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Christmas & New Year:Refuse Collection Arrangements‘Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat’ … but what is goingto happen to the waste from all those Christmas festivities?

The Civic Amenity Sites atRandalls Road, Leatherheadand Ranmore Road, Dorkingwill be closed on ChristmasDay, Boxing Day and NewYear’s Day.

Civic Amenity SitesBetween 5th and 11th January 2004, you can takeyour Christmas tree to be composted at one ofthe following recycling sites:

• Ashtead – Peace Memorial Hall car park

• Bookham – Lower Road car park

• Brockham – Wellhouse Lane recycling site

• Dorking – Reigate Road car park

• Leatherhead – Station Road car park

• Ockley – Village Hall car park

Please leave your tree in the designated area.

Alternatively, Christmas trees can be placed in the green skips forcomposting at either of the Civic Amenity Sites, shown above left.

Christmas Trees

Mole Valley News is the official magazine ofMole Valley District Council. Published threetimes a year, each copy costs 17p to produce.Mole Valley News is then distributed to everyhousehold and business in Mole Valley and canbe produced in alternative formats on request.

Communications Team, Mole Valley DistrictCouncil, Pippbrook, Dorking RH4 1SJTel: 01306 879113 Fax: 01306 879302 Email: mvnews@molevalley.gov.uk

Printed on recycled paper

Collection TimetableMonday 22nd December Normal Monday refuse and recycling collection

Tuesday 23rd December Normal Tuesday refuse and recycling collection

Wednesday 24th December Normal Wednesday refuse and recycling collection

Thursday 25th December* Christmas Day – No collection

Friday 26th December* Boxing Day – No collection

Monday 29th December Normal Monday refuse and recycling collection

Tuesday 30th December Normal Tuesday refuse and recycling collection

Wednesday 31st December Normal Wednesday refuse and recycling collection

Thursday 1st January* New Year’s Day – No collection

Friday 2nd January* Collection of Thursday’s refuse and recycling

Saturday 3rd January* Collection of Friday’s refuse and recycling

*Please note that households with a normal collection day of Thursday or Friday will have their rubbish collected on 18th and 19th December as usual and then not again until a fortnight later, on 2nd and 3rd January respectively.

Cover photo of the River Mole at Leatherhead by Jeremy Early

We hope that Mole Valley residents will choose to recycle as much of theirseasonal leftovers as possible this year, helping us reduce the amount ofwaste being buried in landfill sites.

Shown below are the refuse and recycling collection arrangements for theChristmas and New Year weeks. You may wish to detach them from yourcopy of Mole Valley News and keep them somewhere they can be easilyfound again as the festive season approaches.

The official magazine of Mole Valley District Council

mvnewsIssue two Winter2003

Here comesChristmas!Meet our new 'mole'

Are you getting yourbenefits?

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mvnews2

Welcome to the winteredition of Mole Valley News,the official magazine of MoleValley District Council.

With Christmas just a month awaynow, we are in a festive mood forthis edition. Why not turn to pages8 and 9 to find out what the towncentres have in store for us thisChristmas. Then find out how tomake sure your festive feastdoesn’t end in disaster with TopTurkey Tips on page 10. If youwant to work off any extra inchesfrom your waistline after the lastslice of turkey has been eaten, ourarticle on enjoying Mole Valley’sopen spaces (page 11) should bean inspiration!

Thanks to those of you who tookthe trouble to write to us followingthe publication of the magazine’sfirst edition in July. Amongst themany complimentary letters wereceived, there were several of youwho questioned why Mole Valleyneeds a magazine at all. It isalways a tricky balance to please

everyone – we decided to producea magazine in the first place as aresponse to residents who felt weweren’t telling them enough aboutwhat we do – but I do hope thateveryone finds something ofinterest to them in this edition.

Your comments are valuable to usand will help shape the content offuture editions of Mole ValleyNews. If you would like to give usyour views, suggest topics to becovered in the future, or if youneed the magazine in analternative format, please contact:

Communications TeamMole Valley District CouncilPippbrookDorkingRH4 1SJ

Email: mvnews@molevalley.gov.uk

I wish you all a very HappyChristmas and a healthy andprosperous New Year.

Heather KerswellClerk & Chief Executive

Introductionby the Chief Executive

ContentsPage

Imagine a world

without Mole Valley 3

Recycling in Mole Valley 4

Choosing our priorities 6

Help with Housing 7

Christmas in Mole Valley 8

Keeping warm this winter 10

Get fit for Four! 11

Fighting Crime Together 12

Getting Your Benefits 13

An Inspector Calls 14

Mole Valley Youth Voice 15

Christmas & New Year

Refuse Collection back page

How to Contact UsMole Valley District CouncilPippbrook, DorkingRH4 1SJTel: 01306 885001Fax: 01306 876821Email: letters@molevalley.gov.ukWeb: www.molevalley.gov.ukMinicom: 01372 819094

Normal Office Hours are Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.00pm

Help Shop25 - 29 High Street LeatherheadKT22 8ABTel: 01372 363385

Normal Office Hours are Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4.30pm; Saturday 9.30am to 1.00pm

Mole Valley District Council - Out of HoursEmergencies: Tel: 01372 376533

For a full A to Z of the services provided by Mole Valley District Council, visit our website at www.molevalley.gov.uk

In the last edition of Mole Valley News,we told you about ways in which theCouncil has taken proactive steps torevitalise Leatherhead. This includedgiving a grant to help renovate theLetherhead Institute.

