Local Authority

Campaigners for a safer Stanwell have spoken of their happiness at Spelthorne Council's decision to keep the village warden.

Residents were worried that the area would suffer after the council launched a consultation earlier this year to review the role of Stanwell warden Mick Raynor.

Spelthorne council is one of the 68 local authorities in the country who have microchips installed in their bins.

The news comes after campaign group Big Brother Watch sent a Freedom of Information Request to every council in the country to find out if they micro chipped household collection rubbish bins.

Residents in Spelthorne will face a 0% increase in council tax and staff will forgo any increase in pay or allowances as the budget for 2010/11 was announced on Thursday (24).

In a full council meeting held at the Civic Offices, in Knowle Green, Leader of Spelthorne council John Packman also declared that cuts were to be made to make savings in an effort to balance the budget.

Mr Packman stated that due to the economic downturn the council needed to help residents that were finding times tough.

Fire fighters took an hour and a half pumping flood water from Long Lane on Sunday.

Crews from Staines were called at 4.20pm as a foot and a half of water was encroaching on people's houses due to the heavy rain.

Watch manager Alistair Lofthouse said: "It was close to getting into people's houses, but we were able to clear it. We are still on flood watch at the moment due to the river's around here."

An elderly man who suffers from a chronic chest infection has hit out at his housing provider after his last service charge statement topped the £3,100 mark.

Arthur Fryer, 81, lives in Vanguard House, in Douglas Road, Stanwell, which is an A2Dominion run property.

Firefighters had to cut someone out of a car that landed on its roof after a three vehicle smash last Tuesday (23).

At around 10.50pm a black Kia, a white DAF lorry, and a white Ford Fiesta collided at the junction of Stanwell Moor Road and Park Road, causing the Kia to turn on its side, trapping the passenger.

Two people were treated at the scene by ambulance crews for minor injuries.

By the end of March new initiatives will have been put in place by Spelthorne council in an attempt to improve public confidence in dealing with crime and anti social behaviour.

A £42,000 grant has been given to the borough council by the Home Office to fund schemes and to buy new equipment which will reduce the amount of crime in Spelthorne.

One of the initiatives to have been given funding, is the Construction Bus scheme, which was put in place last year and teaches children from age 11 basic skills such as carpentry, plumbing and bricklaying.

A petition has been launched to try and stop the potential loss of Stanwell's community warden Mick Raynor.

The petition has been created by Vicki Kapoor Sood, a neighbourhood watch co-ordinator of Hadfield Road, who believes the town will suffer with the loss of his role, stating that Stanwell is becoming forgotten after the loss of Spelthorne crimed reduction officer Vic Smith last year.

Frustrated and fuming Airtrack campaigners have been left dismayed after a public enquiry into the high speed rail line has been delayed again.

The Department of Transport have announced that the public enquiry into BAA's application of the rail line to run from Heathrow to London Waterloo has been delayed because research on level crossing downtime has not been finished.

Community leaders in Stanwell have hit out at the possible loss of their community warden.

Spelthorne Council announced last week that Mick Rayner's post as the community warden for Stanwell is being reviewed.