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NEWSLETTERS
Wotton Parish Council newsletters are also included in Holmbury St Mary & Wotton Parish News.
JULY 2026: The July meeting of Wotton Parish Council took place on the evening of the 7th, another very warm evening as this summer’s heatwave continued. Following the previous resignation of Steve Hackett, a Notice of Vacancy was published. Two residents had applied, and councillors had a difficult decision to make about who would be co-opted onto the Council as both applicants were well suited for the position. After discussion, councillors decided to co-opt Pat Rudling, a well-known local resident who has been active in the community for 30 years. The Chairman welcomed Pat onto the Council and the clerk provided the usual forms for completion. The second applicant was thanked for applying and encouraged to apply for any future vacancy that occurred. Another vacancy occurred almost immediately. Gary Burgess announced his intention to resign as councillor owing to a proposed relocation to another area. Written notice of resignation was received by the clerk the following day and a Notice of Vacancy will be published on noticeboards and the Council’s website: https://e-voice.org.uk/wottonpc/ . Applicants should contact the parish clerk if they are interested in becoming a councillor and applications will be considered at the next meeting on 6 October. An application for grant funding had been received from St Barnabas Church at Ranmore. The grant is needed to cover part of the cost of essential glazing repairs. The Church is early Victorian, currently Grade 2 in terms of national importance, and it is considered that an application for redesignation as Grade 1 would be successful. The Churchwarden, Robin Luff, and Treasurer Philip Warley attended the meeting and gave further details to councillors. The Church has a small fund set aside, a legacy solely dedicated for use on glazing works, and they are applying for match funding to commence the refurbishments. Councillors discussed the application and were happy to approve the grant of £5,500. This will come out of CIL funds.There had been a very serious road traffic accident on Hollow Lane a few days before the meeting and the Police were asking for witnesses to come forward. A 51 year-old cyclist from London had been riding at top speed down the hill on the wrong side of the road and crashed into an oncoming car. He was taken to hospital suffering from serious injuries. At the request of residents, the Council had recently asked for the speed limit on Hollow Lane to be reduced to 30 mph as there had been several road traffic incidents, accidents and near misses, on Hollow Lane in recent years. Parts of Hollow Lane are very narrow and hilly with several blind bends. It is a dangerous road, and some people think parts of it should be reduced to 20 mph. The Parish Council’s request for Highways to consider reducing the speed limit to 30 mph from its present 40mph had been met with a refusal. Surrey County Council Highways had conducted a survey and redesignated the speed limits on several of Wotton’s roads only a couple of years ago. Although they reduced the speed limits on several roads to 20mph, it was decided that Hollow Lane should be 40 miles an hour, despite the concerns of local residents and other regular users. With the creation of the new East Surrey Council next year, the new Highways team can be asked to consider reducing the speed limit on Hollow Lane. It had been reported previously that two of the Parish Council’s noticeboards were in a very poor state of repair. Fortunately, the noticeboard at Broadmoor remains in a good stable condition as it is protected from the elements by a roof canopy. It was decided to replace the noticeboard near the Village Hall and the one at the Hollow Lane/Guildford Road junction. The clerk had made enquiries of several suppliers and produced costings for consideration. It was agreed that the manmade timber noticeboards from Greenbarnes should be ordered, the cost to be met from the CIL fund. The Chairman said he would arrange for the noticeboards to be installed. The noticeboards are two-bay; one side has a glazed door for use by the Council, and one side is open for use by the public.