This grant, for £20,000, was actuallyprovided from the Thomas Flack Fund,an independent fund managed onbehalf of the local community by MoleValley District Council. We hope thisclarifies the situation.

Getting it right

www.molevalley.gov.uk

Leatherhead Help Shop

mvnews 3www.molevalley.gov.uk

Could you manage withoutMole Valley District Council?

What would it be like to live in MoleValley with no District Council?

Three cheers! No Council Tax to payfor the District Council (although youwould still have to pay for servicesfrom Surrey County Council, thePolice and perhaps a parish). A household in a ‘Band D’ propertywould be over £2 a week better off. A household in the most expensiveproperties would be over £4 a weekbetter off. Enough to buy one or twocelebratory drinks!

The District Council’s offices atPippbrook could be closed down.There would be no councillors,‘bureaucrats’ like me would have to find ‘proper jobs’ and the officescould be sold to a firm makingmoney, rather than collecting it.

Council houses and flats could go toa housing association; they are ingood condition and never mind ifthat’s not what the tenants want.What would happen to homelesspeople though? Would charities comeforward to run the hostels? Howwould people move in to permanenthomes? Would we see more peopleliving rough? There would be nohousing benefits issued so a lot oftenants could be evicted for notpaying their rent.

The Leatherhead Leisure Centre andDorking Sports Centre could perhapsbe passed to the private sector to runas clubs; much higher charges wouldbe needed to make them break even,let alone make a profit. Dorking Hallswould probably have to close down.

You could take your own rubbish tothe tip – and hopefully that of the ladynext door who doesn’t have a car.What about that family on the otherside who don’t bother and leave alltheir rubbish to rot next to yourkitchen window? See your solicitorand get an injunction. This could costmore than £4 a week!

Of course, you will also sweep theroad and pavement outside yourhouse and take the sweepings,including any dog mess, to the tip.Lost dogs, meanwhile, will roam the streets.

Parks, open spaces and the cemeterywill return to scrub and woodland;playgrounds will be removed forsafety. Smaller watercourses will getblocked and flood but there will beno-one to give you sandbags.

Car parks can be sold to a privatecompany who will charge a market rate.

People could build what they liked,where they liked and to any standardthey liked. Would buildings be safe?

Would you want to buy food fromshops and meals at restaurantswhere hygiene is not inspected?

There would be no day centres,meals-on-wheels, mini buses oralarms for elderly people.

If you didn’t like any of this you wouldhave no councillors to complain toand, indeed, you wouldn’t be able tovote in any elections – local ornational – as you would not beregistered as a voter.

However, Mole Valley residents, beingsensible and enterprising people,might decide to organise thingsthemselves, club together to pay forrubbish to be collected and thestreets swept, collect money to buildplaygrounds or even swimming pools,run their own car parks and helpelderly people. They might want toprotect the countryside or preventpeople building homes or parkingcaravans all over their gardens.

Every community of, say, 2,000people might want to choose arepresentative to be part of a groupmaking decisions – that would be 40people for the whole area. Better offfamilies might offer about £4 a week,the less well off about £2, with 25%off for people living alone.

And you would have re-inventedMole Valley District Council…

Imagine a worldwithout Mole ValleyDistrict CouncilClerk & Chief Executive, Heather Kerswell, takes atongue-in-cheek look at life in Mole Valley without the District Council.

mvnews www.molevalley.gov.uk4

Last year we collected 28,000tonnes of rubbish fromhouseholds in Mole Valley.Only 15% of this wasrecycled. This is higher thanthe Surrey average but is stillnot good enough. Targets setby the Government and theCouncil itself mean that thisfigure must be increased to atleast 36% by 2006.

We have agreed a plan of action to helpus increase recycling in Mole Valley. Keyto this plan are two major projects whichwe have made big steps towardscompleting this year – the MRF and awheeled bin trial.

What’s a MRF?A MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) is alarge, enclosed building containingequipment that can mechanically sortmixed recyclable material and bale it upready for sale to the recycling market.

We are planning to build a MRF on landbehind the Civic Amenity Site at RandallsRoad in Leatherhead, that is capable ofprocessing 40,000 tonnes of recycledwaste a year. The Mole Valley MRF willbe able to deal with a wide range ofrecyclable materials collected fromhouseholds throughout the area,including mixed paper and card, plasticbottles and metal cans. It would make itas easy as possible for residents torecycle a lot more of their refuse.

This autumn, our application for planningpermission to build the MRF wasunanimously supported by SurreyCounty Council and the GovernmentOffice for the South East. Building workwill start in the new year and the MRFshould be operational by autumn 2004.Once complete, the £3 million plant willemploy fifteen people full time as well asmanagement and supervisory staff. TheCouncil’s partner in this project isGrundon Waste Management Ltd.

Waste on WheelsAlongside the MRF project, we

are looking at the possibility ofintroducing a new system of domesticrefuse collection in the District. Thiswould involve households across MoleValley having two wheeled bins – one forrubbish, one for recycling – rather thanthe plastic sack and basket collectionused at the moment.

To see how well a system like this wouldwork, we are planning to run a pilotproject early in 2004 with households inBox Hill, Westcott and parts ofLeatherhead and Dorking. If you live inthe pilot area, you will be receivingdetails soon. The pilot will give residentsin those areas plenty of opportunity togive their views on the new system and we will use that information to judgewhether or not the scheme should be extended to every household in Mole Valley.

