Impact - You said, I did
March 2025
Can I get funding for a community project?
I asked for more information about the funding requirements and how the community is involved. I then sought out appropriate options for them to apply for funding through.
March 2025
I want to object to a neighbours planning application, how can I do this?
I met with the resident and heard their concerns. I then guided them through the process going forwards.
March 2025
We are not happy with a planning application that has been put in
I listened to the residents concerned, they have put objections in already, the council officers will work with the applicant to address these concerns if they can and the resident has asked me to call the application to the planning committee if it is likely to be approved
March 2025
We need some more litter picking bags
I delivered some purple litter picking bags to the resident
March 2025
I haven't had a response to my emails to the council
I advised the resident to forward the emails to me so that I can make contact with the relevant people to ensure that she receives a response

March 2025
A developer has put their hoarding in a location that makes it dangerous for road users
I spoke to the developer who subsequently moved the hoarding to make it safer for road users.

March 2025
Can you help me with a planning application
I guided the resident on the process and the value of a pre app meeting with the Council
March 2025
The gutters need clearing in the road
I arranged for the street sweeper to clear these

February 2025
Our tap water is coming out murky?
I reported this to SES Water who investigated. Running the taps cleared the problem.

February 2025
There is lots of litter on Hazelwood Lane, which is too dangerous for the volunteer litter pickers to clear.
I arranged for the council to litter pick it.

February 2025
Castle Road is once again full of litter, can you fix it please?
I arranged for the council to litter pick the road and they also gave it a mechanical sweep whilst they were there which greatly improved the look of the road.

February 2025
We live in a private road that cars use as a cut through and my duaghter was nearly knocked off of her bike by a speeding van. Are we allowed to put slow opening automatic gates to deter people from using it as a cut through?
Yes, as it is a private road, you are able to do this. There may be some planning requirements depending on the location, type and size of gates and you will need to have the majority of residents in agreement and of course, you need to fund this.
February 2025
There is a car parked on our road, that has the whels removed and the owner is doing work to it.
I provided information to the resident on how to report this to SCC.

February 2025
A local residential care home has bins overflowing and rubbish strewn across their carpark which is attracting rats and foxes, this must be an environmental health issue, what can you do about it?
I visited the residential home and discussed their bins with them. I asked them what I could do to help them. They explained that they just do not have enough bin space for the about of rubbish they create and they dont know what to do. I spoke with the Council and discovered they have a domestic waste agreement, meaning that they cannot have any more bins that the standard allocation per person. Therefore they need to 'top up' their bins with commercial waste ones. They didnt know how to do this and so I provided them with an example costing and contact to get them started.

February 2025
A new defrillator has been fitted, but it would have been better cited byt he village hall.
We held a meeting with the owner of the defibrillator (local business),the Residents Association and Village Hall Chairman. The business agreed to donate the defibrillator to the village hall for it to be cited there instead.

February 2025
The local football club on occasions has so many parents parked outside that the street becomes dangerous, what can you do?
I am liaising with the local village hall and the football club to see if they would allow the footballers to use their overflow parking for these matches and with the football club to see whether better scheduling of matches could mean less cars required at any point.
February 2025
Our memorial bench is due to be installed but we dont know where to site it, can you help?
I met with the chairman of the Residents Association and we spent some time working out where we felt would be the best location/direction for this bench.

February 2025
There is a tree blocking a footpath and residents are walking through the farmers field to get around it, which is damaging his crops.
I reported this urgently to SCC who came out and removed the fallen tree.
January 2025
Castle Road has had a huge fly tipping blocking this one way road making it very dangerous.
The council very promptly attended and closed the road whilst they cleared the fly tipping.

January 2025
I have applied for planning three times, two of those i went to appeal and i have been refused each time. I still feel like this is a good idea, can you help me?
I met with the resident, went through his plans with him. Then spoke to the council regarding this scheme and fed this information back to the resident who is now redesigning the scheme and going for pre application advice from the council.

January 2025
There is moss on the pavement making it slippery.
I arranged for our street sweeper to attend and clean this.

January 2025
Our community theatre has had a roof leak, we are not for profit and do not have the funds to pay for this, can you help?
I guided the theatre to apply for funding to pay for this repair which was successful.

January 2025
There are leaves all over the pavement making it slippery
I requested that this was cleaned by our street sweeping machine, which was promptly completed.

