My 2019 Policy Commitments

My Guiding Principles

Hazel Watson has the local knowledge that is needed to represent our villages. Her approach is summarised as follows:

 “We live in a beautiful area and we must ensure that it remains so. We must also provide the services that residents need, in the way they need them, cost effectively, to ensure that all residents can enjoy living in our beautiful area and have a decent standard of living.”

 My Key Policies are:

 Protect the Green Belt

We will protect the Green Belt from inappropriate development, only considering development in the Green Belt on land that no longer serves Green Belt purposes and where there is local support for such development.

Introduce Fair Parking Charges

We will introduce fair parking charges for residents, retailers and workers, extend the 30 minute free parking scheme, improve the discounted parking permits scheme for low paid workers, and introduce electric vehicle charging points.

Ensure Planning Rules are Enforced

We will ensure that the District Council undertakes appropriate planning enforcement action where planning rules are breached and will prioritise the building of social housing for rent and smaller homes local residents can afford.

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Our 2015 Manifesto

Fairer

Services for the Elderly and Those in Need

Protect and improve services for the elderly and vulnerable, such as the citizens’ advice bureau, the dial-a-ride service, the handyman service, the telecare service, the social centres which provide cooked lunches, chiropody, hairdressing and social activities, and the dog warden service.

Services for the Homeless

Ensure that adequate provision is made for the homeless and provide accommodation cost effectively for those who need it.

Invest in the Community

Seek to provide support for the arts and sports through grants to local organisations and to support and develop community facilities such as introducing a cafe on Meadowbank and an all-weather astroturf pitch in the south of the District. Provide industrial units for business start-ups to assist in generating employment in the District.

Fees and Charges

Seek to ensure that fees charged for services are limited to the costs of providing the service so that the District Council does not profit from providing services to those in need. Introduce a new charging structure for car parking which extends the free 30 minute parking scheme and replaces the £1 an hour parking charge with a fairer charge that will help promote the vitality of the town centre.

Greener

 Make Towns and Villages Cleaner and Brighter

Protect and care for our green spaces through introducing environmental enhancement schemes; improve litter collection and street cleaning; support the Dorking and Leatherhead markets; and enhance the built environment in our town and village centres.

Ensure Maximum Recycling and Efficient Use of Energy

Increase recycling provision, encourage more business waste recycling, implement the ‘green deal’ by supporting residents in energy saving; and limit charges for the “garden waste” collection scheme to the costs of administering the scheme.

Protect our Green Environment

Give priority to building on previously developed land, resist inappropriate and damaging development, and resist inappropriate release of land from the Green Belt.

More Effective

Promote our Town Centres and Villages

Use planning policy to enhance the built environment of our town and village centres, protecting their special character such as through the encouragement of appropriate shop frontages (ie not “national standard chain frontages) and maintaining the unique character of each of our villages.

Planning Enforcement

Ensure that appropriate enforcement action is taken when planning permission is breached.

Cut Bureaucracy and Enhance Partnerships

Cut red tape and save unnecessary back-office costs by increasing shared working with partners such as other local Councils, the police and voluntary organisations.

Make Full Use of Council and Community Assets

Retain Pippbrook in Dorking as Mole Valley’s ‘civic centre’, maximise the use of the Dorking Halls and our leisure centres and promote their use.

Review Existing Uses of Property Assets

Review the use of the Voluntary Organisations Hub at the former Mayflower Centre and the land at Curtis Road, Dorking to ensure that these assets are effectively managed and provide value-for-money to residents.