurreyresidents.
bilities and children’s unaffordable and not taxbillsmustbeissued “Government has Cutoutwastetosavemoney.
services as key factors thewayinwhichtoad- inFebruaryandMarch cut our annual grant
Call08451999830orvisit
behindtheproposedin- dress a national crisis and then amended, if by £170m since 2010 -
crease. inthefundingof adult necessary,followingthe leaving a huge gap in ZoomInLeaflets.co.uk
But the Conserva- socialcare. referendum. ourbudget.Demandfor
tives were branded a “A national solution The spokesman ad- adultsocialcare,learn-
“disgrace”bythelead- is required for adult vised:“The15percent ing disabilities and
eroftheSurreyLabour social care in order to increasewillbeinclud- children’s services is
party, while the leader meetthegrowthinde- edandifitisnotagreed increasingeveryyear.
oftheLiberalDemocrat mand.Surreyresidents inthereferendumthen “So I regret, despite
opposition, Councillor shouldnothavetopick new bills will be is- usfinding£450mworth
Hazel Watson, said it up the bill for the To- sued.Forpeoplepaying of savingsfromouran-
wouldbe“astonishing” ry-runcountycouncil’s monthlytheremaining nualbudget,wehaveno
fortheConservativesto financialmess.” months will be recal- choice but to propose
“carrythecanfortheir Undercurrentrules, culated. Those paying thisincreaseincouncil
own financial failings thecountycouncilcan annuallywillreceivea tax.”
and the government’s only raise its share of refund.” Theproposalswillbe
failuretoproperlyfund thetaxbyanadditional The average Surrey decided by at the next
services”. 4.99percenteachyear resident according to fullcouncilmeetingon
In May 2014, Con- – 3 per cent of which house value – those February7.
servative councillors isring-fencedforadult livinginBandDprop- To sign the petition,
voted to increase their socialcare–andmust erties – paid £1,268.28 visit https://surreylib-
allowancesbyupto60 holdacounty-wideref- in 2016/17. A 15 per dems.org.uk/en/peti-
per cent. The allow- erendumif itwishesto centincreasewouldsee tion/scrap-the-15-tory-
anceincreaseledtothe raisealargeramount. these residents paying council-tax-rise
4 NEWS 02087226301 January26,2017
Young girl dragged from Pizza Hut at knifepoint then raped
‘Cold blooded’ rapist
gets jailed for 22 years
REPORTER Headded:“Heisanabsolutely
CRAIGRICHARD brokenman.Toquotehim(from
earlier in the cells), ‘I know
craig.richard@
london.newsquest.co.uk I have to pay for what I have
done’.”
A “COLD-blooded” and “cal- Voedes’ terrified 17-year-old
lous” rapist who stabbed a ter- victimcriedoutforhermother
rified teenager in the stomach asshewasdraggedatknifepoint
aftersexuallyassaultingherat from Pizza Hut in Waterloo
knifepointhasbeensentencedto Road, Epsom, to nearby Court
22yearsinprison. RecreationGroundbeforebeing
CosticaVoedes,33,of Epsom rapedina“harrowingordeal”.
HighStreet,willnotbeeligible Armed with a knife he
forparoleformorethan14years, grabbedawomanbythehair,but
and will remain on licence for shemanagedtoescapehisgrasp
fiveyearsafterheisreleased. due to the “selfless” actions of
He was sentenced at Guild- therestaurant’smanager.
ford Crown Court, sitting at Voedesthenturnedhisatten-
GuildfordMagistrates’Courton tion towards the petrified girl
Thursday,January19. and told her “you are coming
He had been found guilty of CosticaVoedes,33 withme”ashemarchedherout
twocountsof rape,twocounts oftherestaurantonthenightof
ofwoundingwithintenttocause lievedshewasgoingtodiethat June17,2016.
grievousbodilyharm,onecount evening. Heledhertothenearbypark
of threatening to kill, and one “It was utterly callous and where he raped her twice and
countof intimidatingawitness, clearevidence,if anyisneeded, stabbed her in the stomach He
atthesamecourtonDecember5. thatthereisnolimittowhatyou wasarrestedminuteslater.