MAY 2026: Wotton Parish Council’s Annual Meeting took place on Tuesday 5 May at 7pm in the Village Hall. The first item on agendas of annual meetings for all parish councils is to appoint a chairman. Peter Evelyn was re-elected as Chairman of Wotton Parish Council and Andy Cole was re-elected as Vice Chairman. Councillors approved the continuing appointment of Deborah Jones and Stuart McLachlan as parish council representatives on MVDC’s Standards Committee. They will represent all 13 parish councils in Mole Valley for the next year. Arrangements for parish council representation on the East Surrey Council committee when it takes over in April 2027 are not known at this time. A letter of resignation had been received from Councillor Steve Hackett owing to ill health. Councillors sent their thanks to Steve for his many years of service on the Council and wished him well for the future. A Notice of Vacancy has been placed on the website and on noticeboards. Any applications will be considered at the next meeting on 7 July. Applicants should contact the parish clerk if they are interested in becoming a councillor: clerkwottonsurrey@wottonparishcouncil.org As reported at previous meetings, £17,800 of CIL monies (Community Infrastructure Levy) had been received from the district council as a result of redevelopment at the Stephan Langton Inn. There were two applications for grant funding to be considered at this meeting: (i) St John’s Church £3,656 and (ii) Village Hall £4,685, both grants to go towards the cost of heating. Councillors considered both applications were a good use of the CIL funds and the applications were approved. Up to half of the cost of suitable projects can be considered for grants from the Parish Council. CIL monies must be spent, or allocated, within 5 years of receipt, or returned to the district council. The internal audit was conducted by Mulberry LAS on 15 April and their report had been forwarded to councillors. The AGAR Form 3 (annual governance and accounting statements and internal auditors report) issued by the external auditors PKF Littlejohn, was agreed by the meeting and pages 4 and 5 were signed by the chairman and clerk. The form has now been forwarded to PKF, together with accompanying documents. These are published on the parish council’s website: https://e-voice.org.uk/wottonpc/ The dates for the Public to Inspect Documents this year are 3 June to 14 July 2026. A formal notice has been placed on the noticeboards and on the website.
JANUARY 2026: The first meeting of the year for Wotton Parish Council took place on Tuesday 6 January 2026 at 7pm. It was a very cold evening outside and not much warmer in the Village Hall! The police had sent a comprehensive report about incidents notified over the last six months. This was received with interest by councillors and several items of particular interest were discussed. This is the time of year that the district council asks parish councils what precept they will require for the financial year starting on 1 April. Councillors discussed the draft budget and decided on a precept request of £8,470. There is also the continuing extra grant of £309 payable. Council had received a payment from the Neighbourhood element of the Community Infrastructure Levy in October. This has to be spent within 5 years of receipt, or returned, and it cannot be spent on administration of the Council. Several possible projects were discussed, and further information was requested for discussion at a later meeting. There was an update about local government reorganisation. The decision has been made by central government to divide Surrey into two unitary authorities, East Surrey and West Surrey, to amalgamate the functions of the county and district councils. The plan is to hold elections for members of the new unitary authority in May this year, and those elected members will be shadowing the existing members of the district and county council until 2027, when the new unitary authority comes into existence. The district council is currently undertaking a community governance review. There are several areas in the Mole Valley district which are currently unparished. Some of those areas may join existing parish councils, or create their own parish councils. Towns like Dorking and Leatherhead will have their own individual town councils.
OCTOBER 2025: Wotton Parish Council’s last meeting of 2025 took place on Tuesday 7 October at Wotton Village Hall. Highways matters were discussed and there was good news about Ranmore Road where work had just started on removing overgrown vegetation and filling potholes. This remedial work will improve visibility and enable vehicles to be driven safely on the correct side of the road. Overgrown hedges obscuring signs on Sheephouse Lane had been discussed previously and following the meeting it was reported that the hedges had now been cut back. The soldier silhouette on the A25 had fallen down in bad weather some months ago and this has now been reinstated next to the “WOTTON in the Surrey Hills” sign, using a more robust support system. There was discussion about the speed limit on Hollow Lane which is currently 40mph for its whole length. The county council are not able to reduce the speed limit here currently although this may be considered at a future review. Several roads in Wotton had their speed limits reduced to 20mph following the last review. The idea of purchasing a discretionary sign to encourage drivers to slow down was discussed, but it was decided not to proceed with the suggestion at the current time. Reports of very noisy bikes and other vehicles creating a disturbance, particularly at unsocial hours, were discussed. At a recent meeting with parish clerks, noise nuisance on the A24 at Box Hill was discussed and the police said it would be helpful if residents could report all noise nuisance to them when it occurs. This would help them to build up a picture of known trouble spots and concentrate resources more efficiently. Councillors discussed this and confirmed it is an ongoing problem in Wotton. Residents are therefore asked to report their concerns about noise disturbance directly to the police. The easiest way to do this is by calling 101 giving as much detail as possible relating to the time and location.