For information about wastemanagement and recycling in Mole Valley, contact Dave Parr on tel: 01306 879190or email: refuse@molevalley.gov.ukor: recycling@molevalley.gov.uk

Recycling in Mole Valley…is it all rubbish?

www.molevalley.gov.uk mvnews 5

REDUCE• Choose products with less packaging• Avoid buying disposable items• Use ‘bags for life’ instead of carrier bags• Compost garden and kitchen waste• Stop unwanted ‘junk’ mail by writing to:

The Mail Preference Service, Freepost 22, London W1E 7EZ

RE-USE• Re-use carrier bags as bin liners• Take unwanted clothes and bric-a-brac to a local charity shop• Use scrap paper for messages and shopping lists• Return refillable bottles• Think about using a salvage yard for materials when doing DIY work

RECYCLE• Fill your recycling box with newspapers and cans for collection. If you

do not have a recycling box, contact General Services on tel: 01306 879203 or email: recycling@molevalley.gov.uk

• Take glass, cans, mixed paper, cardboard, textiles and foil to the various recycling sites around the District

• The Civic Amenity sites at Randalls Road, Leatherhead and Ranmore Road, Dorking, collect scrap metal, garden waste, oil and oil filters, car batteries, hazardous chemicals, fridges and freezers for safe disposal and recycling

• Local charity, Surrey Springboard Recycling, collects unwanted household furniture for refurbishment. Tel: 01306 741359 or email: ask@surreyspringboard.com

Top Tips for Tackling your Waste

Composter CompetitionDid you know that up to 30% of our rubbish is organic and could be easilycomposted? Along with reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill sites inSurrey, compost creates a great soil conditioner for our gardens, saving usmoney by reducing the need for chemical fertilisers and mulches.

Why not enter our competition to win a top qualitycomposter, which has:

• 280 litre capacity• twist-on windproof lid• sliding side hatch for compost removal• air vents• black colour and black hatch• diameter 700mm, height 1020mm

Just answer the following question. (Hint: you’ll find the answer somewhere on these two pages!)

'How much of the waste we collected fromhouseholds last year was recycled?'

a) 5% b) 15% c) none

Please put your answer on a postcard and send it along with your name andaddress to: Mole Valley News, Pippbrook, Dorking RH4 1SJ or email it to:mvnews@molevalley.gov.uk

Details of the refuse and recycling collectionarrangements in MoleValley for Christmasand the New Yearcan be found on theback page of thisedition of MoleValley News.✂

Christmas & New Year:

Refuse Collection Arrangements

‘Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat’ … but what is going

to happen to the waste from all those Christmas festivities?

The Civic Amenity Sites at

Randalls Road, Leatherhead

and Ranmore Road, Dorking

will be closed on Christmas

Day, Boxing Day and New

Year’s Day.

Civic Amenity SitesBetween 5th and 11th January 2004, you can take

your Christmas tree to be composted at one of

the following recycling sites:

• Ashtead – Peace Memorial Hall car park

• Bookham – Lower Road car park

• Brockham – Wellhouse Lane recycling site

• Dorking – Reigate Road car park

• Leatherhead – Station Road car park

• Ockley – Village Hall car park

Please leave your tree in the designated area.

Alternatively, Christmas trees can be placed in the green skips for

composting at either of the Civic Amenity Sites, shown above left.

Christmas Trees

Mole Valley News is the official magazine of

Mole Valley District Council. Published three

times a year, each copy costs 17p to produce.

Mole Valley News is then distributed to every

household and business in Mole Valley and can

be produced in alternative formats on request.

Communications Team, Mole Valley District

Council, Pippbrook, Dorking RH4 1SJ

Tel: 01306 879113 Fax: 01306 879302

Email: mvnews@molevalley.gov.uk

Printed on recycled paper

Collection Timetable

Monday 22nd December

Normal Monday refuse and recycling collection

Tuesday 23rd December

Normal Tuesday refuse and recycling collection

Wednesday 24th December

Normal Wednesday refuse and recycling collection

Thursday 25th December*

Christmas Day – No collection

Friday 26th December*

Boxing Day – No collection

Monday 29th December

Normal Monday refuse and recycling collection

Tuesday 30th December

Normal Tuesday refuse and recycling collection

Wednesday 31st December

Normal Wednesday refuse and recycling collection

Thursday 1st January*

New Year’s Day – No collection

Friday 2nd January*

Collection of Thursday’s refuse and recycling

Saturday 3rd January*

Collection of Friday’s refuse and recycling

*Please note that households with a normal collection day of Thursday or Friday will have their rubbish collected on 18th

and 19th December as usual and then not again until a fortnight later, on 2nd and 3rd January respectively.

Cover photo of the River Mole at Leatherhead by Jeremy Early

We hope that Mole Valley residents will choose to recycle as much of their

seasonal leftovers as possible this year, helping us reduce the amount of

waste being buried in landfill sites.

Shown below are the refuse and recycling collection arrangements for the

Christmas and New Year weeks. You may wish to detach them from your

copy of Mole Valley News and keep them somewhere they can be easily

found again as the festive season approaches.

To help us increase recycling in MoleValley, a new logo has beendeveloped to promote recycling andcomposting throughout the district. Asyet unnamed, the “recycling mole”will be used on all related publicity and will be at the forefront of ourcampaign to inform the public aboutthe new wheeled bins scheme.

mvnews6 www.molevalley.gov.uk

Getting our priorities

RIGHTYou may sometimes wonder why the

Council doesn’t provide a particularservice or think that it isn’t placing

enough emphasis on performance in aparticular area. This is because we

realise that, to be effective, we can onlyundertake a certain number of activities

at any given time. If we tried to doeverything, we would spread ourresources too thinly and nothing

would be done properly.

