The threat to our public libraries has received a great deal of press coverage over the last couple of years. This is not surprising given the constraints placed upon the County Council finances. We have recently been consulted on our bus routes which is certain to result in reduced services within Surrey. The Council is now embarking on a a survey of library users which can be completed online at www.surveymonkey.com/s/surreylibraries

If you or your dependents enjoy the facilities offered by your local library please take a few minutes to respond to the survey. It's only a guess but If it cannot be demonstrated that the service is valued it may be at risk of closure.

The Leaders of Spelthorne Borough Council and Slough Borough Council have sent the following letter to The Times newspaper to express their support for a third runway at Heathrow:

Dear Sir,

Further to the article "Tory councils prepare to sue over Heathrow runway" (3 March 2016), we are writing to you as Leaders of Councils neighbouring the airport that support a third runway.

After three years of expert analysis and at cost of £20m to the taxpayer, the independent Airports Commission made a unanimous and unequivocal recommendation to the Government that Heathrow should be expanded. The Commission looked closely at local environmental impacts and concluded that these could be adequately mitigated.

Following several years of consultation and engagement with local people and Local Authorities, the plans that Heathrow are proposing are radically different to those rejected by the Prime Minister in 2010. The Prime Minister's comments rejecting the original plans at that time are irrelevant to the current proposals.

We are the Leaders of Councils representing tens of thousands of residents who live next to Heathrow, many of whom, as in other surrounding Boroughs, are reliant on the proximity to the airport for work. We will continue to encourage the airport to do more to reduce its impacts but we support the skills, employment and community benefits that Heathrow expansion would bring to our Boroughs.

Yours

Councillor Ian Harvey, Leader, Spelthorne Borough Council
Councillor Rob Anderson, Leader, Slough Borough Council

A number of public drop-in events, including Sunbury on 15th March, are being held by the River Thames Scheme to allow residents to have their say and view options for the weirs. Experts will also be at hand to answer questions.

To view the drop-in programme, click here

Are you aged 7-16? Interested in trying a new sport?

Then why not come along to the Team Spelthorne P&G Surrey Youth Games free training sessions.

The P&G Surrey Youth Games, sponsored by Procter & Gamble, is the largest annual youth sports festival in Surrey. The aim of the games is to provide opportunities for young people to try new sports. Over 2000 young people, aged 7 to 16, will experience a competitive, countywide sporting event when they take part in the games on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 June 2016.

In preparation for the competition weekend, Spelthorne Borough Council is holding between 4 and 8 weeks of coaching for each sport, which will begin in April/May. The training sessions are free of charge which offers young people a fantastic opportunity to try a new sport or improve on existing skills. At last year’s Games, Spelthorne coached over 400 children, entered 29 teams and won 10 medals.

There are a wide variety of sports on offer, including badminton, boccia (disability sport), boxing, girls’ cricket, girls’ football, hockey, judo, lacrosse, netball, squash, swimming, table tennis, girls’ touch-rugby, tennis and touch tennis. All sessions will be led by qualified coaches and, from the coaching sessions, teams will be chosen to compete in the games at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford.

To be eligible for Team Spelthorne you must either live or go to school in Spelthorne and if you already play a sport, you must be below county standard.

Full details for the coaching sessions, age ranges and full eligibility can be found on the website. You must register in advance of the sessions which can be done online at www.spelthorne.gov.uk/surreyyouthgames. Bookings open on Wednesday 2 March.

For more information, contact Leisure Services on 01784 446433 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Local residents at the top of The Avenue have received notices from Buxted Construction advising of significant changes to the layout and architecture of the The Avenue where it meets the junction with Staines Road East.

A first phase of the works will involve moving services which are currently in the way. The second phase will involve moving the kerblines out to accommodate a new lane and a pedestrian refuge, creating a right turn lane for The Avenue. A raised junction and "Keep Clear" space will be provided for The Spinney.

Temporary traffic lights will be installed to enable the works to be carried out and parking on The Avenue near the junction should be avoided if possible.

Not surprisingly, the new layout, which will take 6 - 8 weeks to put in place over the Easter period, is causing consternation to residents in the vicinity and to the local dental practice where restricted parking will impact upon his patients, some of whom are disabled.

The subject has been raised with our local County Councillor, Tim Evans who is currently looking into the matter and LOSRA has advised residents to put a question to the Local Spelthorne Committee which meets on Monday 14th March, 6.30pm at the Council Chamber, Knowle Green.

One of Sunbury’s biggest musical events of the year is taking place on Friday March 11th when The Tony Kinsey Big Band is giving a concert at which Tony will perform his major work “The Embroidery Suite”. The event is on Friday March 11th at Sunbury Cricket Club, the performance beginning at 8.00 pm.

The event is being promoted by Sunbury Millennium Embroidery, and marks the beginning of the celebrations this year of the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Sunbury Embroidery Gallery in the Walled Garden, Thames Street. The Embroidery Suite was composed by Tony as part of the fund-raising effort to build the Gallery and was originally performed at St. Mary’s Church well over ten years ago.

In addition to the Embroidery Suite, the 16-piece orchestra, plus vocalist, will perform other Tony Kinsey compositions, including two new pieces which will be having their first airing. The concert is being recorded for CD release.

Tickets are £15.00, available from the Embroidery Gallery, which is open from 10am to 4pm every day except Mondays. For a donation of a further £5.00 on top of the ticket prices, you can have your name included as a supporter of the project in the CD booklet.

A long-time Lower Sunbury resident, Tony has been one of the major figures in British jazz for well over 60 years, and is highly respected as a drummer, bandleader and composer, and opportunities to see him performing in our area are relatively rare. This will be a very special occasion, and tickets will be in considerable demand, so you are advised to book in advance.

The Big Band includes some of the top performers in the British jazz scene. See flier by clicking here