Newsletter - Wed 26 Jul, 2023
In this issue..
Tenants have been identified for the borough's three park cafes, but there's no opening date yet
The Conservatives have selected county councillor Rebecca Paul as their candidate for the next general election
Surrey has been ordered to pay compensation in the case of an autistic girl who missed her GCSEs because of a lack of alternative education provision
Still no date on park cafes, but tenants have been selected
The empty interior of the Priory Park pavilion
Preliminary agreements have been signed with tenants for the three vacant cafes in Reigate's Priory Park, Redhill's Memorial Park, and Banstead's Lady Neville Recreation Ground.
However, it looks like it'll be a while yet before they are up and running, judging by information given at a Reigate & Banstead Borough Council meeting (Opens in a new window) on Thursday (20 July).
Cllr Sue Sinden (Green) asked for a progress update on the cafes and their accompanying toilets.
Cllr Andrew King (Conservative), executive member for commercial and community assets, responded: "All three cafes now have heads of terms agreed with the new prospective tenants and all parties are beginning the legal process to determine the new leases.
"The reopening of the park cafes will be led by the tenant fit requirements, which we are currently engaging with the tenants’ respective design teams on, to agree the works required. Once agreed, a project programme will be formulated with an estimated date for each.
"Temporary toilet provision will remain in situ at Priory Park and Redhill Memorial Park until the new tenants start trading. Lady Neville Park will continue to be serviced by the public facilities locally."
In a follow-up question, Cllr Sinden pressed for more information on dates, and also asked whether the council could run the cafes itself, saying she was thinking particularly of Memorial Park (where the council says it has been unable to find a temporary kiosk operator, unlike Priory Park).
"All of our residents are wanting [the cafe], they're missing their coffee, they're missing their ice cream, and they'd like to have permanent toilets rather than portaloos", she said.
Cllr King did not address the suggestion that the council run the sites, but said again that the reopening date was dependent on agreeing the lease and the tenants' programme of works.
The Priory Park cafe has been vacant since the end of February, and the ones in Redhill and Banstead since late last year.
Priory Park temporary WCs
Conservatives select their next parliamentary candidate
Rebecca Paul is at the front of this photo circulated by Reigate Conservatives
Local Conservatives have selected Rebecca Paul as their candidate for the next general election, following a special general meeting on Saturday, 22 July.
Paul is currently a county councillor for Tadworth, Walton & Kingswood.
She tweeted (Opens in a new window) that she was "delighted and incredibly proud to be selected as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for my home constituency of Reigate".
The association said in a press release (Opens in a new window) that "Rebecca is a superb parliamentary candidate of the highest quality", and thanked the three other candidates who had made the shortlist considered at the SGM.
The current Conservative MP, Crispin Blunt, announced in May last year that he would be standing down at the next election.
The Reigate constituency will have new boundaries in the contest, following a national Boundary Commission review. (A map of the changes is here (Opens in a new window) - look up "Reigate").
The election must take place by 28 January 2025.
We'll bring news on other parties' selection processes in due course.
Girl missed GCSEs due to Surrey's failings
An autistic child missed her GCSEs due to the failings of Surrey County Council to provide sufficient alternative education provision, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
The authority will have to pay compensation of £3,650 for the child's missed education, plus costs paid by the family for private tutors. Surrey has apologised, pointed to the pressures on the SEND system nationally, and referred to its plans to improve.
A full article from Chris Caulfield, Local Democracy Reporter, is here (Opens in a new window).
Man arrested on Brighton Beach charged over Church Street burglary
Surrey Police said on Friday night (21 July) that a man has been charged with burglary of a house on Church Street, Reigate, after his arrest on Brighton Beach by Sussex Police. The burglary happened only a matter of days before, on the Monday (17 July). More from the police here (Opens in a new window).
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