In July 2002, we set ourselves sevenpriorities that would be the focus ofincreased activity and financialinvestment by the Council over thenext eighteen months.

In deciding the seven priorities, welooked at two important factors:

• Was it an issue that the communitycares about?

• Was it an issue where the Councilcould make a real difference,preferably by direct action?

Consultation workshops were heldwith representatives from thecommunity and business groups andresulted in the following priority areasbeing identified for Mole Valley:

AFFORDABLE HOUSING FORRESIDENTS & KEY WORKERSTo balance the needs of thecommunity with the supply ofappropriate housing (see page 7).

YOUNG PEOPLEDeveloping services that are targetedand accessible to young people. This

includes the establishment ofMole Valley Youth Voice, the district'sYouth Council (see page 15).

NORTH LEATHERHEADInvolves the Council working withvarious partnership schemes to tackle the socio-economic issues in this area.

TOWN CENTRESFocuses on maintaining vibrant towncentres for residents and visitors (seepage 9). This involves enhancing thephysical and business environmentof the towns.

WASTE MANAGEMENTAs part of the Council’s focus on asafe and healthy living environment,this includes the national priority ofrecycling (see pages 4 & 5).

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THECOUNCIL AND ITS COMMUNITYImproving internal and externalcommunications. Mole Valley Newsis an example of the Council’sachievements so far in this importantarea of work.

COUNCIL TAX ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMMUNITYDeveloping consultation methods toobtain public opinion on the optionsfor setting the level of Council Tax inMole Valley (see page 14).

Action plans have also been agreedthat will help us make improvementsin each of the seven priority areas.You can read about some of these inthis copy of Mole Valley News andwe will be reporting back on theothers in future editions.

Following another round ofconsultation carried out earlier thisyear at community workshops, theCouncil reaffirmed its seven prioritiesin July 2003. During 2004/5, afurther programme of consultationwill be undertaken throughneighbourhood meetings and focusgroups selected from the Residents’Panel. This consultation will tell uswhether we need to change ourpriorities for the future.

For more information, please contact Caroline Hall on tel: 01306 879136 oremail: caroline.hall@molevalley.gov.uk

mvnews 7www.molevalley.gov.uk

Last year, we carried out a district-wide Housing Needs survey. Thisaimed to find out what kind ofproperty people need to live in nowand in the future, and how‘affordable’ homes need to be. The survey found that, increasingly,many young people are having toleave Mole Valley because theycannot afford to live here. In thelonger term, the local communitycould suffer as a result of thisbecause key workers (such asmedical staff, refuse collectors,police, fire and ambulance crew)and those needed to run localshops and businesses, are unableto live locally.

To help address this problem, theCouncil has made affordablehousing one of its main priorities(see page 6). We already have ourown housing stock and have aprogramme of developing newhomes on under-used land suchas that on or close to housingestates. The Council also supportsa number of Housing Associationswith financial and practical help sothat they can develop new housingschemes such as those that offerresidents low cost shared

ownership of a property. Last year,38 extra affordable homes weremade available in Mole Valley inaddition to Council houses thatwere re-let as they became emptyduring the year.

It will take time to providesignificant numbers of newaffordable homes but we are doingas much as we can, includingamending the Local PlanAffordable Housing Policy. We areencouraging property developersto provide affordable housing aspart of any new building schemesand have appointed a company tonegotiate affordable housing withdevelopers and housingassociations.

In common with most local housing authorities, we operate alocal Housing Register. It is ourway of identifying the number ofpeople in the area who havehousing need. Joining the Registeris the first stage towards beingallocated a Council or HousingAssociation tenancy. Applicantsinterested in shared ownership orleasing schemes also need to join the Register.

The rules regarding who can joinMole Valley’s Register are currentlyunder review. Details of the currentpolicy and our Housing Strategycan be found on the Council'swebsite at www.molevalley.gov.uk

Anyone wishing to find out moreabout applying for housing and theCouncil’s Housing Register shouldtelephone: 01306 879210 or email:housing@molevalley.gov.uk

Mole Valley is a popular place tolive and work. It is also a veryexpensive place to live for

anybody who is notadequately housed

or is unable toget on to theproperty ladder.

Helping To Meet Local Needs

For information about helpwith your housing costs,

please see page 13.

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mvnews8 www.molevalley.gov.uk

Get in the festive spirit!Guaranteed to banish any winter blues,Dorking Halls will be open every day ofthe holiday period (except ChristmasDay) with a range of performances toappeal to all ages and tastes:

Mole Valley Youth Voice gets theseasonal entertainment underway withtheir Teen Disco on Friday 12thDecember. The Disco, aimedspecifically at 11 to 16 year olds, will run from 7.00pm to 10.30pm. Tickets cost £5.

The following day, Saturday 13thDecember, the Halls host the Chairmanof the Council’s Carol Concert whereSurrey County Brass Ensemble, St.Joseph’s R.C. Primary School, Capel

Choral Society, The Zingers and soloistClare Eggington will join together andspread a little Christmas magic!Proceeds from the concert will go to the NSPCC Surrey Young Witness project.

Tickets for Sleeping Beauty on Ice atDorking Halls are selling well … so ifyou still haven’t got your ticket youneed to get your skates on! Thesensational Russian Ice Stars bringtheir unique ice show to Dorking fromTuesday 16th to Saturday 20thDecember. Prices start at £9.50 with concessions for children andsenior citizens.