January 2025
The car park is full of potholes.
I arranged for our Greenspaces team to repair the potholes which they did very quickly.
January 2025
The general waste bin at the edge of the car park is damaged and so rubbish is blowing out of it.
I visited and took photos of the bin, passed these on to the council with a request for this to be repaired urgently.
January 2025
There has been a fly tipping in the alleyway behind my house. How do I get this cleared?
I checked and saw that this land was owned and maintained by the council and so I arranged for it to be removed promptly.

January 2025
The pavement is flooded and covered in leaves, please fix it.
I arranged for the street sweeper to attend and clear it up.

January 2025
The council own the entrance to our private road, please arrange for them to clean it.
Upon checking with the council, it is not owned by them and so I advised the resident that the council are unable to clean it as the whole road is private.

January 2025
Builders have parked blocking the bus stop meaning that bus was unable to collect passengers from it.
I went to the building site and spoke with the builders. Turns out it was actually a delivery to the new superstore which had blocked it. I spoke to the superstore who were very apologetic and explained that it was a one off due to their car park being full of the hoarding that had been taken down and so the lorry could not fit, but they promised it will not happen again.

January 2025
We at SCC are proposing to put waiting restrictions into this road in your ward.
I met with the Residents Association and local residents in the affected area to go through the plans. All were happy so I fed this back to SCC.

January 2025
The new horse road safety sign has been put in the wrong place.
I arranged to meet with local residents to discuss where they would like it moved to so that I can forward this back to SCC.
January 2025
The pavement is very dirty, we have removed the leaves, but it is still very dirty, can you have this cleaned?
I arranged for the street sweeper to go and clean it and the rest of the street whilst it was there.

