News

Wotton Parish Council newsletters are included in Holmbury St Mary & Wotton Parish News.

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.comThe 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.