The exciting atmosphere of the Big Topwill once again be transported to thecosy comfort of Dorking Halls this yearwhen Zippos Circus returns from 22nd December to 3rd January with a brand new show. Tickets are pricedfrom £3.95.

Tickets for all these events can bepurchased by ringing the Dorking HallsBox Office on tel: 01306 881717.

See Sleeping Beauty on Icefrom 16th December

Why not head for the Halls thisChristmas?

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ChristmasWith summer just a distant memory, it’s time to enjoy what MoleValley has to offer in the run up to Christmas 2003….

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mvnews 9www.molevalley.gov.uk

Lighting up LeatherheadThis year’s Christmas Festival is beingheld in Leatherhead on Saturday, 6thDecember. Details of the day were stillbeing confirmed as we went to printbut look likely to include a craft market,street entertainers, music, CarolService and Father Christmas’ parade.The main events will take place from3pm to 5pm, culminating in aspectacular Firework Finale with musicand the turning on of this year’s Christmas lights.

Dazzling in DorkingNot to be outshone, Dorking’sChristmas Lights will be on from Friday,21st November. Another highlight inthe town will be the antiques festival inWest Street on Saturday, 22ndNovember. Dorking’s famous GalaNight is on Thursday, 11th Decemberand promises to be a night toremember, with this year’s theme being‘Rock and Roll Christmas’. So prepareyourself for Teddy Boys and Girls, HotRods, Pink Cadillacs and loads of freeentertainment!

If you live in or around Dorking, lookout for the official Dorking Christmasmagazine, ‘Yuletide’, which will dropthrough your door in early December,giving more details about the

Gala Night and other festive events in the town.

Festive Farmers’ MarketsWhy not use local produce for yourfestive feast this year? Leatherhead’spopular Farmers’ Market will be heldon Thursday, 11th December from10am (not 18th December, aspreviously advertised). In Dorking,Farmers’ Markets will be held in the St Martin’s Walk car park on Saturday,29th November and Wednesday, 10th December.

A Guide to Local ShoppingIf you’re planning a trip to one of MoleValley’s town centres this Christmas,grab yourself a copy of the Dorkingand Leatherhead Directories (illustratedbelow). Each contains a useful list ofshops and local services to help youget the most from your visit. They areavailable from the Council Offices inDorking, Leatherhead Help Shop andthe Visitor Information Centre at Dorking Halls.

Dorking lights up for Christmas(Photo by Chris Marsh)

Enjoying our Town Centres this Christmas

in Mole Valley

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❆Highlights

from last year's

festivities in

Leatherhead.

Photos courtesy

of the

Leatherhead

Advertiser

mvnews10 www.molevalley.gov.uk

For many of us Christmaslunch is the biggest andmost special meal of the year.

However many guests you are cooking for this year, use the advice opposite toprotect you, your family and friends from food poisoning.

Eating OutWe regularly inspect food premises in MoleValley and most meet our exacting standards.If you have any concerns about a local shop,café or restaurant, please contactEnvironmental Health immediately on tel: 01306 879301. If you become ill after eatingfood from one of these establishments, youshould contact your GP for any medical helprequired and report the incident to the Councilduring the next working day.

The Food Safety team at Mole Valley wishes you asafe and happy Christmas!

Your House Type Type of Work Offer Price Typical Price Saving

3 Bed Semi Detached House Cavity Wall Insulation £273.00 £393.75 £120.75

3 Bed Semi Detached House 150mm (6 inch) loft top up £166.95 £240.45 £73.50

3 Bed Detached Bungalow 200mm (8 inch) loft top up £259.35 £373.80 £114.45

3 Bed Detached House 250mm (10 inches) of loft insulation £262.50 £379.05 £116.55

4 Bed Semi Detached House 150mm (6 inch) loft top up £189.00 £271.95 £82.95

Below are examples of the cost of works under the scheme:

All prices are inclusive of 5% VAT

For more general information free-phone Lion Insulation on 0800 521379 quoting the reference “Cosy Mole Valley”

Typical heat loss from a house

Turkey Tips for a festive feast

✔ Defrost frozen turkeys in the

fridge below any cooked or

ready-to-eat foods.

✔ At 4°C (39°F) allow about

4-6 hours per 1lb (450g) –

remember not all fridges will

be at this temperature.

✔ If you cannot fit the turkey in

your fridge, defrost it at room

temperature. Allow 1 hour per

1lb. Cover the turkey and

make sure it does not touch

any other food.

✔ There is no need to wash your

turkey. Proper cooking will kill

bacteria.

✔ Wash your hands after

touching raw meat and use

hot, soapy water.

✔ Use hot soapy water followed

by a food-safe disinfectant to

clean and disinfect surfaces

and equipment that have been

in contact with the raw meat.

✔ The safe and easy way to

enjoy crisp stuffing is by

cooking it separately in a

roasting tin.

✔ As a general guide, allow

18-20 minutes per 1lb. at

190°C, 375°F or Gas

Mark 5 to cook your turkey.

✔ Always make sure turkey is

thoroughly cooked by

checking that:

• The oven is preheated

• The meat is piping hot

throughout

• When you cut in to the

thickest part of the meat,

there are no pink bits

• Juices that run out when you

pierce the turkey, or press

the thigh, are clear.

✔ Any cooked meat to be kept

for cold cuts should be cooled

as quickly as possible, covered

and stored above any raw

meats in the refrigerator, ideally

at 5°C or below, and eaten

within 48 hours.

