16 JUL 2010
I spent Friday morning visiting Marden Lodge Primary School in Caterham. It was a pleasure to meet such lively polite kids; they're a credit to the school and fully deserve the new play area that's just been built there. The teachers there - led by headteacher Georgina Steinthal - are doing some great things, and it was good to get the chance to take the full tour. Hopefully we can start letting teachers teach again, freeing them up to do what they do best: giving our youngsters the confidence and knowledge they need to fulfil their potential.
09 JUL 2010
Following on from my meeting with the Quarry Observation Group in Bletchingley, I met up with the Nutfield Marsh Residents Group on Friday morning. They have legitimate concerns about the Surrey Minerals Plan which has just been submitted by Surrey County Council, and we spent the morning discussing the specific issues they have and how best we can resolve them. The new planning legislation that has come down from the Coalition Government looks to give power back to the people over planning decisions in their area, and by submitting the Plan it seems that Surrey County Council appear to be ignoring this.
09 JUL 2010
It was good to see Elaine Burtenshaw again, and we had a productive chat about the policing issues in the area. I'm hoping to do more with Elaine and local residents soon - watch this space!