JULY 2025: The July meeting of Wotton Parish Council took place on Tuesday 1st at Wotton Village Hall starting at 7pm. The timetable for local government reorganisation was discussed. All district councils will disappear in 2027 leaving only parish councils and unitary councils. The government has now received two proposals from Surrey’s county and district councils and residents are encouraged to respond by stating their preference for two or three unitary authorities. Paper copies of the consultation documents are available at libraries or by phoning 03456 009 009. Responses need to be received by 5pm on 5 August. This is the link to the online consultation: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/local-government-reorganisation-in-surrey. Several current highways problems were discussed relating to inadequate and obscured signage on Sheephouse Lane and Ranmore Road, as well as the 40mph speed limit on Hollow Lane, which some residents consider is too fast given recent road traffic incidents. SCC’s County Councillor has advised that it will not be possible to reduce the speed limit to 30mph on Hollow Lane. It is, however, possible to ask SCC for a Slow Down sign, or similar signage, to warn drivers to watch their speed in areas identified as being particularly hazardous. Parish councils are able to request extra discretionary signs and County Highways will install those if they are paid for by the Parish Council.
MARCH 2025: The Annual Meeting for Wotton Parish Residents took place at 7pm on Tuesday 4 March 2025 at Wotton Village Hall. The minutes of last year’s meeting had been agreed and signed at the following meeting of the Parish Council in May 2024. The Chairman thanked everyone for coming and gave a round-up of the Parish Council’s activities for the last year. Three speakers had been invited to the meeting. PC Andy Whiteley spoke about rural crime. There are a lot of thefts from sheds and outbuildings. Installing a doorbell CCTV camera helps identify possible intruders and can discourage them from breaking in. Poachers and dogs worrying livestock are more difficult to solve. In answer to a question about putting trackers on equipment, PC Whiteley said he advises this, but often people don’t do it until they have been burgled. If residents notice something suspicious and can get a number plate, PC Whiteley said he can do checks. His email is Andrew.whiteley1@surrey.police.uk . He said most of the crime is committed by gangs from other areas and there is an ongoing problem with gangs stealing number plates and cloning them. Hazel Watson, SCC Councillor, spoke about devolution and explained the process and timetable. There could be two unitary authorities for Surrey, possibly three. The county council elections were cancelled this year to enable planning for devolution and the elections for the new Unitary Authority are currently scheduled to take place in May 2026, and the new Mayor in May 2027. The Unitary will be a Shadow Authority for one year with the councillors elected to the new authority only concerned with setting up the new Unitary Authority for that year, before the new Unitary Authority takes over. The existing District and County Councillors thus continue and are responsible for providing services until 1 April 2027. Chris Buddleigh, MVDC Councillor, said there is a proposal for three unitary authorities for Surrey: East, West and Central. Asked if that meant there would be more councillors, he said there would be less. There are ongoing talks with all interested parties and there will be a requirement for grass roots input into the devolution process. A question sent in by a resident about inadequate signage at the A25 junction with Sheephouse Lane was discussed. Because of the width restriction sign, some lorries are not using that route to access Surrey Business Park and instead taking the far more treacherous alternative route. Others are using the Sheephouse Lane access to the Business Park, driving past it and having difficulty turning round on the narrow lane. When it was suggested that the width restriction sign might be moved, Cllr Watson said it depends what the original Order relating to the signage says. This matter will be added to the next meeting of the Parish Council for further discussion. Another question was raised about an overgrown and muddy path along Ranmore Road, which has resulted in pedestrians walking in the road. The clerk was asked to contact the footpaths officer at SCC, and the National Trust, to find out who owns the path and is responsible for keeping it clear for walkers. As there were no further questions, the Chairman again thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting at 7.55pm.