Save Money, Energy and improve your EnvironmentWe are pleased to announce a new scheme - Cosy Mole Valley – for which all householders are eligible, regardless of income. You caninsulate your home for specially negotiated prices. These improvements will help to make your home warmer, reduce your fuel bills and

help the environment.

On Benefit?Grants of up to £2,500 are available on a range of energy efficiency schemes. This applies to anyone on an income-related benefit whois over the age of 60 or disabled. Grants of £1,500 are available for anyone who is on benefit and has children under 16. Please ringLion Insulation on 0800 521379 for more information.

mvnews 11

Get fit for FOUR … that’s 2004 !!With the ever-present mediaattention on rising levels of obesity inthe UK, particularly amongst youngpeople, it seems to get harder eachyear to enjoy all the culinary delightsof a traditional Christmas withoutworrying. By taking more exercise, you can help make sure that youeither remain or get ‘fit for FOUR!’

Both Leatherhead Leisure Centreand Dorking Sports Centre havesuperb sporting facilities that you canuse to trim off a few pounds or toneyour body. Even if the gym’s not yourthing, what about taking a swim orjoining in with one of the manyexercise classes on offer? Contactthem on tel: 01372 377674(Leatherhead) or 01306 870180(Dorking) for further details.

Or, why not make the most of thewonderful parks, open spaces andcountryside in Mole Valley by takinga stroll? Walking is excellent exerciseand, if you feel like venturing a bitfurther, why not set your sights onthe Mole Gap Trail (see below).

Another opportunity to keep fit forfree is gardening. Even if you do nothave your own, you can participateby hiring a Council allotment. With an allotment you can benefit from the exercise, meet other allotmentholders and enjoy the freshvegetables, fruit, and flowers thatresult from your endeavours.

For information on all these forms of exercise and to ‘Get fit for FOUR!’contact Mole Valley Leisure on tel: 01306 879184or email: leisure@molevalley.gov.uk

www.molevalley.gov.uk

The Mole Gap is one of very fewbreaks in the escarpment of theNorth Downs, the chalk hills that runfrom Dover to Farnham. Containingthe beautiful River Mole and thesteep slopes of Box Hill, it is not justa dramatic landscape feature, it isalso full of cultural associations andone of the most important wildlifeareas in this part of England.

Last year, we worked with the SurreyHills Office and South Central Trainsto publish a special walking trail toguide visitors through the whole ofthe Mole Gap from Leatherhead toDorking. The six mile route isbeautifully illustrated in a guide(above right) available from theVisitor Information Centre at DorkingHalls and the Help Shop inLeatherhead. Information aboutsome of the points of interest alongthe way are included in the booklet.

Featured are:

• Historic houses,such as CherkleyCourt

• Landscapefeatures, especially the river

• Flora and fauna, such as thekingfisher

• Industrial heritage, notably therailway bridges

• More recent attractions,particularly Denbies Wine Estate.

The Mole Gap Trail is a fascinatingwalk whatever the season. Why nottry it for yourself and burn off someof those Christmas calories at thesame time?

Excellent exercise facilities areavailable at Dorking and Leatherhead.

The Mole Gap Trail

Photo by Derek Forss

Here in Mole Valley, Surrey Policecouldn’t achieve what they dowithout the positive involvement ofcolleagues from Mole Valley DistrictCouncil, Surrey County Council,health services, youth services andschools, town centre managers andtraders, and many other local peopleand organisations. We will alwaysmake more progress when the localcommunity gets actively involved.

This is why we have the Mole ValleyCommunity Safety Partnership,bringing everyone together to makesure that we achieve real progress inthe district:

• Neighbourhood Watchgroups continue to beset up around MoleValley, each with a coordinatorwho takes the lead in their area.These groups liaise with thepolice, share security tips and helpkeep local people informed ofcommunity safety issues.Criminals are wary of suchnetworks and may well goelsewhere. The Council works withthe police to set upNeighbourhood Watch groups.Call 01306 676858 for moreinformation.

• Our Stop Graffiti campaign couldnot succeed without anenthusiastic team tackling theproblem. The Council is workinghard to clean up graffiti wherever it occurs and the police aresuccessfully apprehendingoffenders. The community can play a key role in this byreporting graffiti by telephone on 01306 885001 or via the Council's website atwww.molevalley.gov.uk . Graffiticleaning kits can also be borrowedfrom the Council – to check foravailability contact 01306 883172.

• Crime in town centres continuesto be an issue of concern.Through the work of theCommunity Safety Partnership,town centre managers andforums, and with local policeofficers on the streets, we aretackling the problems ofshoplifting, credit card fraud andanti-social behaviour. The ‘ShopSafe’ ring-round security schemeis being extended and charityshops are now part of this supportnetwork. We are also constantlystriving to improve the use ofCCTV as a deterrent to criminals.For more information, contact ourCommunity Safety Officer on tel: 01306 879305.

• Community groups such as MoleValley Youth Voice andCrimestoppers are also active inworking for a safer area. A YouthBus now visits rural parts of thedistrict and a Youth Café is beingset up in Leatherhead. Theseprojects give information andadvice to young people and offer a range of diversionary activities.

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You might think that fighting crime is the job of the police, and you’d be right, up to a point.

Taking Action Against Domestic ViolenceWe need your support andinvolvement to keep MoleValley safe. Contact theCommunity Safety Partnershipfor more information on tel: 01306 879305.

What can you do?

Fighting Crime Together

Graffiti cleaning kits (above) areavailable for anyone in Mole Valleywho wants to borrow them, whetheryou are a householder, localbusiness or other organisation.