His Honour Judge Robert arewilingtoinflictonothers.” The manager of the Pizza
Fraser addressed Voedes said: He had maintained that his Hut,WaqarRafiq,sufferedstab
“Youhavedevastatedlives.This victim“consented”tosexualin- woundstohisarmashetriedto
wasacold-bloodedsexualattack tercourse,thecourtheard. protectthegirl, thecourtheard.
on a 17-year-old girl where she Defending,MrJohnCammegh Judge Fraser said he would
wasaloneandwithouthelp. said:“Itmaybesaidthatthatbe- recommendMrRafiqforabrav-
“Forverygoodreasonshebe- traysacertainlackofempathy.” eryaward.
January26,2017 www.epsomguardian.co.uk NEWS 5
Post office will re-open
West Ewell Infants and Danetree are among 11 schools in area to expand
School expansions are set
THE post office in Epsom KT173LB
HighStreethastemporarily AshteadPostOffice,39The
closed and the Costcutter it Street,Ashtead,KT211AA
isbasedinmaynotreopen. EwellCourt,179Kingston
Theclosurewasconfirmed Road, Epsom, KT19 0AA
to deliver 1,700 extra places
by a spokeswoman for the (Passportcheck&send)
PostOffice,whosaiditwas Sutton Post Office, 19
closed due to “operational GroveRoad,Sutton,SM11DX
reasons”. (forAEImachine)
A sign announcing the A Post Office spokesper-
closure,anddescribingitas son, said: “Epsom will un-
‘temporary’, has been spot- fortunately be temporarily
tedoutsidethepostoffice. closed from January 23 due REPORTER
But doubt was cast over to operational reasons. We RACHELDICKERSON
the post office’s immediate would like to reassure cus- rachel.dickerson@
futurebyaspokespersonfor tomers that we will seek to london.newsquest.co.uk
Costcutter–inwhichthepost restoreaPostOfficeservice
office in Epsom High Street inEpsomassoonaspossible.
isbased–whoconfirmedthe “Post Office would like to MOREthan600schoolplac-
closureoftheCostcutter. apologise to customers for esaretobemadeafterfour
Theywere“unabletocon- anyinconveniencecausedby schools in Elmbridge and
firmwhether(thestore)will thetemporaryclosureof the Epsomweregiventhegreen
reopen”. branch.” lightforexpansion.
The spokesperson said: AspokesmanforthePost- Cleves Junior School in
“The vast majority of our mastersBranchof theCom- Walton, West Ewell Infant
stores are owned by inde- munication Workers Union School, Ewell Grove Infant
pendentretailers,aswasthis added that despite a £2bn SchoolandDanetreePrimary
storeinEpsom.Unfortunate- investmentoverthelastfive SchoolinEpsomwereamong
ly, the owner has taken the years,theunionhadnoticed 11schoolsacrossSurreythat
decision to close the store temporary branch closures havebeengiventhego-ahead
andatpresentweareunable nationwide “in excess of toexpandinSeptember.
toconfirmwhetheritwillre- 1,000”and“increasingweek- Theprojectsaresettode-
open.” ly”. liveralmost1,700extraplac-
The Post Office spokes- The spokesman added: esacrosssevenprimaryand
woman meanwhile advised “Whilst the Postmaster of four secondary schools in FourschoolsinElmbridgeandEpsomtobeexpandedtomeetrisingdemandforplaces
that the nearest alternative Epsom Post Office is not a Surrey.
