I met the Sue Morley CEO of the ambassadors over a year ago to express my desire for visitors to the Ambassadors to be able to recycle their paper and plastic waste on leaving the cinema or theatre.

It has taken a long time due to the need for the Ambassadors to renegotiate their waste collection contract, but I am delighted that people visiting the Ambassadors can now recycle used paper and plastic after a show.

I am pleased that the Ambassadors are taking a leading role in promoting recycling for customers by businesses in Woking. I urge other businesses to follow this example. I know that the Ambassadors will be more than willing to give advice on how they achieved this.

These small changes do add up to have a real impact to reduce our impact on the environment. I warmly applaud the work by the Ambassadors in doing this.

I met with Peter Smith manager of Sainsbury’s in Knaphill, along with a representative from Arriva the bus company and a representative from Surrey County Council, today to discuss the solution being proposed to the problem of antisocial behaviour in the Sainsbury’s car park at night.Sainsbury’s have fitted new gates to the main entrance of their store that they propose to close at 11pm each night Monday to Sunday.  There are only three bus services that stop at Sainsbury’s after 11pm and for these services customers will need to use the bus stop before Sainsbury’s on the Bagshot Road or the next bus stop outside Tudor Way only a 2 minute walk away.Nothing will change immediately, both Arriva and Sainbury’s plus local organisations will be informing bus users of the changes which are provisionally scheduled to start on 1^st November 2009. It is true that the last few buses of the day on the routes 34, 35 and 91 will be affected, but I hope that local residents and bus users alike will agree that the net benefit of a quieter, safer Sainsbury’s car park is the best option for us all.If you have a comment about this either positive or negative, do please get in contact.

As the protracted adoption of roads on the former Brookwood Hospital site continues I have written letters to the developers urging them to give a concrete time table outlining when they anticipate the snagging list delaying adoption will be completed.  I will be writing more letters for other roads in the near future.

This follows sterling work by Surrey County Councillor Diana Smith, in putting together and frequently updating a webpage about the progress being made on each road.  This can be seen at http://dianasmith.mycouncillor.org.uk/files/2009/07/brookwood-hospital-roadsjuly09.pdf 

My letters can be accessed below:

Road adoption letter Coresbrook

Road adoption letter Florence Way B and Tringham Way

Road adoption letter Silistria Close, Brushfield Close, Barton Close, Florence Way A and Cavel Way

We have continued community speed watch in July, with two new members joining the team.  We will be expanding our area of operation to the Broadway, Chobham Road and the A222 Junction at Brookwood in August.  We were shocked to catch a motorbike travelling at 66mph along Redding Way when last out.  Team members and I have noticed an increase in the number of bikes appearing to do some kind of circuit around Knaphill and hope that the warning letter the driver will have received will deter this.

The Knaphill Street Surgery will return after the school summer holidays on Saturday 26^th September. The surgery will continue on the last Saturday of each month from then onwards.  The surgery runs from 10.30am to 11.15am in Knaphill High Street. Since we started these surgeries in December 2008, it has been really pleasing to meet local people in Knaphill each month to discuss their concerns, getting things done about them wherever possible. Should anyone wish to contact their local councillor outside of surgery time our details are available on this site.

Cllr Diana Smith, Cllr Ric Sharp and I braved the wintry March wind for our monthly High Street surgery on Saturday 25th March.  As ever it was a useful exercise for meeting local residents and listening to their concerns.  Should local people have any concerns they can contact us via email or phone and of course on the first Saturday of each month between 10.30am and 11.15am in Knaphill High Street.

On Thursday 29^th January 2009, I visited the Lightbox to discuss the possibility of a human rights art contest and exhibition in 2010 to help promote the role Woking Borough Council plays in promoting human rights.  I was delighted to learn that the Lightbox are interested in such an event and hope that it will be possible to find funding from within the Council.  I was very impressed by the usual high quality of art on display and much of it with a wide range of educational relevance.  I learn something new each time I visit the Woking Story. 

I was also pleased to learn that the Lightbox bar will be open on Friday and Saturday evenings on trial from March. I will certainly be popping in for a more cultured drinking experience and to support the Lightbox. It was really interesting to hear that many different community groups are using the display spaces at the Lightbox and hope that their displays can be listed on the Lightbox website alongside the other main exhibitions. For more information on the Lightbox please see http://www.thelightbox.org.uk/

The Knaphill Residents Association is looking for volunteers to help in anyway they can. If you are able to help or would like more information contact Eileen Martin through the Knaphill Residents Association website: http://knaphill.org/

I will certainly be helping in anyway that I can, although with a long commute I am not sure how often I will get back toWoking in time to help. This news is especially pleasing following on from the Knaphill Youth Petition that was submitted by myself and Diana Smith at the recent Woking Local Committee. For further information see County Councillor Diana Smith’s blog: http://dianasmith.mycouncillor.org.uk/2008/12/08/woking-local-cycle-way-through-central-woking-the-knaphill-youth-petition-goes-to-onward-and-upward-giving-money-away/

On Wednesday evening last week, I sat down with the chief executive of Woking Borough Council and of the Ambassadors in Woking to discuss recycling and marketing.  While it was only a conversation rather than a meeting, we did have a good chat.  One outcome is that the Ambassadors may be doing more to offer customers the change to recycle their waste on the way out of the cinema and theatre.  This is good for two reasons, firstly so customers can recycle, but also as it offers an opportunity to make it the expectation of customers that their waste will be recycled by businesses, which is often not the at the moment in Woking.  Secondly we talked about the lack of advertising of events at the Rhoda McGaw and of upcoming event in general (rather than the current or next big show) at the Ambassadors and while we had differenced of opinion, I think steps were made to make sure that the younger and newer citizens of Woking are better informed about the excellent range of shows on offer.

I have been thinking about how I should speak up on behalf of the residents of Knaphill regarding international issues that affect their daily lives either economically or morally.

 As a local representative I was initially reluctant to ask the council to speak out internationally.  I am beginning to feel my way as a councillor and think that while it isn’t necessarily correct to ask Woking Council to call on national and international bodies to take certain action, it is possible to call for local action that if repeated on a national scale would have dramatic impact.  For example, I don’t think I can call on Woking to condemn the Burmese government for its treatment of the Karen people or the Chinese government for the treatment of many minority groups in China. I do think, however, that it is necessary for Woking to consider only purchase goods from countries that treat their people fairly where possible. Although this may harm workers in these countries in the short run and be of little significance if only Woking did it.  A start has to be made somewhere in the hope that it could become a bottom up / grass roots movement for change with international impact.

I am working with Surrey Police to organise a series of community speed watches. Community speed watches involve residents forming a community speed watch team (usually six people), attending a police training session with local police officers at the local police station.  Equipment (including a special camera) is then lent by the local police to the community speed watch team.   

The community speed watch team monitors the speed of traffic down a road agreed with the police at a place along the road, also previously agreed.  This usually occurs on one day with team members monitoring speed at a time suitable to them.  Team members work in groups no smaller than two.    Any motorists caught speeding are then issued with a letter notifying them they have been caught speeding, warning them that the police have been informed.  Drivers frequently caught speeding will be targeted by the police. If you would like to be involved in a community speed watch in or near your road, please contact me on 725409 or email cllrolly.wells@woking.gov.uk