JANUARY 2025: Wotton Parish Council held its first meeting of 2025 on Tuesday 7 January 2025. The meeting was well attended with all parish councillors present together with the county councillor, district councillor, and two members of the public. Parish councillors discussed a highways problem caused by heavy rain washing silt into ditches which had resulted in serious flooding on the road at the top of Whitedown Lane in Effingham. Although this area is not within Wotton parish, it has caused problems for many residents who are being sent on long detours via Dorking and Shere to get back to the A25. Highways have carried out works recently but further heavy rains have caused the problem to resurface. Councillors asked the clerk to write to Guildford Borough Council / Surrey Highways asking them to prioritise a permanent fix for the problem as this road is a main thoroughfare. It was noted that the footpath near Manor Farm on the Guildford Road had recently been resurfaced and this was welcomed by everyone as it had been in such a poor condition that walkers were obliged to walk in the road. The draft budget for the year 2025-26 was discussed. There had been no increase in the precept for the last two years and it was therefore decided that it would be necessary to increase the precept by 6% (£436) for the year starting on 1 April 2025. The increase in the precept, together with the extra grant, brings the total up to £8009 for the year 2025-26. There was discussion about possible speakers for the forthcoming residents meeting. All Wotton parish residents are invited to attend the Annual Parish Residents Meeting which takes place on Tuesday 4 March 2025. The meeting starts at 7pm at Wotton Village Hall. There is plenty of parking available.
OCTOBER 2024: Wotton Parish Council met for its final meeting of 2024 on Tuesday 1 October. There was good news from SCC Highways about renewal of fading centre lines and ‘slow’ signs on local roads as SCC have increased their budget for these works by £1.9 million in an effort to clear the backlog. More good news is that Mole Valley District Council has recently submitted a new application for a banking hub in Dorking, following the Link organisation’s recent change of policy. So even where there is already a Nationwide branch in towns, it will now be possible to have a banking hub available 24/7. An interesting presentation was made to the meeting by Mr Cowan from Surrey Community Action on the subject of rural affordable housing. Small affordable housing developments can be built in rural areas on rural exception sites which are not available for open market housing. Mr Cowan illustrated some of the affordable housing projects already provided in rural areas in Surrey. Several criteria apply and SCA can guide parish councils through this process. SCC have introduced a new way of reporting and tracking potholes online using FixMyStreet and the public are encouraged to use this facility. Councillors discussed the disruption caused by the ongoing closure of West Street in Dorking by Thames Water while it carries out repairs. It was noted that there appears to be very little activity on site most days. The wide diversion has been causing long delays and problems for residents and businesses. It was suggested that a letter of complaint should be written to SCC expressing the Council’s concerns.
JULY 2024: The July meeting of Wotton Parish Council took place on Tuesday 2nd July at Wotton Village Hall. Concern was expressed about numerous fading centre lines and ‘slow’ signs on local roads. These matters have been reported to SCC Highways on several occasions and added to a list which has now been provided to the Parish Council. But there is no timetable to carry out the work, which is an effective and economic measure to improve road safety. With the recent disastrous diesel spillage on the A24, and the consequent stretching of Highways’ finite resources, it may be another year before the lines and signs on roads are renewed. A warning about the dangers of the oak processionary moth had been received and was discussed. The caterpillars are quite striking in appearance and should not be touched. This is the advice from SCC: The oak processionary moth is a pest that has been found in Surrey. The caterpillar lives on oak trees and poses a risk to human and animal health. Between May to July is the greatest risk period, this is when the caterpillars are most numerous and are active around the tree or on the ground. The caterpillars’ tiny hairs contain a protein which can cause itchy skin rashes and less frequently, eye and throat irritations and breathing difficulties in people and animals. Pets are also affected and must be kept away from the nests and caterpillars. If you do come into contact with the larvae or caterpillars by accident, please follow the health advice on the NHS website . Please note: All sightings of the oak processionary moth should be reported to the Forestry Commission immediately. Please see Oak processionary moth advice - Surrey County Council (surreycc.gov.uk) for more information and to report online. As discussed at previous meetings, new litter picking equipment had been ordered and is now available. Councillors are undertaking ad hoc litter picking in their own areas. If any residents would like to borrow equipment so they can clear areas near their own homes, please contact: clerkwottonsurrey@wottonparishcouncil.org. The next meeting of the Parish Council is on Tuesday 2nd October, starting at 7pm in Wotton Village Hall. Residents are welcome to attend.
