Lib Dem success: Surrey Tories forced to spill the beans on cycling

Questioning of the Conservative run Cabinet of Surrey County Council by Hazel Watson, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on Surrey County Council, has successfully forced the Conservative Leader to spill the beans about deals struck behind closed doors and payments made for cycling events in Surrey.

Cllr Watson said: "Surrey residents have been asking me for the facts, figures and decisions made by the County Council relating to these cycling events. Residents want to know who made the decisions to hold the events, when the decisions were taken and why the decisions were made behind closed doors without consulting them. The responses to my questions have given many of the answers."

Cllr Hazel Watson's questioning has resulted in the release of a previously confidential Cabinet paper from December 2011 which committed Surrey to hosting both the Prudential RideLondon Surrey and Tour of Britain events. Although Surrey County Council has previously stated that the Prudential RideLondon is a five year project, it has been unclear who made the five year commitment to host it in Surrey.

Cllr Watson said: "The release of this paper shows that the Cabinet Meeting in December 2011 didn't discuss or agree that the Prudential RideLondon Surrey Classic should continue for five years. However, the Conservative Leader of the Council has now admitted that the plans were "a verbal agreement" between him and the Mayor of London.

"Decisions of this scale should not be made by a verbal agreement behind closed doors between two people. The fact that the initial Cabinet paper and the Conservative Council Leader's verbal agreement were both behind closed doors means that residents and businesses have been unable to scrutinise or challenge proposals that impact on them for five years. It is also unclear from the papers released today whether the five boroughs and districts are signed up to this five year deal."

Hazel Watson added: "Despite the Conservative Cabinet Member responsible for the cycling events saying in September 2013 that there have been no direct costs to Surrey for the cycling events, it is clear from the answers today that there have been significant costs to Surrey's Council Taxpayers, including secret payments by Surrey County Council to Tour of Britain Ltd totalling £381,250."

Hazel Watson concluded: "I am pleased that Surrey residents and businesses are much better informed about past decisions. I hope that in future such important decisions significantly affecting Surrey residents and businesses will be made more openly with consultation before decisions are taken."

All relevant documents can be found here