Consultations

This page shows updates and results from consultations that have taken place over the last year and that are now closed. For older consultations, please contact the Research Officer.

Parking Consultation 2023

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council consulted on proposed updates to its off-street parking provision, in accordance with the the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 - GOV.UK. The feedback from the consultation was used to inform these parking charges for 2023-2024.

The consultation closed on 24 February 2023.

 

Budget Consultation 2023-2024

About

Reigate and Banstead Borough Council’s constitution requires the organisation to consult on its draft budget proposals.

The consultation on the draft budget proposals for 2023-2024 was conducted primarily through a structured survey. The public were also invited to send any general comments relating to the 2023 – 2024 budget proposal to the Reigate and Banstead Borough Council engagement email inbox or via Freepost.

The consultation was open from 21 November 2022 until 16 January 2023 and received 198 survey returns, and 3 others. The survey responses include partially completed surveys, as the optional nature of the questions allowed respondents to provide answers only for their areas of interest or concern.

You said

The majority of budget proposals received a positive response from at least 60% of respondents. However, there were areas where responses were predominantly opposed to the proposed approach.

• the proposal to increase Council Tax was supported by a majority of respondents, receiving 59% of responses in agreement, with 36% opposed and 5% other
• the majority of Fees and Charges proposals were supported but increases to garden waste and allotment fees were opposed, and responses were mixed on increases to community centre room hire charges
• for Service Budget proposals, the reduction in grant funding for some voluntary sector partners was opposed by a substantial majority of respondents (69% disagreement). Views on IT costs around software licensing were also mixed, but other proposals were generally supported
• for changes to Staffing Costs, all proposals were supported by a majority of respondents
• many of the comments received reported on challenges around the cost of living, both on the respondent’s own behalf and for others. There was also recognition of the impact of inflation upon costs for the Council and support for adequate funding of key services. A number of comments were concerned with the Council operating efficiently
• many comments expressed a desire to see community services and facilities supported, particularly those relating to sports and physical activity, and noted the associated wellbeing benefits
• protecting vulnerable persons and those in need was a common sentiment, often accompanied by observations that these should be prioritised, and that costs should be borne by less ‘essential areas’ or by those most able to pay

We did

The views expressed in the consultation were incorporated into the wider discussions on our 2023 – 2024 budget.

• some respondents expressed concerns for proposals to increase Council Tax rates. These concerns were reported and factored into our decision to create a new Economic Pressures reserve of £0.15 million to provide additional discretionary support
• a proportion of respondents raised concerns relating the funding available for the voluntary and charitable sector. It was identified that the new Economic Pressures reserve will be used to support funding requests for those in particular need
• the concerns relating to the increased fees and charges were also discussed. However, it was decided that the benefit of increased funding for services outweighed the additional costs to service users
• all comments received were also used to inform the final equality impact assessments for the proposed changes, which help to ensure that proposals take account of their impacts on all residents and community members

Several respondents noted that the draft budget proposals and consultation survey contained a degree of jargon and technical language. We will aim to make the language used in proposals and surveys more accessible in future consultations.

This consultation closed on 16 January 2023.

 

Licensing Consultation 2023-2024

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council consulted on its proposed updates to some licensing fees, covering updates to fees for hackney carriage and private hire vehicles and for private hire operators. The feedback from the consultation was used to inform these fees for 2023-2024.

This consultation closed on 16 January 2023.

 

Earlswood and Redhill Commons Survey

We want you to help shape how we look after these important public open spaces. Earlswood and Redhill Commons are owned and managed by the Council, overseen by the Earlswood Common Management Steering Group. Together they form one of the largest areas of continuous public open space in the borough, bordering Woodhatch, Mead Vale, Redhill, Earlswood and South Earlswood.

Your views

We’re seeking the views of visitors to Earlswood and Redhill Commons. We want to understand how people use the commons – including how often they visit, their favourite activities and what they think of the facilities. There is an opportunity to raise any concerns and we’re also interested in people’s attitudes to protecting biodiversity.

The survey closed on 23 December 2022.