MAY 2024: The Annual Meeting of Wotton Parish Council took place on 7 May 2024. After the usual formalities of appointing a chairman for the year, Cllr Evelyn, and vice chairman, Cllr Cole, it was agreed to co-opt Gary Burgess as a new councillor. Wotton Parish Council now has its full complement of 8 councillors. The police report for the period since the last meeting was discussed. There was a request for further details about two instances of theft of car number plates. There was also discussion about the report of a loose pig on White Down Lane. There were the usual statutory matters on the agenda which have to be considered at a parish council’s annual meeting. An internal audit had been conducted by Mulberry & Co on 24 April and councillors accepted their final report. No matters had been identified for action. The annual governance and accountability return (AGAR) was agreed and signed. Councils with income or expenditure less than £25,000 a year are permitted to file an exemption certificate with the external auditors, PKF Littlejohn, which means the full AGAR does not need to be submitted. All financial documents are placed on the council’s website. The dates for public inspection of documents were announced. The period started on 3 June and ends on 12 July. It is a statutory requirement to provide this opportunity for public inspection each year. It is an anachronism these days where everything is available online on a council’s website, but it is a legal requirement.
JANUARY 2024: Wotton Parish Council held its first meeting of 2024 on Tuesday 9 January at 7pm in the Village Hall. Councillors were pleased to welcome residents and SCC Cllr Hazel Watson and MVDC Cllr Leah Mursaleen-Plank to the meeting. SCC Cllr Watson updated the meeting on highways matters. A comprehensive new Highways Guide for parish councils has recently been issued containing a lot of useful information. Cllr Watson had reported the need to relocate a dangerous manhole cover on Hollow Lane following concerns raised at the meeting in October and the water company had completed the work without delay. They had also re-lined a very short patch of the centre white line in Hollow Lane where the old manhole cover had been. This had revealed the fact that the rest of the centre white line in Hollow Lane had almost completely faded away. Councillors were concerned that the white line should be reinstated as quickly as possible as the road is narrow in places. Cllr Watson said she would report this, although it will not be done immediately as re-lining on several other roads would need to be scheduled for the same day. MVDC Clllr Mursaleen-Plank updated the meeting on the Mole Valley Local Plan which has been on hold for some time. The National Planning Policy Framework has now been issued but there is a question about whether MVDC can use the Framework as regards the district’s green belt. There was an update on the possibility of getting a banking hub in Dorking now that all the banks have abandoned the town. The Nationwide may withdraw from the Link system and if they do take that decision it will leave the way open for a 24/7 banking hub in Dorking. Parish Councillors looked at the expenditure for the current year and the budget for the financial year which starts on 1 April. The bank balance looked healthy as there had been an underspend on some items and it was agreed to keep this year’s precept request at £7,264, the same as last year’s. The Wotton and Abinger Flower Show did not take place last year owing to a shortage of committee members. The good news is that it may be possible to run it again this year if enough people offer to help. A request for volunteers has been sent out and several people have already offered to help. More pairs of hands are still needed, and if you can help in any way at all, please contact Paul by email cleaver.paul@gmail.com . The Wotton Residents Annual Meeting will be held on 5 March this year. All Residents are welcome to attend the meeting in the Village Hall starting at 7pm. The agenda will be on noticeboards and the website 2 weeks before the meeting.
OCTOBER 2023:Wotton Parish Council held its last meeting of the year on Tuesday 3 October. The second item on the agenda was the election of a new Vice Chairman, following the departure of Mrs Mansfield-Tubb in July, and Cllr Andy Cole was duly elected. The next item on the agenda was co-option of new councillors, there being two vacancies, and Mrs Janet Hunt was co-opted as a new member of the Parish Council.The police report for the previous three months listed several minor incidents. A request for more details regarding dates and locations of incidents has been sent to the police officer responsible for compiling the reports for Wotton and Ranmore.There was a discussion about Gatwick Airport’s expansion proposal which would involve extension of the northern runway. Cllr Cole had recently attended a presentation at Capel where representatives of the Gatwick Area Consultative Committee spoke about the proposal. They are particularly concerned about environmental issues. The proposed new runway would be moved ten yards and extended, which would enable planes taking-off and landing to use separate runways. This would result in less waiting time than currently because all planes have to share the main runway. The extended runway would also allow larger aircraft to use the airport. The link below gives further information about how to register online and comment on the proposal. When the consultation period ends on 29 October, the planning inspectorate will have six months to consider submissions and issue its report. https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/south-east/gatwick-airport-northern-runway/ . Mole Valley District Council is currently undertaking a consultation on its Strategy for 2024-2028. They are asking residents to take part in the consultation which asks residents to decide what the Council’s priorities should be for the next four years. The survey can be completed online at https://molevalley.gov.uk/strategyconsultation or in the traditional way by completing a paper form available from MVDC reception at Pippbrook, or from Dorking Halls reception. Alternatively, residents can telephone 01306 885001 and ask for a paper copy of the survey form to be sent to them. The final date for submission is Sunday 5 November.
