Newsletter - Sun 25 May, 2025

By David Grantham

In this issue: Gatton Park Road’s reopening has been delayed until mid-June; The IT opens this week in Horley; volunteer award nominations open; a change in the leadership of Surrey children’s services.

News in brief

Reigate Castle Grounds: outdoor theatre returns this summer with Macbeth (Opens in a new window) on Wednesday 4 June (evening), The Three Musketeers (Opens in a new window) on Saturday 7 June (afternoon), The Tempest (Opens in a new window) on Saturday 7 June (evening), and Emma or Pride & Prejudice (Opens in a new window) (audience selection) on Friday 15 August (evening). I’ve added these events to the What’s On page (Opens in a new window).

SGN’s gas mains replacement project (Opens in a new window) in the Reigate Hill area continues, with Evesham Rd now open, although Beaufort Rd remains shut at its junction with Evesham. Further north, St Albans Road is now open, but Brokes Road has now closed between its junctions with St Albans and Beech Road. The county roadworks map is here (Opens in a new window).

Reigate Photographic Society have an exhibition (Opens in a new window) at Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking Monday 2 - Sunday 8 June, with free entry. “Explore a captivating collection of of images showcasing the talent and creativity of local photographers. From landscapes and portraits to abstract and wildlife photography, our exhibition offers something for everyone.” Prints and cards will be available to buy, including the notelets (Opens in a new window) with Priory Park’s new cygnets.

Applications for Blue Heart verges are open to community groups (Opens in a new window), Surrey County Council is reminding people. “A Blue Heart verge is a designated area along a roadside where the vegetation is cut once, raked and removed at the end of the season. This is done to increase biodiversity and encourage wildflowers and other natural vegetation to thrive,” Surrey says.

An updated Foster Carers’ Charter has been launched (Opens in a new window), outlining how the county council, its fostering service and foster carers can work together to deliver the best foster care for Surrey’s children. Surrey is welcoming more foster carers to “provide safe, nurturing homes where children and young people can grow and thrive”: details here (Opens in a new window).

The social care part of Surrey’s children’s services, which includes supporting children and families’ welfare and protecting vulnerable kids, has been rated by Ofsted as “Good”, up from “needs improvement” in 2022 and “inadequate” in 2018. More from the Local Democracy Reporting Service here (Opens in a new window).

Gatton Park Road reopening delayed

The date for the reopening of Gatton Park Road, a link between Reigate and the A23, has slipped to mid-June.

A spokesperson for SES Water, who are replacing water mains in the road, told me earlier this week: "We had planned to finish our work on Gatton Park Road by the end of May.

“However, during routine testing of the new water main, we found an issue with one of the fittings that needs to be fixed and tested again.

 "We’re now aiming to connect the pipe in early June and reopen Gatton Park Road by mid-June.

“To help speed things up, we’ll be working extended hours, 7am to 7pm where possible, from 19 May.

"We thank local residents and road users for their patience and understanding, and we apologise for the delay.”

Play will explore ‘the rage within’

The Archway theatre’s next play, The IT, runs Tuesday 27 - Saturday 31 May (Opens in a new window).

The Horley-based theatre says: “We are delighted that our young adults will be taking to the main stage this year to bring you an exciting production of The IT, which grapples with issues arising from adolescent mental health, and ‘the rage within’. Told from the perspective of a teenager, with support from a flexible cast comprising various characters, the play considers how people cope when their inner feelings take unexpected forms.

“Written specifically with young casts in mind, this play was first performed in 2021, and went on to win Best Play for Young Audiences at the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards 2023.”

Volunteer award nominations open

Nominations are now open for the Reigate & Banstead Volunteer Awards 2025, in five categories: Young Volunteer; Volunteer; Individual Trustee; Volunteer Trustee; and Long Service Award (ten years’ or more service).

Set up over 20 years ago, the awards are run by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council in partnership with Voluntary Action Surrey East (VASE).

Stuart Matthews, chair of trustees at VASE, said: “In these troubled times it is important to remember and celebrate those who willingly volunteer their time and energy to help others across our communities. These awards allow us to recognise outstanding individual contributions and to thank volunteers for the vital roles they play in supporting essential services.”

To qualify, nominees must live and/or volunteer in the borough and not receive any remuneration for their time (except expenses). The closing date is Monday 16 June 2025.

Full details, including a description of each award category, and how to nominate someone, are here (Opens in a new window).

Successful nominees will be invited to an awards ceremony in July.

Surrey’s lead member for children’s services to step down

By Emily Dalton, Local Democracy Reporter, 22 May 2025

Surrey’s lead for children’s service has announced she is standing down from her role and will not be standing for re-election. Councillor Clare Curran has stepped down to become deputy cabinet member for children services with a particular focus on SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). 

Cllr Curran said she has decided to stand down after four successful years as children service’s boss for the county but will continue to focus on SEND services.

The news comes after a turbulent week for the councillor, including an apparent U-turn (Opens in a new window) on ‘closing down communication channels’ with Surrey MPs for individual cases when “where a more appropriate alternative route is available”, although there is no suggestion this is behind her move.

The county’s children service’s boss denied communication was being cut back or closed down at a full council meeting on 20 May. Cllr Curran insisted she wanted to hear from MPs and work constructively with them. 

“I will not stand by and allow some members to denigrate the work of this council and our officers who are achieving good and improving outcomes for the residents of Surrey,” said the leader of the county council, Tim Oliver. He praised Cllr Curran and the whole department for the turnaround in children services since the new administration.

Replacing Cllr Curran is Cllr Jonathan Hulley, who was deputy cabinet member for Strategic Highways.

Cllr Clare Curran said in a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “After leading the Children, Families and Lifelong Learning portfolio for four years, and successfully supporting the children’s social care services on their journey from an ‘Inadequate’ rating to achieving a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted (Opens in a new window) in the recent ILACS inspection, I have decided to stand down as Lead Cabinet Member.

“I am taking on the role of Deputy Cabinet Member in order fully to concentrate on improvements to SEND while the service goes through fundamental change with Local Government Reorganisation, and having served as an elected representative continuously for 25 years, I will not be seeking election again to one of the unitary authorities.

“I look forward to working with Cllr Hulley and will do all I can to support him in his new role”

The county council has come under fire in recent years for having one of the highest SEND tribunal appeal rates in England. Around 198 SEND-related complaints have also been upheld against it by the Local Government Ombudsman since the start of 2022. 

The Surrey authority would say it has invested £15m into a three-year recovery and improvement plan and is significantly investing in supporting SEND children both inside school and out.

Its most recent Ofsted SEND area inspection found that children with SEND had “inconsistent experiences and outcomes”. Communication between services and families remains a consistent problem, but the council said it is working hard to “crack” the issue. 

But despite the three-year improvement plan and the significant progress the council has made, Cllr Curran has decided to step down to deputy. Cllr Maureen Attewell has also stepped down from her position as deputy for children services. 

Surrey Liberal Democrat MPs have welcomed what they called “accountability for the county’s SEND services” with the key councillors stepping down.

In a joint statement, the Lib Dem MPs said: “As Surrey MPs all we want is to improve the lives of those we represent. Never again should Surrey County Council disgracefully dismiss the agony of Surrey families as merely ‘articulate Surrey parents’.

“We are keen to work with Surrey County Council in delivering the best possible outcomes for SEND children in Surrey and hope this is the start of a wider cultural shift in prioritising the delivery of SEND education.”

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