Campaign for Fairer Road Funding for Surrey

There is one matter that unites us all and that is the dreadful state of our roads. The information below is about an important petition to government on a fairer way of dividing government monies allocated to local authorities for road maintenance and I commend it to you for consideration and signing.

Gerry Acher
Chairman 
Jan 2022

Campaign for Fairer Road Funding for Surrey
By Cllr Rebecca Paul

If you asked someone what public asset does everyone in the UK use, what do you think they would say? Maybe our schools or the NHS? Well, in fact it’s our road network. As well as being the UK’s largest publicly owned asset, it is used and relied upon by every single resident in the UK, whether it be for commuting or service delivery. Every resident, whether a vehicle owner or not, relies on roads for all manner of things, from their weekly rubbish collection to receiving their mail.

Well maintained roads are fundamental for the wellbeing and prosperity of communities. Not only do they shape the character of local areas, but they weave individuals and businesses into the fabric of daily life. As such, they must be maintained and invested in to allow our economy to grow and our communities to flourish.

Surrey’s road network is approximately 5,500 km in length and is one of the most highly used networks in England due to its proximity to London. Our nearly 1.2 million population relies upon these roads, along with the many other Brits passing through on their way to London or the airport.

It probably won’t come as a surprise that the most common issue raised by residents with me is the state of our roads. In reality, Surrey County Council receives insufficient funds from central government to adequately maintain the highway network. Limited funding leads to strict prioritisation of works, which in turn causes much frustration for residents still waiting for that ‘elusive’ road resurface.
One of the main reasons for inadequate road funding is the way the road funding formula is calculated. It doesn’t consider traffic volume, only road length. Thus, Surrey’s highway network, which on average can be more than 3 times busier than other roads in England, receives the same amount of funding per kilometre of road despite much higher wear and tear. For 2021/22, the Department of Transport allocated just under £26m to Surrey County Council for roads. This works out as 1.8% of the total available funding, whereas Surrey’s roads bear 2.4% of the total vehicle miles for the whole of England.

Surrey residents deserve to have well maintained roads like other parts of the UK too. I have therefore launched a campaign calling on the Government to reform the road maintenance funding formula to consider traffic volume in addition to road length. If 100,000 signatures are secured, this will trigger a parliamentary debate on the topic and create the opportunity for our MPs to make the case for fairer road funding.

Maintaining Surrey’s highway network is a priority for our residents. Well maintained roads benefit all road users, including cyclists, and are the bedrock of a strong local economy. If you support my campaign, please sign my petition at www.fairroadfunding.uk. Let’s ensure the voices of Surrey residents are heard in Westminster.

The Trusts observations to the development proposals for Cedar House (Dec 2021)

The Cedar House planning application 2021/3348 has been submitted by the developers and the Trust has made a number of observations in the form of a letter sent to the Elmbridge BC Planning department. The letter can be seen on our Planning Letters Submitted page.

Armistice Day 11 Nov 2021

Today after a misty start the sun shone through just in time for us to remember those who had lost their lives at war in the service of their country. Some 40 people gathered at the Tilt in front of the Cobham Heritage Trust memorial to those who lost their lives in the Second World War and at 11.00 the Rev. Dr Mike Branscombe, vicar of St Andrew’s led a short service during which the two minutes silence was observed and the names on the memorial were called out. Wreaths were laid by the Royal British Legion, our councillors and Cobham civic groups.

Those in the photograph are, left to right: Rev Dr Mike Branscombe, Cllrs Alistair Mann and David Lewis, with David Tipping and Sir Gerald Acher vice chairman and chairman respectively of this Trust.

Obituary: David Bellchamber (1948 - 2021)

David Bellchamber, Planning Officer for Cobham Conservation and Heritage Trust, and an outstanding community figure, sadly passed away on 29th July 2021.

David was born in Hampshire and raised by his aunt Elsie following the death of his mother. He was a boarder at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Crediton where he became a high achiever, also gaining the original Duke of Edinburgh Award and becoming a Queen’s Scout. He went on to gain a BA (Hons) at the University of Westminster where he captained their Rugby team. Completing his LLB at Guildford he joined a City Law firm and became a partner.

David was a non-believer, but if he had a religion, it would be called ‘the greater good’. In this he was a true believer.

Aged only 30 he suffered with a respiratory illness and was given a prognosis that he would die before he was 45, but despite this he battled on and lived to the age of 73. He moved to a houseboat in East Molesey and became a vegetarian before moving to Walton on Thames. He joined a private Law practice in Elmbridge and became a volunteer Legal Adviser at Citizens Advice. He married and had two sons before later divorcing, marrying Sue, and gaining two stepsons.

In the ‘80’s, he joined the Liberal Democrat Party and regularly ran as a Local Council Candidate. In one year in Weybridge, he was ‘frightened out of his life’ because he almost got in! He played a major role in the Liberal Party gaining a seat in the Cobham & Downside Ward in 2021 – much of his help and support given from his hospital bed.

He became a key figure immersing himself in the community, working tirelessly for the greater good. He loved the environment and was a lead in developing ‘Transition Cobham’, and the ‘Community Garden’ and serving for many years on the Walton Conservation Area Advisory Committee. In 2009 he joined the Cobham Heritage Trust planning team, before becoming Director and Company Secretary of the Community Chatterbus, and Chairman of the Cobham Branch of the Royal British Legion.

Fittingly, for such a community-minded man, he was awarded a Surrey County Council Chairman’s Award in 2019 for his volunteering work.

David Tipping