JULY 2023: Wotton Parish Council held its regular July meeting at the Village Hall on 4 July 2023. One of the first matters on the agenda was co-option of councillors, there being two vacancies. A previous member was co-opted back onto the Council to bring the total up to 7 councillors, with one vacancy remaining. However, that total reduced back down to 6 councillors by the end of the meeting when a councillor resigned owing to imminent retirement from work and moving out of the area. Cllr Joanna Mansfield-Tubb had served on the council for 20 years and in recent years had been vice chairman. Chairman Cllr Evelyn said she would be greatly missed and gave thanks on behalf of the whole council for her long service and good wishes for the future. There was very little to note on the police report. Wotton is a safe area to live in. The only planning application of interest was the application for change of use to residential by the owners of the historic Stephan Langton Inn, which has been popular with local residents in the past. The pub has been closed for a while and was badly affected by the covid lockdowns and subsequent cost of living increases. There was an update on the state of Sheephouse/Damphurst Lane which had fallen into disrepair following the temporary closure of Hollow Lane. Although not the recommended alternative route, Sheephouse/Damphurst Lane had been used by an unusually large volume of traffic during the Hollow Lane closure. Surrey Highways has now repaired the potholes and the long stretches of mud in the middle of the road have been cleared. The problem with a protruding manhole cover in Hollow Lane at the junction with Brickyard Lane has been resolved by relocation of the manhole cover to a safer place by the water company. A proposal by Surrey Highways to reduce speed limits on various roads including Ranmore Common was discussed. A public consultation has taken place, ending on 16 June, and the proposed changes should come into effect later this year. Signs will be placed in the areas affected by changed speed limits. Mole Valley District Council have invited comments on their proposal to request a new banking hub in Dorking owing to the closure of all the major high street bank branches. Councillors expressed their support for this proposal.
MAY 2023: The Annual Meeting of Wotton Parish Council took place on Tuesday 9 May. The Village Hall curtains were open as usual at this time of the year and a herd of interested cows gathered by the fence outside the windows to view proceedings. There was a long agenda to get through and after the election of Cllr Peter Evelyn as the Chairman, always the first item on the agenda of annual meetings, the formal parts of the meeting proceeded swiftly, including co-option of three councillors. Cllr Daniel Bennett was welcomed as a new member of the council. There are currently two vacancies and these may be filled by co-option at the next meeting on 4 July. Councillors discussed the extremely bad condition of Sheephouse/Damphurst Lane. Several reports have been made and emails sent to Surrey Highways requesting repairs to numerous dangerous potholes stretching almost the entire length up to the Broadmoor turning. SCC Cllr Hazel Watson explained that the District Council is responsible for clearing the long stretches of mud in the middle of the lane as it is considered to be fly tipping. They have promised to complete that work by the middle of May. They had been unable to sweep Sheephouse/Damphurst Lane when Hollow Lane was closed owing to the heavy traffic using that lane instead of using the recommended diversion route. Further reports have now been made to Surrey Highways, more photos have been taken of the numerous potholes, and emails have been sent requesting urgent repairs to Sheephouse/Damphurst Lane. There was further discussion about highway problems on Hollow Lane near Brickyard Cottages and also at Whitedown Road on Ranmore Common. It was suggested that regular de-silting work should be carried out to keep the roads clear, but gravity was playing a big part in the flooding there. All highways problems can be reported on Surrey Highways website and their maps show where problems have already been reported.