January 2025
The Banstead Commoners Conservators do great work in our area, would you come to our quarterly meeting to learn more about what we do?
Absolutely. It was a very informative meeting.
January 2025
We have a tree outside our house that used to be maintained by SCC, but they stopped maintaining it 20 years ago and it has grown out of control. I approached them but had no luck, can you help?
I spoke to our own Greenspaces team and the leader of the council, both of whom helped me to put pressure on SCC to come and assess the tree again. Under assessment they discovered that the tree did need significant reduction works and as such booked a contractor to do this. In my visits I also spotted that the road was very dirty and leaf covered and so I organised the street sweeper to come and shared on FB to request residents to move their cars ready for it.
January 2025
I am planning some community events this year, would you be willing to volunteer at them?
Absolutely!
January 2025
Our pub applied for retrospective planning permission which was refused. We dont know where to turn for help.
I met with the pub for them to debrief me, I then met with the relevant planning officer at the council for more detailed information. Afterwards I met with the pub again and explained to them why the application was refused and we have discussed at length what they need to do to reapply for this.
January 2025
My neighbour has a very messy front garden, can you force them to tidy it up?
As this is their private property and no rules have been broken, there is nothing that we can do to force them to tidy it how you wish.
January 2025
Our village hall has a commercial waste contract with the council, as they have announced commercial contracts will end in the next two years and not be renewed, what else should we do with our rubbish?
I talked through the options for different commercial waste contracts that I am aware of.
January 2025
The builders are blocking the pavement with their vans, what can you do about it?
I visited the building site, spoke with the foreman, he ackowledged the situation and promised to keep an eye on it himself to ensure it doesn't happen again.
January 2025
Motorhomes have been using the car park to stay in free of charge overnight, what can you do about this?
I put a request in to the council to consider an overhead barrier be fitted. The car park has been listed on a french website as a place you can park overnight for free. However, as the car park does not have any current parking restrictions and it is currently not causing a problem, at this point the request has been denied.
January 2025
There is a fallen tree blocking a pathway. I contacted SCC who said it is not their land so they cannot help.
This was on Banstead Commons Land and so the Banstead Commoners Conservators cleared this promptly.
January 2025
A duck has been killed on the pond by youths with catapults. What can you do about this?
We liaised with the Banstead Commoners Conservators, police and JET to establish more regular checks on the pond. Residents who can see the pond know how to contact them in case of further problems. Signage has been put up asking to protect wildlife, a local angling group are going to attend regularly to discourage youths from loitering in the area and we are investigating adding CCTV.
December 2024
How often are the BRING sites emptied as they alway seem to be full?
I contacted the Neighbourhood Services team who were able to tell me that cardboard and paper are emptied every Monday, Wednesday & Friday and plastics, cans & glass are emptied every Tuesday and Thursday. Textile bins are also emptied three times a week.
December 2024
There is a road that is too dangerous for us to litter pick (Holly Lane) but it is covered in rubbish.
I reported this to the council, who were able to litter pick this road in two stages (due to the volume of litter and danger of the road). They did a great job.
December 2024
There is a fly tipping at another of our BRING sites and the rubbish is blowing into the childrens playpark.
I reported this and the council promptly cleared it up.
December 2024
There is a fly tipping at the BRING recycling site.
I reported this and the council promptly cleared it up, they were able to issue a Penalty Charge Notice as there was an address on some of the rubbish.
December 2024
We would really like a public defibrillator for our pub, but they costs a lot of money.
I was able to assist the pub in obtaining a grant which reduced the price from £2500 to £900. The pub then held a race night to raise the rest of the money for the defibrillator which has now been installed.
December 2024
Road signage is completely obscurred from view by an overgrown hedge.
I reported this to SCC, who promptly cut this back and the signage is now not obscurred.
December 2024
Our drains in our high street are blocked at surface level, can you clear them?
I arranged for the street sweeper to visit and clear this up.
December 2024
We would like to put a table and chairs outside of our shop for our customers to sit on to eat/drink products bought from us, can we do this?
I explained that they would need a pavement license in this instance and gave them the link to apply for it.
December 2024
The street is dangerously slippery due to the volume of fallen leaves.
I arranged for the street sweeper to visit and clear this up.
December 2024
There is not enough parking at our school for the staff and parents, this is causing parents to park dangerously and there is a risk to the children. Can you help?
I met with the Headteacher and we had a long discussion aboiut the various different options that they have already tried. Sadly there just isnt anywhere suitable to hold the volume of parking. They have previously tried marshalling it themselves in the morning, but were told to stop by the police due to some threatening behaviour. Previous negotiations with local businesses to 'borrow' their parking spaces resulted in this being revoked due to the actions of some of the parents. They have tried every angle and unfortunately there isnt a permament solution to be made at the moment. We settled for requesting higher levels of parking enforcement from the council as this stops the parents parking outside the school where the danger is to the children and park further away and walk. This was the best outcome that we were able to achieve at this time.
December 2024
We have a resident in our village who is very concerned about the impact of a planning permission that has been granted and how it will affect them in their home. How can you help?
I went through the points of concern for the resident and the plans for the planning permission and was able to show the resident that their concerns were not correct (such as building over the fence line - but it was actually 1metre away from the fenceline). I gave them my number to call me if they had any further concerns.
December 2024
There is a fallen tree in the road, the residents have cleared it from the road, but have moved it onto the footpath, can you arrange for this to be cleared?
I contacted SCC who came out within two hours and cleared this away.
December 2024
We at SES Water are outting together Christmas Hampers for vulnerable residents, can you help us to identify any in your area please?
I contacted the four Residents Associations of the four villages I represent and was able to identify some residents who would really benefit from this kind gesture. I was then invited to help make the hampers and deliver some of them, which was really lovely.
December 2024
We have parking restrictions down my road which has resulted in me being given many parking tickets. Can we have the lines removed or residents permit bays put in?
I advised the resident that as the road is next to the train station, removing the lines would likely cause issues with commuters parking there. I provided them with the detaisl of the parking permit scheme that they can apply for with the other residents support.
December 2024
Can you help us with a map of our village so we know where the boundaries are?
I made a map of the boundaries that we use in the Council and sent this over to them.
December 2024
We have excessive fly tipping at our local BRING site, when will it be being closed for good?
