Surrey County Council has been criticised by the Information Commissioner (ICO) for its behaviour over Freedom of Information requests made during its attempt to bring in on-street parking charges last year.
OLRG and Oxted Chamber of Commerce and Chanterelle of Oxted made 3 joint complaints to the ICO about the County Council's repeated failure to supply information about the parking charges proposals.
All the complaints have been upheld and the County Council has been given 35 days to comply with the ICO's decision.
The ICO says that SCC:
* refused to provide the information without a valid excuse
* failed to comply with time limits
* failed to provide the required advice and assistance
Many thousands of people opposed the plans to introduce parking charges in towns across the county, including Oxted, Caterham, Whyteleafe and Warlingham. The County Council eventually dropped them.
The ICO decision
Case Ref: FER0396638
Date: 19/04/2012
Public Authority: Surrey County Council
Summary: The complainants requested a business plan and related information concerning proposed changes to parking charges due to be brought in by Surrey County Council (SCC). The Information Commissioner's decision is that SCC failed to justify its application of the 'manifestly unreasonable' exception and failed to respond within the statutory timescale. The Information Commissioner requires SCC to either provide an adequate refusal under the correct legislation (the EIR) or disclose the requested information.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: EIR 5.1 - Complaint Upheld, EIR 5.2 - Complaint Upheld, EIR 9.1 - Complaint Upheld
To read the full decision click here
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JOHNSDALE GREEN
From Johnsdale Residents Association:
Residents of Johnsdale would like to say a huge thank you to all the Oxted & Limpsfield Residents Group (OLRG) members who supported us in our campaign to persuade Southern Gas Networks (SGN) to remove the gas governor equipment from our recreational green.
We have now heard officially that SGN are prepared to move the governor at their expense if an alternative location can be found. Obviously the heat is on to find that alternative location in a sensible site, as quickly as possible, so that we can make our green functional again.
Surrey County Council had stated that at no stage did it approve the siting of the equipment on the green. It gave SGN until last Friday (23 March) to produce evidence that they had properly complied with the procedures in the Gas Act 1986 requiring them to obtain the County Council's consent.
The County Council says it did not receive the evidence it sought but, in view of the positive approach being suggested, will assist SGN in seeking an alternative location for the governor.
We were overwhelmed by the response from people whom we have never met, who sympathised with our plight and were prepared to put themselves out to help us.
Most of all, we owe a huge debt to the OLRG team for encouraging us to persevere and helping to guide our campaign.
It's not over yet, of course, but this news has marked a major change in attitude from SGN which we have welcomed.
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To see Johnsdale green before - and after - Southern Gas Networks got hold of it, click on the first headline.
Johnsdale residents have made a video about what's happened which is on this link click here
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CHALKPIT REVIEW TO GO AHEAD
After a blitz of letters from horrified residents, Surrey's minerals bosses have given the go ahead for a review of planning controls on Chalkpit Quarry. The operator, Southern Gravel, had applied for a 10 year postponement saying the existing conditions were 'entirely satisfactory'.
It's a tremendous result for people power. Residents from all over Oxted bombarded the County Council with emails and letters, describing the nightmare of living with the quarry lorries and explaining why a postponement of the review should be refused.
They were not just standard letters but heartfelt, personal experiences. Some were quite disturbing with details of near misses, children at risk, verbal abuse by drivers and environmental damage. They painted a frightening picture of what has been, for many years, an intolerable situation.
The County Council's refusal letter to Southern Gravel says the existing conditions are not satisfactory and that: ''.. there is extensive evidence of concern from local residents with respect to the impact of HGV traffic on the locality and many letters of objection have been received to this application to postpone.'
The letter says the Chalkpit has had a history of complaints about HGV traffic since Southern Gravel took over the site in 2006.
It's really good news that local views have been listened to click here
What happens next
Southern Gravel has until 11 June to submit a scheme of new conditions for the Chalkpit, to the County Council, for approval. If no scheme is submitted then the existing planning permission will come to an end, apart from the requirement for any restoration of the site or aftercare.
If a scheme is submitted, residents will be consulted on it and this will be a chance, at last, to get proper conditions put on the consent. OLRG will, with the help of its lawyers, draw up a response which will include the additional controls that residents want to see brought in.
All the letters have given a good idea of the controls that are wanted - things like limits on lorry numbers, size of lorries, hours of operating, intervals between lorries, speed limits, routing, environmental safeguards and, very importantly, proper enforcement of any agreed new scheme.
Please do send us details of anything you think should be included by emailing oxted.residents@btinternet.com or writing to: OLRG, PO Box 233, Oxted Post Office, Station Road West, Oxted, RH8 9EH
Residents have been campaigning for years to end the dangers caused by the uncontrolled numbers of quarry lorries. It's a miracle that no-one has been killed or seriously injured.
The number of lorries is uncontrolled because no condition, limiting numbers, was attached to the 1997 planning consent. HGVs travel through a heavily populated residential area which includes an infant school, a junior school and the largest secondary school in Surrey. As well as schoolchildren being put at risk, so too are pedestrians, horseriders and motorists.
See headlines for coverage of the Chalkpit review story.
Also click here and
What you can do:
Reporting dangerous driving:
Surrey Police: 0845 1252222 (note registration number)
Reporting other highways concerns:
Surrey County Council:
Ian Gray, Enforcement and Monitoring Team Leader 020 8541 9423
Alan Stones, Planning Development Control Team 020 8541 9426
Reporting incidents to do with infill, spillages, damage to local environment etc:
Environment Agency:
24hr Incident Hotline 0800 807060
(note registration number, contractor, time/date of incident, description of driver if possible)
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The residents group is quite large (900+ members) but bigger is better if it wants to stand a chance of being listened to. Please encourage people to join. All they need to do is email oxted.residents@btinternet.com or, if they don't have or like email, write to: Oxted & Limpsfield Residents Group, P O Box 233, Oxted Post Office, Station Road West, Oxted, RH8 9EH and we'll keep in touch by post.
Most members are from Oxted & Limpsfield, but there are others from across northern Tandridge and anyone in the district is welcome to join. The group is solely concerned with planning matters.