Surrey Lib Dem members who sit on the select committee for Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture have responded to news that the Good Law Project is taking legal action against Surrey County Council.

Fiona White (Guildford West) said:

"It comes as no surprise to me and my Surrey Lib Dem colleagues, who have challenged Surrey County Council on its delivery of services to vulnerable children over many years, that it is now facing a legal challenge for failing in its statutory duty.

Lib Dems have secured support for measures that will result in all care leavers in Surrey being exempt from paying council tax from next April.

In 2018, Surrey Lib Dems won unanimous backing at Surrey County Council for a motion to exempt care leavers from paying tax until they are 25. Ten of Surrey's eleven borough and district councils have also already taken this step, but under Conservative administration, Tandridge District Council had been holding out against the exemption, however a change in the power balance there has now created an opportunity for the District to move into line with the rest of the county.

The local Lib Dems created a petition calling on Surrey County Council to increase the opening times and allow pedestrian access at the Community Recycling Centres in Caterham and Warlingham.

Lib Dem County Councillor for Caterham Valley, Jeffrey Gray, said:

"Local residents have become increasingly frustrated by the long queues outside the recycling centres on Bond Road in Warlingham and Chaldon Road in Caterham. The local tips' opening hours have been cut back so that when they are open, the demand is greater than ever, causing congestion in local roads."

Lib Dem Councillors on Surrey's Police and Crime Panel have criticised the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner for appointing a £53,550 a year Deputy against the views of the cross-party Police and Crime Panel.

The Police and Crime Commissioner, Lisa Townsend, and her proposed Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Ellie Vesey-Thompson, recently attended a confirmation hearing with the Police and Crime Panel and answered questions from Panel members on her suitability for the role.

The local Lib Dems have called on Surrey County Council to stand up to the Government over its failure to deliver the previously promised reform of the social care system.

Lib Dem Councillors have tabled a motion to the County Council's next meeting on 13th July demanding that the Council continues to put pressure on the Government and Surrey's MPs to honour their pledge to tackle the crisis in social care.

This Carers Week, the Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to provide emergency funding to give carers a break from dramatically increased caring responsibilities during the Covid pandemic.
More than 108,400 people in Surrey are looking after elderly, disabled or vulnerable people. Data from Carers UK shows 64% of carers have not been able to take any sort of a break during the pandemic.

Schools across Surrey are set to lose £1.1 million in funding for the most disadvantaged pupils in the county following the Government's decision to alter the method of calculating pupil premium funding.

The pupil premium, which aims to close the attainment gap by providing extra money to pupils eligible for free school meals, was a flagship reform introduced by the Lib Dems in Government in 2011.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for all EU citizens in the UK to be given the automatic right to stay, as new figures reveal that 3,580 living in Surrey are still waiting for the Home Office to process their applications - with just five weeks to go before the Government's deadline.

The latest EU Settlement Scheme statistics show that, as of the end of March, there have been 80,8880 applications from people living in Surrey, with 77,300 of these having been concluded.

The Lib Dem Group on Surrey County Council has elected Will Forster as its new Group Leader.

Will Forster, County Councillor for Woking South, was chosen as the new Leader of the Lib Dem Group on Surrey County Council at a meeting between members this morning. He succeeds Councillor Chris Botten, who narrowly lost his seat in the recent election.

The Lib Dems gained 5 seats on Surrey County Council in the elections held on Thursday 6th May, resulting in the largest Lib Dem Group at County Hall since 1997.

After gaining 5 seats, the Lib Dems now have 14 County Councillors in Surrey. Although the Conservatives still control Surrey County Council, they have a reduced majority, notably down from before the election.