MARCH 2023: The Annual Parish Meeting for Residents took place on the evening of Tuesday 7 March. It was good to see some new residents in attendance. The Chairman of the Parish Council gave his report on the activities of the Council for the past year and thanked everyone for their support. The two invited speakers were unable to attend the meeting. However, Denbies are keen to engage with residents and had offered an indoor tour at the vineyard for all attendees at the meeting. There was a question from a resident about the council’s remit. The Chairman explained that the parish council acts as a conduit on various matters. On planning applications, it writes to the district council; on highways and road safety, including matters like clearing footpaths, it writes to the country council. A document showing what parish councils can do, depending on their size, can be found on the website under the ‘Information’ heading: www.e-voice.org.uk/wottonpc . There was comment about all the potholes on the roads and the fact that many of them now seem to have been marked up for attention. Any member of the public can report a pothole on Surrey County Council’s website. The Natural England public consultation on proposed extensions to the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was mentioned. This opened on 7 March and closes on 13 June. There has been no change in the boundaries since the area was first designated in 1958 and residents are encouraged to give their views on this. emails can be sent to surreyhillsaonbboundaryreview@naturalengland.org.uk. Full details of the consultation can be found here: Surrey Hills AONB Boundary Review - Welcome (surrey-hills-aonb-boundary-review.org) and Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Boundary Variation Project - Defra - Citizen Space .
On 4 May there will be local elections for all seats on Mole Valley District Council owing to recent boundary changes. There will also be elections for any parish council where there are more applicants than seats available; at the last local elections only two parish councils had elections. There has been plenty of publicity about a change in requirements to vote this year. Voters at polling stations will now need to show a photo ID. If you do not have a photo ID, you can apply for a voter authority certificate from Mole Valley District Council, before 25 April.
JANUARY 2023: Wotton Parish Council held its first meeting of 2023 on 10 January. At this time of year all parish councils have to let their district councils know what level of funding they will require for the financial year starting on 1 April. This funding is known as the precept request. Councillors looked at the income and expenditure for the current year and the proposed expenditure for 2023-24 and it was agreed that Wotton’s precept should remain the same as last year’s. 2023 is election year for Mole Valley District Council and all parish councils in the district. Elections will take place on 4 May. There will only be an election here if more than 8 people wish to stand for Wotton Parish Council. We have one vacancy currently. Please contact the clerk if you would like to be a councillor clerkwottonsurrey@wottonparishcouncil.org This is an interesting and rewarding role and training will be available for all new councillors. Further information will be on noticeboards and the website during March www.e-voice.org.uk/wottonpc . The police report for the last 3 months was discussed by councillors. The report included an appeal for the public’s help following a fatal collision: “We are appealing for the public’s help following a fatal collision on Ranmore Common Road in Dorking on Friday, 4 November shortly before 4.30pm. Officers were called to Ranmore Common Road following reports of a collision involving a black Honda motorcycle and a grey Volkswagen Caddy. Despite the best efforts of emergency services, the rider of the motorcycle, a 21-year-old man, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. We are looking to speak to anyone who was at the scene of the collision, especially anyone with dashcam or helmet camera footage and may be able to assist our investigation. If you were travelling along Ranmore Common Road on Friday, 4 November between 4.00pm and 4.30pm, and you think you have any information that may help, please get in touch. Direct message us quoting PR/45220119387 online at https://www.surrey.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/ or webchat at www.surrey.police.uk or call 101.”
OCTOBER 2022: Wotton Parish Council held its last meeting of the year on 4 October. After the all too brief period of light summer evenings it was back to curtains closed and lights on in the Village Hall for the meeting, which started at 7pm as usual. Several items of interest were discussed by councillors. Of major interest are the proposals by Surrey County Council to reduce speed limits on some of the rural roads. These proposed reductions have been flagged up previously, but full details of all the roads affected and the various speed limits proposed have now been published. Wotton councillors thought the proposed reductions were a good thing and would improve road safety. The proposals can be viewed online at www.surrey.gov.uk. The documents are also available for personal inspection at SCC, Merrow Lane in Guildford, and MVDC, Pippbrook, in Dorking, and at the Library in Dorking. Other good news is that the Highways team are now in the process of inspecting suitable locations for grit bins and installation of the new bins should be completed before the freezing winter weather starts.There has been a request for volunteer litter pickers in Wotton. A community environmental group aims to keep the Tillingbourne Valley litter free and has active groups in surrounding areas. If anyone would like to help out in their area, please contact timmorgan633@gmail.com. The website www.tillingbourne.earth has more details. Does anyone know where some of the old minutes of meetings of Wotton Parish Council are stored? The History Centre in Woking has in its archives all the minutes for the years 1895 to 1978 and 1993 to 2001. But they do not have the minutes for 1979 to 1992, or for 2002 to 2017. I have contacted a previous clerk, but he cannot help. So any clues about their location would be welcome. As part of a review of council policies it has been decided to adopt a grant awarding policy. The Parish Council values the work of local voluntary groups and organisations and has a policy for making grants to groups and organisations which contribute to the welfare of the community by improving or supporting facilities and activities. More details can be found on the website www.e-voice.org.uk/wottonpc .