Like a lot of things, a shared approach to a problem can achieve alot more and this is the case with Community Safety.

Help usstamp outgraffiti like thisaround thedistrict.

www.molevalley.gov.uk

One in four women and one in sixmen will suffer domestic violence atsome point in their lives.

There is a domestic violence outreachservice available in Mole Valley, providinga confidential listening service and giving

advice in a non-judgemental manner.The service is open from 9am to 4pm,Monday to Friday.

For more information, contactMichelle on tel: 01737 771350.

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Mole Valley’s Community Alarm serviceis based at Park House in Leatherhead.From here we answer calls from all overthe South East of England. People livingin their own homes are connected to usby a 'pull cord' or a radio trigger(‘Lifeline’ unit). When activated, thismakes an automatic telephone call andalerts us to the fact that the personneeds help. We then makearrangements for the appropriate help toattend, whether it be an ambulance, aneighbour, friend or relative.

Our Care Centre is open 24 hours a day,seven days a week. We do not use anautomated answering system - all ourcalls are answered by highly trained,professional members of the CommunityAlarm team.

We can supply additional attachments to Lifeline units, such as smoke, fall, gas, and flood detectors. We also offer anout-of-hours service, a paging service,safe staff and lone worker monitoring toother authorities, housing associationsand businesses.

Turn a phoneline into a lifeline

Are you gettingyour benefits?

Keeping our streets cleanChoosing a company to keepMole Valley’s streets free fromlitter and dog waste is animportant decision for the Council.We are currently undergoing acompetitive tender process toselect who will undertake thiswork on our behalf from April.

Recommendations from theCouncil’s 2001 Best Value review of street cleaning have beenincorporated in the new contract,which we hope will lead toenhanced standards of cleanliness across the district.

The new Street Cleaning Contractwill include:

• road sweeping, litter picking andemptying litter bins on behalf ofthe Council

• emptying dog bins • involvement with the removal of

fly-tipping on the public highway• graffiti removal • cleaning public conveniences.

The Council also hopes to provide,within its budget, for a dedicatedmain road cleaning crew and amobile barrowman to cover theAshtead, Bookham and Fetchamshopping areas.

We are always keen to hear your comments on street cleaningissues and you can do this byputting your thoughts in writing toTerry Beswick in the GeneralServices department at Pippbrook, by fax on 01306 876821or by email:street.cleaning@molevalley.gov.uk

For further information about any of these services, telephone 01372 819090, email: community.alarm@molevalley.gov.uk or visit our web site at

www.communityalarm.com

In an area of high rents such as MoleValley, it is often difficult for some peopleto pay their rent and Council Tax. Toassist tenants and taxpayers with theirhousing costs, we operate a scheme ofhousing and Council Tax benefit on behalfof the Government.

The scheme is means tested and is open for all to apply. Other than income,savings and investments, we will also consider:

• Size of household• Number of dependent children• Nature of any disabilities• Age of claimant and/or partner• Level of rent.

The Government estimates that up toone in ten people – especially pensioners- do not claim benefits to which they areentitled. These benefits are part of thenational welfare system supportingpeople to live in decent housing. Everyhouseholder has a right to make a claim.

If you are on a low income (it is possiblethat a family with an income over£25,000 can still receive housing benefit),you can get more information and anapplication form from the Benefits teamat our offices in Dorking or at the HelpShop in Leatherhead.

We welcome enquiries at the CouncilOffices in Dorking from Monday to Friday(8.30am to 5.00pm) and at LeatherheadHelp Shop (10.00am to 4.30pm, Mondayto Friday & 9.30am to 1.00pm onSaturdays). You can also contact us ontel: 01306 879187 or email:benefits@molevalley.gov.uk

Appointments for home visits can bemade for people who are unable to get toeither of these locations because of age,illness or disability. Telephone 01306879187 to book an appointment.

You may also get advice fromorganisations such as Citizens AdviceBureaux or Help the Aged.

For an instant estimate of the benefits towhich you may be entitled, try theBenefits Calculator on our website atww2.molevalley.gov.uk/benefits/

www.molevalley.gov.uk

As these figures show, the Community Alarm service is well used and growing in popularity:

Telephone calls received

2001/2 2002/3

Calls received through our computerised call handling system: 140,351 152,432In addition, our out of hours services received: 11,195 14,294

Last year, we answered 94.3% of our calls in under 30 seconds and 98.5% in under60 seconds. The average time it took us to answer a call was 8.3 seconds.

mvnews14 www.molevalley.gov.uk

Learning and support for young people Council Tax –your comments

A local project run by youngpeople's charity RPS Rainer inpartnership with Surrey CountyCouncil, NESCOT College andother local agencies, is looking formembers of the community tovolunteer to become mentors.‘Breaking the Cycle’ (BtC) workswith disadvantaged young peopleaged 15 to 18 years in Mid Surrey,many of them from Mole Valley,who have become disengagedfrom mainstream education andemployment.

BtC provides an activity-basedprogramme designed to restartyoung people’s interest in learning,and help them realise their

personal goals of education,training or full time work. Learning opportunities are tailoredto each individual’s needs andcover topics such as basicnumeracy and literacy skills,computer training, team building,positive communication and first aid.

Mentors will meet with the youngperson to whom they are assignedonce a week for one to two hours.RPS Rainer provides training forthe mentor, with the opportunity toacquire a BTEC accreditation.Anyone interested in volunteeringshould contact Project Worker Jo Lunney on tel: 07788 185990.