postofficesare: member of our Union we West Ewell Infant School Salesian School in Chert- County Council’s cabinet falling, we face huge finan-
West Ewell, 248 Chessing- regret the closure of this andElmGroveInfantSchool seywillalsobeexpanded,and member for schools, skills cialchallengeskeepingpace
tonRoad,Epsom,KT199XF Branchanditslosstothelo- are both being expanded to anewsecondaryfreeschool, and educational achieve- with increasing demand for
EwellPostOffice,4-5Mar- calcommunity. create “all-through” prima- Chertsey High School, is ment, said: “We know that manyof ourservicesinclud-
ketParade,HighStreet,Ep- “We are noticing the loss ries, creating an extra 150 to open in September 2017, 11,000extraschoolplaceswill ingschoolplaces,adultsocial
som,KT171SL of PostOfficesisbecominga spacesand210spacesrespec- headedbyformerEpsomand beneededoverthenextfive careandsupportforchildren
PooleRoadPostOffice,53 growingtrend. tively. Ewell assistant headteacher years and these 11 planned with special educational
Poole Road, Epsom, KT19 “Thepostoffice’ssocalled Danetree Primary School ZeliaMunnikjustyardsfrom expansionsareanimportant needs and in light of these
9SQ modernisation program has willhaveanextra210spaces, St George’s College in Wey- steptowardsthatgoal. pressures, we’re focused on
Drift Bridge Post Office, failedandisfastbecominga with Cleves Junior School bridge. “Atatimewhenourfund- highlighting the need for a
213 Fir Tree Road, Epsom, closureprogram.” gettinganextra150spaces. Linda Kemeny, Surrey ingfromtheGovernmentis fairdealonfunding.”
6 NEWS 02087226301 January26,2017
21 sovereign coins worth £200 each found in collection
Stamp of approval
REPORTER
CRAIGRICHARD
craig.richard@
london.newsquest.co.uk
PHILATELISTShadaredletter
daywhenunsuspectingcustom-
ersattheEpsomStampCompa-
nycameinwitharare,valuable
collectionofgold.
On January 18, a couple of-
feredstaff attheshopinWater-
looRoadwithwhattheybelieved
tobeasmallsuitcaseof proba-
blyworthlessstampsinalbums,
envelopes and tins they found
aftercleaningoutthehusband’s
father’shouse.
But upon closer inspection,
part-time owner Barry Mudie,
a former officer with the Met-
ropolitan Police, realised the
collectioncouldbeworththou- ThecoupleofferedownerinWaterlooRoadsmallsuitcaseofstamps
sandsofpounds.
He immediately phoned the “Thetin,likethecase,hadnot –weregoingtodonext,butbe-
coupletotellthemof theirpo- beenopenedformanyyears–if lieved they would seek a sec-
tentialwindfall. notdecades–butwhenthelid ondopiniononthevalueof the
The21sovereigncoinsinthe didcomeoff thetinwasfullof coins.
collection could be worth as goldsovereignsandhalf sover- Headded:“WhenIrangupthe
muchas£200each,headvised. eigns. ownertotellhimthegoodnews
Mr Mudie said: “There were “Intotaltherewere14sover- he was pretty ecstatic. He was
onetotwodecentstampsinal- eignsandsevenhalfsovereigns, expectingthewholelottocome
bumsandenvelopes,butthenI worthatleast£3,500–andthat tojustafewpounds,ifthat.
foundanoldcigarettetinwhich isbeforecheckingforanywith “Itjustgoestoprovethatof-
rattled. raredates.” tenpeopledon’tknowwhatthey
“It was quite heavy so I was Mr Mudie said he did not have,andwhyitisworthtaking
expectingtofindsomeoldcop- knowwhatthecustomers–who anything you suspect may be
percoins. wished to remain anonymous valuabletoanhonestdealer.”
