Dismay as "broke" County Council gives £400K grant to Surrey art gallery with £38 MILLION in funds
Liberal Democrat county councillors have condemned a decision by Conservative-run Surrey County Council to award a £400K grant to an art gallery which has £38m of funds and an income of £1.2m a year.
The Watts Gallery in Compton, Guildford, was awarded the money following a decision by the Leader of the Council at a meeting on 12th September 2017. In the papers produced, the County Council's Chief Finance Officer warns that the County Council's financial position is extremely serious, that the proposed expenditure has not been budgeted for and that the gallery was already "financially viable".
Save our Tips - over 2000 sign Lib Dem petition in Surrey against Tory plans
Over two thousand residents have signed a Liberal Democrat petition against Surrey County Council's proposals to close the popular and well-used Community Recycling Centre (CRC) in Warlingham. The County Council is also planning to reduce the opening hours of all the remaining CRCs, as well as scrapping the daily free waste allowance in order to save £2m from its budget.
Charles Lister said: "Right now, we are experiencing shortsighted cuts imposed by Tory-controlled Surrey County Council, with street lighting turned off at night and the Bond Road tip under threat of closure."
Prison assaults reach record high while 71 prisoners released in error
The Liberal Democrats have accused the government of "turning prisons into powder kegs", after damning figures showed both assaults and self-harm have reached a record high, while 71 prisoners have been released in error.
Sam Gymiah the MP for East Surrey is The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State responsible for:
prison operations,
prison reform,
probation services,
probation reform and
prison and probation industrial relations.