The last edition ofMole Valley Newscontained a leafletabout the CouncilTax explaining whatwe do and how we raisethe money needed to provide our services.

Over 1,200 of you responded to the questionnaire included with theleaflet. According to theseresponses:

• 53% of you usually agree with theway we spend your money, whilst42% usually do not

• There is a willingness for us tospend more on Refuse Collectionand Recycling, CommunityServices and EnvironmentalHealth

• There is a desire that less bespent on Housing, Leisure and theservices described as ‘GeneralServices’.

So what did you say you wereprepared to pay for these services?

• 30% of you are prepared for yourCouncil Tax to increase by 2.5%per annum (£3.00)

• 20% are prepared for Council Taxto increase by 5% per annum(£6.00)

• 4% are prepared for Council Taxto increase by 7.5% per annum(£9.00)

• 7% are prepared for Council Taxto increase by 10% per annum(£12.00).

These results will be followed upwith a series of residents’ focusgroups so that we can discuss thisimportant issue in more detail beforethe Council Tax level for next year isfinally set in February 2004.Contact Angela Griffiths on tel: 01306 879133 or email:angela.griffiths@molevalley.gov.ukfor more information.

December is an important monthfor Mole Valley this year…andnot only because Christmas willbe just around the corner.

During the second week of December,the Council undergoes its first everComprehensive PerformanceAssessment, or CPA. The CPA systemhas been introduced by the Governmentto judge how each council in the countryis currently performing and whether ithas the ability to improve. All the districtand borough councils in Surrey will havetheir inspection during December and,at the end of the CPA, each will receivean overall score, which is eitherExcellent, Good, Fair, Weak or Poor.Mole Valley expects to find out its scorein March 2004.

The implications of the score we receiveare very important. ‘Excellent’ councilsmay receive a range of financialfreedoms and flexibilities as well as an‘inspection holiday’. ‘Good’ councils will

also receive some ofthese benefits. Weakerperforming councils willreceive support from thegovernment in improvementplanning and further inspection. The Government will directlyintervene in the management ofcouncils that are deemed to be ‘Poor’.

A team of inspectors from the AuditCommission will be visiting us during theweek of 8th December and may want tohold focus groups with our customers tohear first-hand what you think of us. We have already held several similarmeetings this year to help improve ourservices and these have been veryvaluable. We are grateful to thoseresidents who gave up their time to attend.

For further details, contact Caroline Hall on tel: 01306 879136 or emailcaroline.hall@molevalley.gov.uk

Mole Valley Youth Voiceis expanding. Since thesummer, new membershave been elected orselected to serve on theyouth council, furtherincreasing therepresentation of youngpeople in Mole Valley.

During its inaugural year, the Youth Voiceconsisted of 12 councillors, two fromeach of six secondary schools in MoleValley. These schools now have theopportunity to have four representativeson the youth council and more schoolsare choosing to take part.Representatives from the youth clubs inMole Valley are also now taking up theirseats on Mole Valley Youth Voice. Thismeans that, for 2004 and beyond, atleast 30 young people will be committedto representing their peer group andensuring that decision and policy makersreally do get to hear the Voice of youngpeople in Mole Valley.

With more people directly involved, theYouth Voice should be able to buildrapidly upon its successes. In its firstyear alone, members have given adviceto many organisations including theDistrict and County Councils and hostedan exciting question and answer session

with local councillors as part of thenational Local Democracy Weekcampaign. Issues covered at themeeting, which was webcast live on

the Council’s website, included progresson recycling, the possible expansion ofGatwick airport, the restrictions placed inthe way of young people seekingweekend and holiday work, lack ofadequate public transport and theconcern over crime.

Youth Voice members have also takenon board what local young peoplethemselves said they wanted, andorganised events. The first, in October,was part of the Arts Alive festival andfeatured local young people playing intheir own bands. The second, aCHRISTMAS TEEN DISCO for 11-16

year olds, takes place at Dorking Hallson 12th December whilst the third, aYOUTH SHOWCASE, is an evening ofentertainment and awards for young

people that takesplace on 10thJanuary, also atDorking Halls. Ticketsfor both events areavailable from theHalls Box Office ontel: 01306 881717.

Involvement in localaffairs has been ahighlight for many ofthe existing membersof Youth Voice. Twomembers, the currentChairman, JonathanFrancis and AlexBurrows were lucky

enough to meet HRH The Duke ofGloucester when he officially opened theDorking Sports Centre in September(pictured above). Alex commented atthe time ‘that this was just an example,though probably the most prestigious, ofthe many things that the members ofYouth Voice had been involved withthroughout the year.’

For further information on Mole ValleyYouth Voice look at their websitewww.mvyouthvoice.co.uk or e-mailweb@mvyouthvoice.co.uk

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Mole Valley Youth VoiceThe Youth Council for Mole Valley

Becky Stokes (pictured left) has joinedthe Council as Leisure DevelopmentOfficer for Children and Young People.Becky graduated from Liverpool JohnMoores University with a B.Sc. (Hons.)Sports Science degree. She is multi-talented, being a keen trumpet player,and still finds time to play soccer forFulham Ladies FC! Her role at theCouncil is to provide opportunities foryoung people and children to participate

in leisure activities. This will includeorganising activities during the schoolholidays and after school in term time.She will also have a major role to play inthe future development of Mole ValleyYouth Voice.

Becky can be contacted on tel: 01306 879178 or by e-mail atrebecca.stokes@molevalley.gov.uk

Becky’s on board!

Youth Voice members meet HRH The Duke of Gloucester