JULY 2022: The Parish Council met again on 5 July. It was a lovely sunny summers evening and through the large windows of the Village Hall we could see a herd of cows wandering into the field for an evening snack. After apologies for absence the minutes of previous meetings were agreed and signed by the chairman. Councillors adopted the latest recommended financial regulations and discussed adopting a new grants policy. It was reported that the defibrillator had been installed on the side wall of the Wotton Hatch and registered with the ambulance service and the district council. A request for the new grit bins had been made and news was awaited from Surrey Highways regarding the suitability of the requested locations in Abinger Bottom. It is hoped these can be installed before the winter. Councillors discussed the overgrown hedgerows on Hollow Lane near the junction with Guildford Road which appeared to have been missed out during the recent cutting back by SCC. The overgrown vegetation is obscuring sightlines for drivers and SCC have been contacted about it.
JUNE 2022: An extra meeting of Wotton Parish Council took place on 21 June to consider the annual accounting statements and the internal auditor’s report because these documents had to be submitted to the external auditors PKF Littlejohn by 30 June. The documents were discussed and agreed by councillors and signed by the chairman. They can be viewed on the website https://e-voice.org.uk/wottonpc/links/ Parish councils are governed by all sorts of legislation and the Transparency Code for Smaller Authorities says that councils must publish certain documents on a website. Councils must also give the public the opportunity to inspect documents physically for a specified period each year. This does seem to be a bit of an anachronism in these days of universal public access to the internet. However, the rules are the rules. So this year the dates for public inspection of Wotton Parish Council’s documents are 27 June to 5 August.
MAY 2022: The Annual Meeting of Wotton Parish Council was held on Tuesday 3 May in Wotton Village Hall. As required by the Local Government Act 1972, the annual meeting has to be held in May and the first item on the agenda is to elect a chairman. Cllr Mr Peter Evelyn agreed to stand again this year and was elected unanimously. Cllr Mrs Mansfield-Tubb also agreed to stand again and was elected Vice Chairman. The Parish Council is funding the installation of a new public defibrillator on the side wall of the Wotton Hatch public house and this work will be completed shortly. Councillors discussed and agreed to a resident’s request for 3 replacement grit bins in the Abinger Bottom area. An application is being made to SCC to provide and maintain these, initially for a 4-year period. SCC’s proposals for reducing some speed limits were discussed. The aim is to reduce 60mph speed limits down to 50mph on some A roads in Surrey and on some of the rural lanes reductions down to 20mph. SCC are also introducing a new policy to require ID from people wishing to use community recycling centres. The government’s £150 payment to all council tax payers with properties in the A-D bands to help with cost of living increases this year will go directly into bank accounts if residents are paying their council tax by direct debit. If residents are not paying council tax by direct debit, they will need to make an application to Mole Valley District Council (01306 879100).
FEBRUARY 2022: At the Wotton Parish Council meeting held on 1 February Councillors discussed the continuing damage to verges being caused by large vehicles using unsuitable narrow lanes. It was suggested that lorry-specific satnavs are directing heavy goods vehicles along Sheephouse Lane as a cut-through to Leith Hill Road. Although some HGVs need to turn into the Lane to access Surrey Business Park, it was agreed that the signage could be improved to warn lorries not to continue past the Business Park. It was also suggested that satnav companies should be contacted to report the unsuitability of the route. The council will report the matter to the satnav companies and it would be helpful if residents on Sheephouse Lane could also make their own separate reports. Please contact the clerk for information on how to do this: clerkwottonsurrey@wottonparishcouncil.org. The Annual Parish Meeting for Wotton Residents will take place at the Village Hall at 7pm on Tuesday 8 March. Speakers have been invited to attend and give a round-up of their activities during the last year and residents will have the opportunity to take part in the meeting and ask questions. All residents are welcome.