• For more information about the survey

Contact

• Email: greenspaces@reigate-banstead.gov.uk

 

Horley Community Centre Modernisation Consultation

Our aim is for Horley Community Centre, located in Horley Town Centre, to be a vibrant place for everyone. We are looking at options for how the centre could be refurbished and refreshed to assist with this ambition.

Your views

We are asking for your views on the type of activities and food that the centre should offer and the range of spaces which people would be interested in hiring. All responses will be reviewed to ensure the views of the local community influence the future design of the building and also future activities.

This survey closed on 7 November 2022.

• Find out more and take part in the Horley Community Centre Modernisation Consultation

Harlequin Theatre and Cinema

We are carrying out some market research about the Harlequin Theatre and Cinema through surveys and conversations with customers and potential customers. Our recent survey asked residents about their views about the Harlequin, their interests in arts and leisure and what sort of events they would like the Harlequin to put on. 

The survey included a free prize draw to encourage participation. Results will be announced by the Harlequin Theatre by Friday 8 April 2022. 

The survey ran from 20 February to 27 March 2022.

Environmental sustainability

We surveyed residents to find out about their views and behaviours relating to environmental sustainability. Residents were invited in two ways: an email invitation to a sample of residents who hold a MyReigate&Banstead account and by publicising the survey to residents through our social media and our residents’ magazine, Borough News.

The survey helps our understanding of how RBBC can support residents tackle climate change.

The survey was open from 1 to 27 March 2022. We look forward to sharing a summary of what we find out through our website in late spring and or early summer.

Horley High Street and subway

We asked for views on ideas for proposals to changes to Horley High Street and feedback on use of the subway nearby.

More information, including details of the proposal ideas with accompanying illustrations are available on the Delivering Change in Horley webpages.

We invited residents, shoppers, local businesses and other visitors to Horley town centre to take part in our survey or send comments by email. Display boards were on show in Horley Library and there were opportunities to talk to council officers and view the display boards in Horley High Street.

The survey was open for three weeks until Monday 14 March 2022.  We have reviewed and summarised the findings into a report, which you can read on the Delivering Change in Horley consultation webpage, along with next steps.

Draft budget proposals (2022 to 2023)

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council consulted on its draft budget proposals for the 2022 to 2023 financial year.

The consultation ran from 22 November to 17 January and followed the Executive Committee’s approval of the Council’s draft 2022 to 2023 budget proposals, including:

•    Revenue Budget savings and additional income proposals totalling £566,000, alongside the proposed total Revenue Budget growth of £567,000, meaning a net total budget growth of £1,000 
•    forecasting a total of £1.3 million ongoing income budget pressures in 2022 to 2023, caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
•    the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan Summary 
•    Revenue Reserve balances at 1 April 2021 of £41.74 million

Having your say

Key dates: The consultation opened on Monday 22 November 2021 and closed on Monday 17 January 2022 (online survey closed at 11.45pm, 17 January). 

Participation: We invited residents and other stakeholders to take part through an online survey (paper copies were available on request), to write in or send an email.  

What were the proposals? 

Here is a summary of the main changes proposed to Reigate & Banstead Borough Council’s revenue budget for the year 2022 to 2023:

Overall revenue budget: 
•    Total budget growth of £567,000. 
•    This is offset by total identified budget savings or new income of £566,000, meaning a net budget growth of £1,000.

Council Tax
•    To increase by the amount that Council is able to without triggering a local referendum. Based on previous years, this is assumed to be 1.99% or £5 per Band D property per year, however the referendum limit is still subject to confirmation by Government.

