Newsletter - Thu 11 Sep, 2025

By David Grantham

A planning application for a new parcel locker by the station has provoked comment, and a sports club is still trying to get the ok on solar panels. That’s after news in brief.

News in brief

M23: shortly after 6am yesterday (10 Sep) police were called to a concern for safety on the M23 southbound (between the M25 and Gatwick junctions). The ambulance service attended but a pedestrian, a woman in her 50s, was pronounced dead on the carriageway. Her next of kin have been informed. An investigation is under way. The northbound side reopened shortly after 8am, and some of the southbound lanes at 2pm.

The “full refurb of traffic signals” at the junction of Croydon Road and Reigate Road / Church Street continues, with Croydon Road closed southbound at the junction, and also northbound when turning right from the A25. The roadworks map (Opens in a new window) says the project is due to continue until Friday next week (19 September). I’ve asked the county council how things are going but haven’t heard back just yet.

“Heartburn is a dark comedy set in modern times, which explores family and feminism through the lives of a grandmother, a mother and a daughter”, says the Archway theatre (Opens in a new window), based in Horley. The play runs from today (11 Sep) to Saturday (13 Sep).

Surrey County Council’s debt grew by nearly 48% last year, one of the steepest rises in the country. “All our key services – including social care, children’s services, and highways maintenance – are facing higher demand, higher costs, and reduced funding,” said leader Cllr Tim Oliver. More from Emily Dalton, Local Democracy Reporter, here (Opens in a new window).

Flags can only be hung on lamp posts, or painted on roads, if official permission has been granted, Surrey County Council has reminded residents, writes Emily Dalton (Opens in a new window), Local Democracy Reporter.

It’s two years since the redesign of Pebble Hill Road and Headley Common Road junction to aid road safety. Rebecca Paul MP (as county councillor for Tadworth, Walton and Kingswood) has published collision data obtained from Surrey Highways, comparing the two years before the work with the two years after. The data (for accidents involving injury) shows a 71% cut in collisions, a 66% reduction in “slight” casualties and a 100% reduction in “serious” casualties. Paul says (Opens in a new window) she’ll continue to monitor data and push for more improvements where appropriate.

More than 140 children aged 7-11 took part in a free ten-week sports programme this summer at the borough’s three leisure centres. The inaugural Reigate Junior Games, organised by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council and Better Leisure (GLL), culminated in a finale at Donyngs Leisure Centre on 13 July. Cllr Shelly Newton said (Opens in a new window): “What these games have demonstrated is that sport doesn’t have to be overly competitive to be enjoyable and rewarding. We want every child to feel confident in taking part, keeping active and healthy, regardless of their ability.” The annual games replace the Surrey Youth Games which ran 1997-2024.

Armed forces: Reigate & Banstead Borough Council have upped their previous bronze award to silver in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (Opens in a new window). The award recognises the council as a forces-friendly employer and supporter of the armed forces community including reservists, veterans, service-leavers, and military families. Other local silver award-holders include SASH NHS Trust and Surrey Police, while Surrey County Council holds a gold award - which Reigate & Banstead says (Opens in a new window) it will also now be aiming for.

Start-Up Surrey is a new programme (Opens in a new window) offering free guidance and support to residents wanting to start their own ventures, or businesses in the first year of trading. It’s just one of the initiatives offered through Business Surrey (Opens in a new window).

Lead-free solder must be used when working with drinking water systems (that’s been the law for decades), but two-thirds of plumbers still carry the lead version in their vans for other jobs, according to plumbing register WaterSafe. Given that mistakes can happen, WaterSafe is urging people (Opens in a new window) to ask their plumber “which solder are you using?”

Congestion concerns over new parcel locker