January26,2017 www.epsomguardian.co.uk NEWS 7
Getting tough DamagefrustratescommutersasSouthernpreparetoreturntonormalservice SURREYPOLICEhasbeen
recognisedforitsworkensur-
Broken rail adds to misery ingalllesbian,gay,biandtrans
on speeders employeescanbethemselves
intheworkplace.Theforce
wasnamedinLesbian,Gay,Bi-
sexual&Transgender(LGBT+)
PUNISHMENTS for speed- charityStonewall’sWorkplace
ing drivers are about to get for strike-weary travellers EqualityIndexfor2017for
tougher under new sentenc- thefirsttime,abenchmarking
ing guidelines for magis- toolhighlightingemployers’
trates. abilitytocreateaninclu-
Motoristswhocommitthe siveworkculturethisweek.
mostseriousspeedingoffenc- Organisationsfeaturedinthe
es will face larger financial indexhavedemonstratedtheir
penaltiesfromApril24. REPORTER shouldbetakenseriously. expertisein10differentareas
Finesfordriverscaughtgo- ANDERSANGLESEY “Theunionrepeatsitsde- ofemploymentpoliciesand
ingwellabovethespeedlimit anders.anglesey@ mand for Transport Secre- proceduresregardingLesbian,
willstartfrom150percentof london.newsquest.co.uk taryChrisGraylingandthe Gay,BisexualandTransgender
their weekly income rather companytogetoutof their (LGBT+)matters.Theareas
thantheexistinglevelof 100 bunker, stop the mud-sling- includestaffnetworkgroups,
percent. HUNDREDS of thousands ing and give RMT and our careerdevelopment,internal
Forexample,someonewho of railpassengerssuffereda guards members access to trainingandengagingwithlocal
is sentenced for driving at fresh bout of travel misery the same talks process that communities.Aspokesperson
101mphorfasterina70mph becauseofastrikeandabro- hasbeensetupbytheTUC fortheforcestatedthatSurrey
zonewillnowbedealtwithin kenrailonMonday. for our sister union in the Policeofficersaresupported
amoreseverebracket. Membersof theRail,Mar- Southerndriversdispute.” andissuesareraisedthrough
The Sentencing Council itime and Transport (RMT) Angie Doll, Southern’s itsLGBT+StaffNetwork.The
saidthemoveaimstoensure union at Southern Railway passenger services direc- forcealsohasLGBT+liaisonof-
thereisa“clearincreasein were said to be solidly sup- tor, said: “The RMT is con- ficerstospecificallyadviseand
penaltyastheseriousnessof portinga24-hourwalkoutin tinuing with industrial ac- supportmembersofLGBT+
offendingincreases”. a long-running dispute over tion that is now pointless. communitiesinthecountry.
It follows responses to a theroleofconductors. “Because of the changes SurreyPolicewasranked176th
consultation arguing previ- Southern was planning we’ve now finished making, nationwideoutofmoret
ousguidelinesdidnotprop- to run 70 per cent of its we’re able to run 200 more han400organisations
erlytakeintoaccountthein- trains and return to a nor- Southernhasbeenbesetwithstrikeproblems services,afurther10percent nationwidewhichenteredinto
creaseinpotentialharmthat mal service on Tuesday. increasethanpreviousRMT theindex.
canresultasspeedabovethe South West Trains passen- about driver-only trains. “Their resilience is strike days, on more routes
limitrises. gers were hit by disruption The RMT union has com- a credit to the entire servingmorepassengers. TWOLANEShavebeenclosed
RAC road safety spokes- because of a broken rail at plained of being excluded trade union movement. “Sadly, our passengers andthereareseveredelayson
manPeteWilliamswelcomed Wimbledon. fromthetalks,whicharebe- “Thesearelocalpeoplefight- once again face disruption theM25afteracrashbetween
thechange. A number of trains were ingheldattheTradeUnion ingforsaferailwaysfortheir because of the RMT’s in- alorryandavan.Queues
He said: “Anyone who cancelled, and there was Congress(TUC). local communities. Instead transigence and refusal to trailedbacktowardsjunction
breaks the limit excessive- a “severely reduced” ser- RMT general secretary of acampaignof threatsand suspendactionandengagein 8atReigateafterthecrashat
lyisadangertoeveryother vice at Wimbledon dur- Mick Cash said: “RMT intimidation from the bas- meaningfultalks. 6.30amonTuesday.Thetwo
roaduserandisunnecessari- ing the morning peak. guards members on South- ket-caseSouthernRailoutfit, “Weremainreadyandwill- insidelaneswereclosedby
lyputtinglivesatrisk. Talks will resume lat- ern Rail remain rock-solid their professional concerns ing to meet for face-to-face emergencyservices.Travel
“Hopefully,hittingtheseof- er between Southern andabsolutelydeterminedin about the implications of talkstoendtheirdisputeand informationfromHighways
fendersharderinthepocket and the ASLEF union theiractionindefenceofrail axing a second safety-crit- moveforwardtodeliverabet- Englandrecommended atleast
willmakethemthinktwice.” over a separate dispute safetythismorning. ical person from the trains terrailwayforpassengers.” 90minutesforjourneys.
