Local Authority

A bonfire went out of control on the afternoon of Saturday March 13, causing a small blaze to an overhanging tree.

Fire fighters from Staines were called to St Paul's Road at around 2pm, after the rubbish fire had spread to foliage.

On arrival, the man had already put out the flames.

A professional film maker has created a four minute movie of Shortwood Infant School to try and move council bosses to keep it open.

James Shanks, 37, created the documentary-style promotional video at the Stanwell New Road school two weeks ago.

Spelthorne council is one of the 68 local authorities in the country who have microchips installed in their bins.

The news comes after campaign group Big Brother Watch sent a Freedom of Information Request to every council in the country to find out if they micro chipped household collection rubbish bins.

Spelthorne's neighbourhood inspector will be returning to the borough after a return of around six months.

Sarah Greenhalgh will return on Sunday March and take over from the acting inspector Rebecca Kempster.

For the past few months PC Greenhalgh has been working on the Operational Policing Review Team at Surrey Police's headquarters, Mount Browne.

Campaigners against the proposed closure of Shortwood Infant School have been left 'confused' after a Surrey County councillor has stated the need for new schools.

In a statement issued by the council last week, Peter Miles, cabinet member for children and learning said that Surrey need to find 6,000 primary and secondary places over the next four years after admitting that schools are 'fit to bursting.'

Ten offenders joined Spelthorne's mayor on Monday (March 1) to help make a Staines park brighter.

Caroline Spencer headed the Mayor's Community Payback Project with people supplied by the probation service who helped paint railings and plant bulbs in Fordbridge Park, in Kingston Road.

Residents in Spelthorne will face a 0% increase in council tax and staff will forgo any increase in pay or allowances as the budget for 2010/11 was announced on Thursday (24).

In a full council meeting held at the Civic Offices, in Knowle Green, Leader of Spelthorne council John Packman also declared that cuts were to be made to make savings in an effort to balance the budget.

Mr Packman stated that due to the economic downturn the council needed to help residents that were finding times tough.

The campaign to keep Shortwood Infant School open has attracted a world-famous musician and a Surrey County Council cabinet member to its cause.

Richard Archer, front man for Staines based indie band Hard-Fi , and Denise Saliagopoulos Surrey County Councillor for Staines, have both spoken out at the possible decision to close the school.

Traders in the Royal Estate are calling for more lighting under a dark canopy due to a fear of crime when they close at night.

Shop owners in Edinburgh Drive are calling for A2Dominion to install a row of lights outside their shop, after claiming that it is near impossible to see when closing on dark winter nights, and stating that they fear a mugging or attack.

Rush hour drivers looked on in horror on Monday (February 22) as they saw a 12-year-old girl lying in a busy road after being struck in a near fatal incident.

The incident happened just after 7pm when a young girl from the Staines area was crossing the roundabout by herself.