Children aged between four and fourteen along with their families are being invited to take part in a new junior park run in Dorking.
The weekly event will take place in Meadowbank Park starting on the 22nd November.
The event is open to children of all abilities and is free, although participants are required to register in advance.
Tenants are reporting higher levels of satisfaction with Crawley Homes’ services, with improvements recorded across all key areas of the annual Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) survey.
The latest results show that 76.8 per cent of tenants are satisfied with the overall service provided by Crawley Homes, an increase from 72.8 per cent last year. Satisfaction with the repairs service also rose significantly, from 76.3 per cent to 81.3 per cent.
Particularly strong improvements were seen in repairs, with satisfaction with the time taken to complete repairs increasing from 75.4 per cent to 84.1 per cent, while satisfaction that homes are well maintained rose from 71.4 per cent to 76.1 per cent. The council also completed 92.8 per cent of non-emergency repairs within target timescales during the year.
The results show that the council is performing well compared with other social housing providers, ranking in or above the top 25 per cent for a number of measures.
These results show that tenants are seeing real improvements in the services provided by Crawley Homes. It is particularly encouraging to see significant increases in satisfaction with repairs and maintenance, areas that matter enormously to our tenants. These results reflect the hard work of our housing teams and contractors, who are committed to providing good quality homes and responsive services. While we are pleased by the improvements, we know there is still more to do. We remain focused on improving communication even further, strengthening our services and ensuring we continue to listen to and act on tenant feedback.
Councillor Ian Irvine
Cabinet member for Housing
Crawley Borough Council
Tenant Satisfaction Measures are set by the Regulator of Social Housing and are designed to help tenants understand how well their landlord is performing. The measures combine feedback from tenant surveys with management information covering areas such as repairs, complaints, building safety and neighbourhood management.
If you’re prepared to illegally ride your electric bike, scooter or motorcycle, prepare to have it seized and destroyed.
This is the message police are issuing to riders in a bid to crackdown on the dangerous and antisocial use of these vehicles in public.
From Sunday (1 November), a new procedure for e-scooters, illegal e-bikes, e-motorcycles and unregistered off-road motorcycles will come into effect across Surrey Police and Sussex Police.
It introduces a ‘no returns’ approach for eligible vehicles seized by police, ensuring that vehicles being used unlawfully on our roads and in public spaces are removed from circulation and prevented from being used again.
The change has been developed in response to increasing concern from communities about the dangers posed by illegally-used powered vehicles, including their involvement in road traffic offences, antisocial behaviour and criminal activity.
The policy change relates to:
Once seized, vehicles will be assessed and processed in line with the new guidance and, where appropriate, destroyed.
Superintendent Jo Grantham, head of roads policing for Surrey Police and Sussex Police, said: “The use of these high-powered machines is a growing concern for our communities, and that’s why we have stepped up our patrols to target offenders and keep all road users safe.
“It doesn’t matter if you were just travelling to school or work, or if you are just riding for fun. The bottom line is e-scooters are illegal to use in public – unless through an authorised rental scheme – and e-bikes and e-motorbikes must meet legal requirements; both can pose a significant risk to all road users when used illegally or irresponsibly and riders need to understand the consequences of their actions.
“This could include a criminal record, a driving ban, or worse still, seriously injuring or killing yourself or someone else.
“If you are caught, be in no doubt that your vehicle will be seized and destroyed.”
Previously, officers used their discretion depending on the circumstances when stopping a rider using an e-vehicle, which may have included issuing words of advice rather than a seizure.
But despite this change in policy, officers are keen to educate the public and prevent vehicles from being seized and destroyed in the first place.
Supt Grantham added: “We know these vehicles aren’t cheap, and we’re working with young people, parents, schools, colleges and communities to provide education – before enforcement action is necessary.
“If you witness dangerous or illegal riding in your community, report it to us. Your information helps us target our activity where it’s needed the most.”
The change supports the recent launch of Operation Scramble, dedicated to tackling criminality involving e-bikes and e-scooters, and keeping all road users safe.
Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend said: “The message is simple – illegal e-bikes and e-scooters are not welcome in Surrey. These high-powered machines can be incredibly dangerous when ridden in public places and residents across the county have told me they have had enough.
“That is why our police teams are getting tough on their reckless use in our communities. From now on if you are caught riding one in Surrey, it will be seized and you won’t be getting it back.”
The MP for Dorking Chris Coghlan has said he’s “pleased to hear there’s been progress”, following clearing at an unauthorised waste site.
Surrey County Council and the Environment Agency have been working to try and clear the West Station Yard site in Dorking after an enforcement notice was issued in May.
It’s after residents had made complaints about excessive rubbish and were concerned about noise and air pollution. Along with a potential impact on local water supplies.
Residents across Crawley have made a strong start to the borough’s new food waste collection service, with early figures showing high levels of participation and almost 200 tonnes of food waste collected during the first three weeks of operation.
The service, introduced to individual households across the borough last month as part of the government’s Simpler Recycling reforms, provides residents with an easy way to recycle more of their household waste. Once collected, food waste is sent to an anaerobic digestion plant, where it is transformed into renewable energy and fertiliser for local farms.
Early data suggests that around three-quarters of households are already taking part in the scheme, demonstrating strong support from residents. During the first three weeks, approximately 197 tonnes of food waste were collected, highlighting the positive impact the service is already having.
The introduction of food waste collections is the biggest change to our waste and recycling service in many years, so it’s extremely encouraging to see such a positive response from residents in the first few weeks. With nearly 200 tonnes collected in the first three weeks, the scheme is already making a real difference. While it is still early days, these results show that Crawley is making a strong start towards increasing recycling rates and reducing waste. We’d like to thank everyone for their patience and support as crews continue to settle into their new collection rounds.
Councillor Nick Hilton
Cabinet member for Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change
Crawley Borough Council