We have been pushing hard for the closure of this site, due to the high volume of fly tipping there. However, we cannto close this site until every home has doorstep recucling facilities and currently some of the flats do not have this due to landlords refusing them. We are now in the process of delivering these recycling facilities regardless and the landlords will have to accept them. Once this is completed then we can remove the BRING site.
December 2024
There is a big planning application that has been submitted and the residents are strongly opposed. They have already started clearing the site, can you help us?
I met with residents and heard their concerns, they were planning on paying for an expensive lawyer to fight this on thier behalf, but i explained the planning process and how they could object individually making sure that they chose relevant genuine reasons. I explained how being positive about it is a great way to oppose something, such as (four houses would be very crowded, but three would be well spaced in the location).
November 2024
Our bowls club is non profit making and run by volunteers, we desperately need a new equipment shed and boiler shed amongst other things, do you know any way we can get help with funding for these?
I passed on the details of a community fund that would be suitable for this and the club has completed a successful request for this to be fully funded.
November 2024
We would like to invite the Mayor to attend our summer parade, can you help with this?
I forwarded the link to request the Mayors attendance to the resident.
November 2024
There are lots of leaves and muck by the bus stop, making it not very nice to stand there and dangerous when wet.
I was able to 'piggy back' this off of the previous request because they were close together in location and so both were completed very quickly.
November 2024
There is a pathway that the school children walk everyday and it is thick with leaves making is slippery and soaking wet. When the children get to school they are drying their shoes and socks on the radiators.
I arranged for this to be swept and cleaned, it was completed very quickly thankfully.
November 2024
There is a blocked drain at risk of causing flooding to some nearby shops and homes, can you clear it?
I contacted the relevant team at the Council and arranged for this to be cleared allowing the rainfall to flow freely down it.
November 2024
We have a team of litter pickers and are running low on purple bags, can you help get us more?
I keep a supply in my car and so was able to drop some off right away.
November 2024
There is a house down ourt road that is empty and the owner lives locally but refuses to sell it, what can you do about it?
We do not have powers to make people sell empty houses, this is at the owners choice. However, we do not give them any discount on Council Tax and so they will be paying as much as everyone else to have the house sitting there empty.
November 2024
Parking on our road is a nightmare as you cannot park on one side for one hour per day and the other side for a different hour and so residents have to move their car each day to avoid being ticketed. Can we get parking permits for residents?
I investigated this and provided the information back to the resident, that if enough of the residents want this then they can apply to SCC to be considered for a permit scheme. It is not a quick fix and the process will take time unfortunately.
November 2024
A public right of way is overgrown, can you fix this please?
I reported this on the SCC website and it was cut back by SCC within a couple of weeks.
October 2024
We would like to put Remembrance Statues up around the village, is that okay?
Absolutey, and I will volunteer to come and help build and put them up along with the giant poppies.
October 2024
There is a homeless man in our village, what can you do to help him?
I passed the details onto our housing team who reached out to him.
October 2024
You told us that the Tennis Courts are being refurbished, but will we then have to pay to use them?
I asked this question at a Full Council meeting (my first question!). The tennis courts will remain free to play!
October 2024
A license application has appeared on site hoarding and is out of date
I met the contractor onsite, he was able to provide evidence that the notice has been up all along, which was confirmed additionally by our licensing team who had made several checks themselves. It appeared that the hoarding it was placed upon had been recently cleaned, thus exposing it again more clearly and resulting in the resident noticing it
October 2024
My neighbours are doing building works and have damaged my property
I explained to the resident that this is unfortunately a civil matter that I am unable to help with
October 2024
Please come to our Community Centre's 40th Anniversdary lunch
With pleasure, and I thoroughly enjoyed talking to all of the volunteers about the role they play and thanking them, as well as lots of dancing and a wonderful meal
October 2024
There is a fallen tree dangerously overhanging the road
I contacted SCC who were able to very quickly fix the issue
October 2024
We are holding a Halloween disco in our community centre, we heard you love Halloween, would you be free to volunteer at this event
I volunteered and brought with me lots of my personal halloween decorations, to make it a truly spectacular event for this children who came. I also thoroughly enjoyed turning up in fancy dress and disco dancing with the children
October 2024
Will you be available to attend the Banstead Remembrance Parade next month
I was honoured to have been allowed to partake in this
October 2024
We need a road safety sign indicating to drivers that horses use this road
I liaised with SCC and we had a beware of horses sign installed on a dangerous blind bend
October 2024
I am hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning to raise money, would you come
Tea and Cake? I'm there!
October 2024
My next door neighbour has just come out of hospital and requires home help. He needs more bin space for the medical waste and we requested this three weeks ago but it has not yet arrived.
I made an urgent phone call and the bin was delivered within 90 minutes. An additonal bin was then accidentally delivered (from the original request) the following week and so the resident called me and I immediately drove over there and collected it myself.
September 2024
There are no dog waste bins in my area
I fed back to the resident that they can use any public general waste bin for their dog poo bags. I then compiled a map of all of the public general waste bins within my ward and cross checked with known dog poo tree sites and requested additional bins be considered in these locations.
September 2024
The shop next to me has closed and applied to be converted into flats, what can i do to stop this
I investigated this and fed back to the resident that what they were doing was lawful and we are unable to stop this
September 2024
Thank you for arranging for the entrance to this business site to be improved, unfortunately the work seems to have deteoriated quickly
I met onsite with the business, who agreed that the works done had not taken as planned and we developed a new plan to improve the site
September 2024
There has been a fly tipping on the side of the road
I reported this to the council and it had been cleared within two hours
September 2024
A planning application has been put in, which us local residents believe to contain false information
I passed this information onto the planning officer who thoroughkly investigated these claims, planning permission was refused as the applicant was unable to provide any proof of their claims
September 2024
Our community theatre has a crumbling flint wall that requires specialist rebuilding, but we do not have the funds to do this and it is becoming unsafe, can you help
I met with and toured the theatre, I then assisted them in applying for successful funding for this to be repaired.
September 2024
Castle Road is covered in litter and it is not safe for us volunteer litter pickers to clean
I spoke with our Neighbourhood Services team who put a temporary closure in place and thoroughly cleaned the road

