We do seem to have endured a long grey winter but as I write this the sun is shining and I think we can say that Spring has sprung. Daffodils are blooming, bees are buzzing, and the birds are getting busy in the garden.

It is good to see that the Moggie Pond has at last been cleared and the surrounding area tidied up to make the pond a nicer place to be for all the residents of Bellfields. However, in clearing the pond a lot of debris was extracted. This is simply fly tipping and a scourge on all our lives and very expensive for local authorities to clear up.

It was also very distressing to be sent this picture of one of the coppiced willows on the green. This amount of damage must have taken a considerable amount of time to achieve. We all want a nice environment to live in and the green is a great space to have in the middle of a housing estate and we as councillors, together with the officers at GBC, work to make Bellfields and Slyfield a good place to live. I hope the tree will recover, it is a willow, and they are robust but damage like this makes all our lives poorer.

So let us all do our bit to maintain our local environment. Anti-social behaviour, fly tipping or littering all makes life less pleasant. Let’s think of each other as we go about our lives and how our actions impact on our families, friends and neighbours and do our best to look after our environment and each other.

If you have problems in reporting any issues like these, then please contact James or Amanda and we will be pleased to try and resolve them for you.

As local councillors a large part of our work is to help you and James, and I have been busy with residents’ issues and getting resolution for them. Attending various meetings is also a big part of a councillor’s work. James chairs one of the Overview and Scrutiny committees at the council, an important committee that scrutinises the activity of the council. holding the officers and the executive to account. Amanda sits on the licencing committee. responsible for ensuring the safety of the community through licencing of taxis and licensed premises, and the housing operations board which has been working with officers to improve the services that tenants receive from the council.

Most recently we have been attending briefings about the national government’s proposals to reform local government. Surrey is hoping to be one of the first to roll out the new unitary authorities. The new council will essentially take on both borough and county responsibilities, so will fix the potholes, run planning activities, empty your bins, cut the verges and run education, public transport and adult services. Please keep an eye open for information from Guildford Borough Council on the progress of the consultations.

Best wishes to all of you and here’s to a great summer!