New Surrey Lib Dem hits the ground running

Grateful residents have written to thank recently elected Lib Dem county councillor Harry Boparai for his work in helping to resolve two longstanding issues in his Division, Sunbury Common & Ashford Common.

Residents from Seymour Drive in Sunbury-on-Thames contacted Cllr Boparai in March this year, to ask for help in finding those responsible for maintaining some over-grown trees that were now adversely impacting their property. These had originally been planted as part of a development that started back in 1984 and the residents had been trying to identify the responsible party since 2013! Thanks to Cllr Boparai's intervention, works have now been carried out to the satisfaction of the homeowners.

Back in 2020 a concerned resident contacted Surrey County Council to report on the poor condition of the pedestrian area outside Crownage Court, a residential development on Staines Road West in Sunbury-on-Thames. The complainant described how the trees were lifting, breaking the paving stones and damaging the low walls around the trees, constituting a trip hazard for anyone walking by. Unfortunately, once the county council confirmed that the party responsible was in fact a private landowner, everything went quiet.

Undeterred, the resident contacted the newly elected Cllr Boparai at the beginning of March, and he immediately took up the case. He worked with council officers to identify the relevant landowner, who has now confirmed that work on these much-needed repairs will start next month.

Cllr Boparai said:

"I am so pleased to be able to report positive outcomes for my residents in both these cases. In relation to Crownage Court, the damage to the public realm at the front of the building was not only dangerous to pedestrians but contributed to a look of neglect, even possibly contributing to increased anti-social behaviour in the area. It just highlights how important it is not to let these problems escalate and nip them in the bud where possible".