Surrey Lib Dems have responded to the county council's local transport plan. "It says all the right things about where Surrey needs to get to in terms of transforming travel and transport for residents and businesses but falls short in setting out the steps for getting there." See full response.

There is still time for members of the public to submit their views on the proposals before the deadline of 24 October.

The Lib Dems have questioned Surrey County Council's process of selecting a new highways maintenance contractor which has resulted in the three final bids coming from companies all with a history of failing Surrey residents.

The Council's Cabinet met yesterday and agreed to award the contract to either Amey, Kier or Ringway. Initially the contract will be for 10 years, but a possible extension could take it to 21 years with a total value of about £2.5bn.

The Lib Dems have called Surrey County Council's draft County Deal for Surrey bid a 'power gr ab'.

The County Council is currently putting together a bid for more powers from central government as part of a County Deal for Surrey. However, there is growing concern that the County Deal bid is a simple power grab to enable the Council to become a unitary authority by the back door.

Surrey Lib Dem members who sit on the select committee for Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture have responded to news that the Good Law Project is taking legal action against Surrey County Council.

Fiona White (Guildford West) said:

"It comes as no surprise to me and my Surrey Lib Dem colleagues, who have challenged Surrey County Council on its delivery of services to vulnerable children over many years, that it is now facing a legal challenge for failing in its statutory duty.

Lib Dems have secured support for measures that will result in all care leavers in Surrey being exempt from paying council tax from next April.

In 2018, Surrey Lib Dems won unanimous backing at Surrey County Council for a motion to exempt care leavers from paying tax until they are 25. Ten of Surrey's eleven borough and district councils have also already taken this step, but under Conservative administration, Tandridge District Council had been holding out against the exemption, however a change in the power balance there has now created an opportunity for the District to move into line with the rest of the county.

The local Lib Dems created a petition calling on Surrey County Council to increase the opening times and allow pedestrian access at the Community Recycling Centres in Caterham and Warlingham.

Lib Dem County Councillor for Caterham Valley, Jeffrey Gray, said:

"Local residents have become increasingly frustrated by the long queues outside the recycling centres on Bond Road in Warlingham and Chaldon Road in Caterham. The local tips' opening hours have been cut back so that when they are open, the demand is greater than ever, causing congestion in local roads."

The local Lib Dems have called on Surrey County Council to stand up to the Government over its failure to deliver the previously promised reform of the social care system.

Lib Dem Councillors have tabled a motion to the County Council's next meeting on 13th July demanding that the Council continues to put pressure on the Government and Surrey's MPs to honour their pledge to tackle the crisis in social care.

This Carers Week, the Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to provide emergency funding to give carers a break from dramatically increased caring responsibilities during the Covid pandemic.
More than 108,400 people in Surrey are looking after elderly, disabled or vulnerable people. Data from Carers UK shows 64% of carers have not been able to take any sort of a break during the pandemic.

Schools across Surrey are set to lose £1.1 million in funding for the most disadvantaged pupils in the county following the Government's decision to alter the method of calculating pupil premium funding.

The pupil premium, which aims to close the attainment gap by providing extra money to pupils eligible for free school meals, was a flagship reform introduced by the Lib Dems in Government in 2011.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for all EU citizens in the UK to be given the automatic right to stay, as new figures reveal that 3,580 living in Surrey are still waiting for the Home Office to process their applications - with just five weeks to go before the Government's deadline.

The latest EU Settlement Scheme statistics show that, as of the end of March, there have been 80,8880 applications from people living in Surrey, with 77,300 of these having been concluded.