September 2024
You love halloween, is there some way we could do a fundraiser
I met with The Childrens Trust and planned a route for some of their resident children to come and 'trick or treat' around the village, the village childen also took part in this. I also ran a big haunted house in my garden and hundreds of local residents came and we raised over £1000 for The Childrens Trust
September 2024
You often visit our care home to see a resident, would you like a tour of our facility
I visit a resident occasionally who I met whilst campaigning who has no local family and so from time to time i drop in to say hello and take her some treats or anything she has mentioned needing. I was given a tour of the amazing facilities and after this tour I was able to find funding for them for some dementia care equipment for use in their dementia cafe which is open to the local community
September 2024
There has been a group of youths who have had an illegal and dangerous fire near the local wildlife pond
Having had other issues at this site before, we raised this with the police and our jet team for extra patrols and gave contact details to residents who live nearby to enable a quick response to any future problems
September 2024
The storm drains by our house are blocked
I requested the drain clearing machine to attend at the same time it was doing the other drain I had requested

September 2024
You are a new Councillor and our charity would love to meet you
I went to an open day and was able to meet lots of people involved in this wonderful charity and have since been able to help them with local fundraising
September 2024
The drains are blocked in the road and need clearing to prevent flooding
I requested the drain clearing machine to be sent out and the drains were fully cleared

September 2024
We would love for you to support our Macmillan coffee morning
I organised a group of local Councillors and our MP to attend, we were thrilled to be invited to draw the raffle tickets too!
September 2024
The car park owned by Reigate and Banstead Council is full of potholes
I spoke with our Greenspaces team and organsied for them to fill the potholes in this car park and also in one further down the same road that I had noticed also had some potholes in it

September 2024
We want to organise a village clearup of the fallen leaves, but we need the council to collect them
I organised a collection of these leaves shortly after they were cleared up byt the residents

August 2024
There are Asylum seekers in the local woods as they have nowhere to live
I passed this information onto our housing team to orchestrate welfare checks on these individuals
August 2024
Someone keeps on throwing nails on the public road at night, this is causing a danger
I liaised with SCC and Surrey Police to arrange extra checks on the known individual that was doing this
August 2024
We do not have full fibre broadband but further up our road they do
I liaised with the resident and Rebecca Paul MP to assist in pushing BT to install full fibre there, which they have now done.
August 2024
We have a disabled resident in our village who would like to access the footpaths but cant as there is a gate that she cannot get through in her wheelchair
I have arranged for a disabled access gate to be fitted it in place so that this is accessible to any wheelchair user with a radar key
Below are some of the questions I have been asked each month and how I dealt with them.
There is more to this role than answering questions (and some of them are not included for privacy) , I also attend many Council meetings representing the residents of Chipstead, Kingswood, Woodmansterne and Burgh Heath and I take part in many community activities and events. You can see some of these on my FaceBook page.