Revenue budget

Communications:
•    Proposed budget saving of £15,000 from a reduction in the frequency of the publication of Borough News

Community Partnerships: 
•    Saving of £50,000 from a change in the way CCTV is maintained
•    Saving of £168,000 from a pause in funding for medium grants, small grants, taxi vouchers, and reductions in staff and partnership projects funding

Electoral and Democratic Services: 
•    Proposed budget saving of £8,000 following a restructure of Electoral and Democratic Services team
•    Proposed budget growth of £47,000 to cover the cost of a new Elections Management System and other associated technology

Management Team: 
•    Proposed budget saving of £200,000 to be achieved following a review and restructure of the senior management team

Neighbourhood services: 
•    Proposed budget growth of £100,000 for additional waste crew due to increased household demand across the borough
•    Proposed budget growth of £135,000 to address alignment of various budgets
•    Proposed budget saving of £25,000 previously allocated to a Surrey Transit site
•    Proposed budget growth of £40,000 to deal with Ash Die Back disease

Planning: 
•    Proposed budget saving of £55,000 from deletion of a vacant staff post 
•    Proposed income increase of £20,000 from an increase in pre-application fees

Property and Facilities:
•    Proposed budget growth of £120,000 to cover an increase in business rates costs for council properties

Revenues, Benefits and Fraud
•    Savings of £5,000 from moving to electronic billing and publishing the Council Tax leaflet online only
•    Savings of £20,000 from reduction in costs of third party database support

To read about the draft proposals in detail, you can read the full set of papers submitted to the Executive (see item 41, Service and Financial Planning 2022 to 2023). We have also prepared draft equality impact assessments for some of the proposals.

The proposals will be finalised taking into account the outcomes of the consultation.

What happens next?

The consultation has now closed. Comments received during this consultation will be taken into account by the Council when it finalises its budget for 2022 to 2023. The budget will be discussed at the meeting of the Council’s Executive on 27 January 2022 ahead of it being formally debated at the Full Council meeting on 10 February. 

Homelessness and Rough Sleeping

We invited feedback to help us shape our Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy for the next 5 years. We asked about your experiences of contacting our housing service and your views on how we support people facing homelessness.

More information about how we have developed the draft strategy is on our Homelessness Strategy Consultation webpage.

The survey was open from 14 September to 14 October 2021. Thank you to everyone who took part.

What next?

We are now looking at what you told us and make changes to our draft strategy accordingly. Councillors will scrutinise our draft strategy in the autumn before it is finalised and ready to be approved. 

We will provide an update on this webpage soon to tell you about the feedback we received from professionals and the public through the survey and how that has influenced our final strategy.

Once the strategy has been approved we will start implementing it in our work helping homeless people and preventing homelessness. 

Merstham Rec - summer feedback

We asked people who live in Merstham or who use Merstham Rec for their comments on our latest plans for the park's refurbishment. The feedback form was open from mid July until 17 September 2021. More information about the Merstham Rec project is on the Merstham Recreation which also sets out the updated design being submitted as part of the planning application and the next steps for the project.

You can also read about the previous 2020 public consultation on Merstham Rec below.

Supplementary planning document consultation

We consulted on the council's draft Climate Change and Sustainable Construction Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) from 24 May to 23 June 2021. More information, including the draft document and the outcome of the consultation, is on the Supplementary Planning Document webpage.

Community Centres

Our community centres' consultation closed on Monday 22 March. You can read about the consultation and our findings in our summary report.

About the consultation: We asked residents, users and community groups about how our community centres in Banstead, Horley and Woodhatch could best meet the needs of their local communities, including their current members. Our public survey was open from 15 February to 22 March 2021. We wrote to a sample of residents living closest to each of our community centres asking them to take part and publicised the survey online too. 

We also invited the current membership of our community centres to take part in a centre members’ survey and held online group discussions and one-to-one interviews with centre volunteers, staff and representatives from community organisations. If you represent a community organisation and would like to give your views, you can still send us an email: engagement@reigate-banstead.gov.uk>.

 

In July 2021, the Council's Executive Committee agreed a plan on how to develop the community centres. You can find out more about the community centres on our dedicated webpages.

Merstham Recreation Ground

We have been consulting residents and users of Merstham Recreation Ground about plans to improve it. The consultation, which includes a survey for over 18s and one for young people, was open from Wednesday 9 September until Monday 5 October 2020. Key results of the consultation are available on our Merstham Recreation pages where you can also find an accessible report of the consultation, more information about the project, draft proposals and next steps.