Last October, we notified you of a proposal by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) to change the boundaries for Surrey County Council. In summary, LGBCE proposed to:
- Split Oxshott in two along the A244 combining the northern half with Esher and the southern half with Cobham.
- Drop any reference to Oxshott in the name of the county divisions.
Residents were encouraged by FEDORA to object to these proposals on the basis that responsibility for the A244 needed to rest with one accountable county councillor and that the name of Oxshott should be retained.
LGBCE has now responded with revised proposals. This is unusual and their response references the input from FEDORA. In summary, LGBCE still proposes to split Oxshott in two but no longer using the A244 as a dividing line. In addition, the name of Oxshott will now feature as part of the two new divisions of Esher, Claygate & Oxshott North, and Cobham & Oxshott South. See the map below:
In FEDORA’s view, the revised proposals are a real improvement. But crucially they include a boundary that crosses the A244 at the top of Steel’s Lane so that the part of the A244 to the north of the junction sits within Esher, Claygate & Oxshott North and the part to the south sits within Cobham & Oxshott South. In FEDORA’s view, all of the A244 between the two 30mph limit signs (at each end of the village) needs to sit within only one division so that one councillor can be held accountable for actions to ensure the effective management of this crucial stretch of road.
Many thanks to all those residents that responded to the original consultation. This proved pivotal to getting major improved proposals from LGBCE. But these latest proposals are still imperfect and residents are again encouraged to make their views known before the deadline of 12 March 2024.
To access the review (including access to a map) and the portal for submitting comments, please click on Surrey Boundary Review.
For more information, please contact info@fedora.org.uk
2. Friends of Oxshott Heath
At the end of 2023 there was plenty of concern expressed by members of the Oxshott community about the tree felling on Oxshott Heath and the state the heath was left in. This has only emphasised the interest there may be in resuscitating Friends of Oxshott Heath. To this end, our local councillor, Corinne Sterry, is holding a meeting at the Oxshott Village Centre at 7.30pm on 11th of March 2024. Please get in touch with Corinne at corinne@sterrydesigns.co.uk if you plan to attend the meeting.
Anthony Wolfe
Chair of FEDORA – the Voice for Oxshott CIC on behalf of the Directors