8 NEWS 02087226301 January26,2017
Delius and Elgar units to be temporarily moved to Chertsey
Mental health wards to
relocate 15 miles away
REPORTER
CRAIGRICHARD
craig.richard@
london.newsquest.co.uk
MENTAL health wards at Ep-
som General Hospital will be
moved15milesaway.
The Delius and Elgar wards
run by Surrey and Borders
Partnership NHS Foundation
Trust (SABP) at the hospital
in Dorking Road will tempo-
rarily be moved to St Peter’s
Hospital in Chertsey this
month.
The relocation of the wards
– which both provide support
forpatients“inperiodsof acute Themovefollowsareviewbythetrust
psychiatric illness” – follows a
reviewbySABP. ingservices. about the location and are dis-
Thewardswouldthenfinda “The rates of mental health cussinganyindividualneedsas
permanenthomeinSurreysub- problemsandsuicidearerising necessary.
jecttoaconsultationthisyear, sharplyandaffectoneinfourof “Discussions with people
theTruststated. us,andyetmentalhealthtreat- using Delius and Elgar wards
SarahDewing,apsychologist ment continues to be the poor and their families are taking
fromEpsom,believesthemove relationtophysicalhealthprob- place and we will continue
would separate vulnerable pa- lems.” to involve and update people
tients from their support net- TheTrusthaddecidedthecur- with developments as we pro-
works. rent“environment”ofthewards gress our plans to transfer the
ShetoldtheEpsomGuardian: prevented it from “(providing) services.
“Onceagain,mentalhealthser- the type of surroundings we “People’s safety and security
vicesarebeingaffectedbycuts, wantpeopletoexperiencewhen isourtoppriorityandwewillbe
dressedupbytheauthoritiesas wehelpthemintheirrecovery”, puttingindividualplansinplace
apositivemoveforthebenefitof accordingtoastatementonits foranyoneaffectedbytherelo-
patients. website. cation, including travel plans
“Thatisclearlyspinandnot Andy Erskine, Director of toassistthosefamilieswiththe
the case. How can moving vul- Mental Health and Social Care greatest need so that the move
nerable patients 20 miles away at SABP, said: “Relocation will doesnothindertheirabilityto
fromtheirsupportnetworksbe enable our staff to work more visittheirrelative.”
beneficial? collaborativelyacrossthewards Whatdoyouthink?Comment
“Instead of investing money underclinicalleadershipbased below,orgetintouchatcraig.
in community-based care, they onasinglesite. [email protected].
aresavingmoneybyconsolidat- “Wehaveconsultedwiththem co.uk
Criticism as Alzheimer’s day centres to shut
A COUNTY councillor has mere and Bletchingly, blamed closeonJune23.
slammed the government for theclosuresonlackof funding FionaWhite,countycouncil-
not taking action on funding anddecliningattendance. lorforGuildfordWest,slammed
adultsocialcareafteritwasan- Jacqui Parfitt, the Alzheim- thelackof fundingchannelled
nounced that Surrey’s four re- er’sSocietyoperationsmanager intoadultsocialcareinSurrey,
mainingAlzheimerSocietyday forSurrey,saidtheByfleetand saying the council has slashed
centresaretoclose. Haslemere centres will shut approximately £190m from its
The charity, which has four their doors on March 31, with care budget over the past six
day centres in Byfleet, Hasle- the Bletchingly day centres to years.