Local News
Fallen Tree Blocks Road
By Martin Giles An unconfirmed report has reached The Dragon this evening of a fallen tree that has completely blocked New Inn Lane in Merrow. The tree is believed to have fallen at about 5.45pm but fortunately it is believed that no vehicle was struck and no casualties have ben reported. But the ro...
Local messages
Portsmouth Direct Line Works Start Tomorrow
Maintenance work affecting services on the Guildford to Portsmouth start tomorrow, February 14, and will continue until the 22nd. During the school half-term holiday, engineers will be working on the railway between Petersfield and Havant, with additional impacts to services to and from Portsmouth H...
Luxury Guildford spa closed as Environmental Health investigation underway
The council has confirmed it has received a complaint over "an alleged hygiene issue"
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Zoe Meets The King and Queen, ‘It Was Like the Best Wedding Reception Ever!’
By Martin Giles Zoe (she did not wish to give her surname), a local government officer at Guildford Borough Council, represented the council at a reception at St James’s Palace earlier this month. The event, hosted by The King and Queen, alongside The Duchess of Edinburgh and The Duke of Glouceste...
Surrey Charity Celebrates ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted for Child Respite Care
By Esme Campbell A Surrey children’s home was awarded an “Outstanding” Ofsted rating for the fourth year in a row, setting a high standard for the county. Cherry Trees charity, a respite home for children and young people with complex disabilities, was praised by inspectors for its high qualit...
McDonald’s Press On with Plans To Open a Drive-Through at Nature Reserve Site
By David Reading Fast food chain McDonald’s is appealing against Guildford Borough Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for a drive-through restaurant on the edge of the Tice’s Meadow nature reserve, between Tongham and Badshot Lea. The Tice’s Meadow Bird Group (TMBG) has raised ...
Government Agrees to Write Off 90% of Councils’ SEND Debts
By Chris Caulfield local democracy reporter The Government is “finally recognising the heavy pressure placed on local budgets to support children” after agreeing to wipe out 90 per cent of the debt councils have accrued in Special Education Need and Disabilities spending. Surrey has 46,000 child...
Letter: Walking by Loseley Fields Means More To Me Than I Can Express
From Julia Parris In response to: The Blocking of a Well-used, Valued Path Is Causing Ill-feeling I am writing to express my support for the concerns raised regarding the blocking of access to the permissive path on the Loseley fields. I have lived at Henley Fort for the past 17 years. One of the ma...
All the Surrey school roads where traffic restrictions including cameras and permits are proposed
Traffic restrictions known as "School Streets" schemes could be introduced in towns across the county
Notice: Borrow & Save at the Baby Clothes Library
Baby clothing can be expensive and only fit for a short while, why not borrow and save? The post Notice: Borrow & Save at the Baby Clothes Library appeared first on Guildford Dragon....
Guildford pub planned for iconic riverside mill confirms planned opening timeline
Work on the conversion could get started this summer
GBC’s Achievement of Sorting Out Its Finances Praised as ‘Amazing’ by Deputy Leader
By Chris Caulfield local democracy reporter Guildford Borough Council’s leadership is celebrating the “extraordinary achievement” of getting its finances on an even keel three years after it was at serious risk of going bust. The balanced budget and housing revenue accounts were passed with so...
Blocking of Popular Field-side Path Criticised – Councillor to Meet Loseley Estate Manager
By Martin Giles A field-side path, used regularly by local residents for decades, has been blocked off by Loseley Estate this week. The estate says they want to prevent crop damage and improve conditions for wildlife but critics are sceptical. The path runs beside the northern edge of fields on the ...
Snow and sleet weather forecast for Surrey as rain temporarily set to stop
Light snow is currently forecast in several parts of Surrey
Letter: The Blocking of a Well-used, Valued Path Is Causing Ill-feeling
From Lorimer Burn chairman of the St Catherine’s Village Association Action recently taken to block access to a well-used path really concerns me. I live in Guildown, on the western edge of Guildford. It’s a 15-minute walk into town and a five-minute walk up onto the Hog’s Back behind me. I wr...
Plan to build drive-thru McDonald's next to Surrey nature reserve returns as fast food giant appeals planning refusal
The fast-food giant wants to build the drive-thru on land between Guildford and Farnham
Woking Council Tax Payers Face Another Hike – But Budget Will Not Service Huge Debt
By Chris Caulfield local democracy reporter Band D council tax payers in Woking are expected to pay more than £2,500 a year for the first time after the latest round of rate rises. Last year, the average bill for homeowners was £2,482 but rises by Surrey County Council, Surrey Police, and Woking B...
Letter: Libraries Need Not Be Silent But Need To Be Used with Consideration For Others
From the Guildford Library Team In response to: Libraries Need Not Be Silent Mr Dover is absolutely right, long gone is the era of libraries being silent spaces where no-one dare utter a word and conversations needing to be carried out in hushed whispers. In fact, in libraries we encourage youngster...
Letter: New Unitary Councillors Will Face a Steep and Ongoing Learning Curve
From Bernard Quoroll In response to: Poor Councillor Attendance at Local Plan Workshop Was A ‘Kick in the Teeth’ for the Organisers The implications of councillor attendance go much deeper than just town planning. The new unitary council which replaces GBC will have a revenue budget approaching ...
New University Vice-Chancellor Formally Installed by the Duke of Kent
Guildford Cathedral played host as town and gown came together to see the formal installation of Professor Stephen Jarvis as Surrey’s sixth Vice-Chancellor by the Duke of Kent, who has been the University’s Chancellor since 1976. In a ceremony that fused a message about the dual research and tea...