A long-term ward resident, I’m dismayed by the level of misinformation, petty party
politics and lack of accountability from some councillors.

Full statement

Did you know Guildford’s
handing the new Unitary a deficit budget (£6M by 2028/9), that it’s sitting on £7M of
developers’ funding for education, or that its external auditors have declined to sign
off on its accounts for the last 5 years, and recently confirmed that the uncertainty in
how much money it has (or doesn’t) had increased further over the past year; are you
frustrated you cannot contact your councillor?

I’m standing to listen to residents and businesses, to help inform and influence the
debate and, if elected, collaborate with councillors from all parties to deliver the
infrastructure and services we expect. This year, when day-to-day control remains
with Guildford and Surrey, and the role of new unitary councillors is primarily to set
up the new council I’d shape the Unitary to best meet our community’s needs,
retaining Guildford’s unique identity.

PRIOTITIES From talking with residents, my priorities include:
• Potholes: I’d reallocate budgets (eg the further £300k Guildford has set aside for planning a Guildford Parish) for immediate fixes and ensure a long-term maintenance schedule.
• Housing and development: I’d end the scandal of unoccupied homes, and support a new town centre vision repurposing unwanted retail/office space to housing and community areas, including medical and youth facilities, whilst safeguarding the more rural areas of the ward such as the Chantries. I’d support direct discussion with landlords and retailers, eg to help open the old House of Fraser store, I’d also review council procedures to ensure they are best supporting the third of residents who live in private rented accommodation (the highest proportion in the area).
• Crime and safety: The tragedy of January’s fatal stabbing was one facet of a ward that suffers from the highest levels of anti-social behaviour and violent crime & sexual offences in the area (twice the average). Residents, in particular females, tell me they are afraid to go to some places at night and are intimidated by littering, graffiti and anti-social behaviour at other times. I’d ensure more timely council action to maintain an environment we’re proud of (including harnessing the efforts of community groups), improved lighting of paths, better facilities for our youth to meet, socialise and play, and – when the Surrey PCC role is abolished in 2028 and police oversight reverts to the council - that community policy is prioritised.
• Transport and pollution: The main arteries into the town centre (Epsom, London and Shalford Roads) are routinely choked, leading to delays, frustration and perpetuating the illegally high levels of pollution in the town-centre AQMA. Elsewhere, residential roads are overwhelmed by motorists avoiding this congestion, and pavement parking creates challenges for those attempting to walk. Guildford has invested substantial sums on external consultants to produce solutions for these issues but has failed to act on them – I would, including reinvigorating Park&Ride by introducing “per vehicle” charging and reopening dormant sites, and use new council powers to take more control of local bus routes, including reintroduction of the town-centre circular shuttle linking the railway station, High Street / North Street and bus station.
• Delivering a democratic dividend and retaining Guildford’s unique identity: The Unitary authority is happening whether we like it or not, and I would work to ensure that rather than suffering the democratic deficit others foresee, we take control of our destiny to shape the Unitary to deliver a democratic dividend: having councillors truly accountable for what they do, introducing Neighbourhood Area Committees which bring together local groups to inform council decision making, introducing neighbourhood wardens who walk their patch listening to issues and concerns and tactically fixing some. I would liaise and collaborate with other Guildford councillors to ensure we retain its identify as we define then run the new council.

WHY ME? A teacher at a local state secondary school, I have lived in the ward for more than 30 years. Throughout that time I have been active in the community: acting as a Governor at local schools, lobbying and holding to account councillors / MPs to deliver improvements for residents (eg on traffic / air quality, spending S106 monies, implementing new off-road cycle/foot provision), proactive commenting on local developments & planning proposals, a member of the adjacent Shalford Parish/Community Council, and regularly supporting community activity to litter pick and tidy our local environment. I am co-opted as an independent member onto Guildford Borough Council’s recently formed Audit & Risk committee.

PLEDGES If elected, I pledge to:
• Be accountable to residents by holding regular monthly surgeries and aiming to respond to correspondence within 1 week, publishing a monthly scorecard showing how I’ve done.
• Ensure the prompt allocation of £7M of developers' section106 contributions for Education for the benefit of pupils and their families; similarly for the other unallocated categories of S106 contributions.
• Proactively push for more dynamic allocation of budgets across and within departments, to ensure adequate funding for tactical issues (eg pothole fixing) whilst deprioritising less urgent spend (eg resurfacing car parks).
• Aim to use the substantial basic councillor allowance (currently over £14k for SCC and £8k for GBC councillors) to fund a neighbourhood warden for the ward, supplementing/extending existing council staff by helping maintain our streets and local environment, tactically fixing some issues on the spot and reporting others they are alerted to or observe to colleagues in the relevant council department.

I have also signed up to the “Our Future Surrey” and the “Healthy Travel Surrey” pledges.

You have two votes on Thursday 7th May
Make one of these a vote for something new and different:
Vote for Tim Wolfenden, the last box on the ballot paper!