Latest news with #SurreyHeath
BBC News
26-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Surrey Heath Borough Council sells land to ease financial pressures
A Surrey council is offering two plots of land for sale in a bid to ease its financial Heath Borough Council is putting land in Obelisk Way and part of Yorktown car park, both in Camberley, on the market as potential development February the authority said it could have to make job cuts in order to save £ said the plots could be used for affordable housing for key workers. The Obelisk Way site used to be a pub and is now occupied by an interiors company and two charity shops, with the leases for those businesses are being offered as part of the Yorktown car park land currently has 75 parking spaces on council said 58 parking spaces will remain, with data suggesting these will be sufficient for the level of demand. Kel Finan-Cooke, portfolio holder for property and economic development, said: "It is entirely necessary to conduct this exercise as we continue to seek savings and create revenue on behalf of the residents of Surrey Heath, to ensure essential services can be maintained."All offers received will be carefully assessed to ensure they constitute best value for residents."
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Tory veteran Gove who suggested Lords decamp to Stoke takes seat on red benches
Former education and housing secretary Michael Gove has taken his seat in the House of Lords, which he once suggested could be moved to Stoke-on-Trent. The Tory veteran, who was handed a peerage in Rishi Sunak's resignation honours list, wore the traditional scarlet robes for the short introduction ceremony at Westminster, where he swore the oath of allegiance to the King. Lord Gove was supported by close allies and fellow Conservative peers Baroness Finn and Lord Vaizey of Didcot. As he left the chamber, Lord Gove laughed loudly at a whispered comment made by leader of the Lords Baroness Smith of Basildon as she welcomed him to the upper chamber. The politician, who had been MP for Surrey Heath since 2005, was among the most high-profile members of the Conservative Party to call time on his Commons career at the last election. He cited the 'toll' of public office as he said it was time to let 'a new generation lead' following a political career spanning nearly 20 years. He conceded he had 'undoubtedly made mistakes' throughout his political career but said he had always 'tried to be a voice for those who have been overlooked and undervalued'. Lord Gove became editor of the Spectator magazine last year. The peer – who served in the governments of David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Mr Sunak – was a journalist before he became an MP. A political survivalist whose career has been marked by numerous comebacks to the front line, he first entered Lord Cameron's Cabinet as education secretary before siding against him on the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 referendum. He then backed Mr Johnson to become the new Conservative leader before launching his own unsuccessful bid for the top job. When Mrs May took office, he spent a spell in the political wilderness before returning as environment secretary after she lost the Conservative majority in 2017. He then joined Mr Johnson's top team following the 2019 election. Mr Gove was sacked by Mr Johnson after telling the then-prime minister that his time in Downing Street was up as the government fell apart in 2022. But he returned afterwards to Cabinet, throwing his weight behind Mr Sunak's leadership campaign. When in Government he sparked controversy after he suggested the upper chamber could move to Stoke-on-Trent during the multibillion-pound restoration of the parliamentary estate. The then levelling up secretary put forward the idea after ruling out the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, which is just a few minutes' walk from the Palace of Westminster in London, as an alternative location. It led former Lord Speaker Lord Fowler to accuse him of acting 'like a 19th century mill owner'.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Michael Gove takes his seat in the Lords: Ex-Tory minister becomes Baron Gove of Torry after being handed a peerage by Rishi Sunak
Former Tory minister Michael Gove took his seat in the House of Lords today. Baron Gove of Torry was sworn in to the upper chamber this morning, having been handed a peerage by outgoing PM Rishi Sunak. The Tory veteran, who was handed a peerage in Rishi Sunak's resignation honours list, wore the traditional scarlet robes for the short introduction ceremony at Westminster, where he swore the oath of allegiance to the King. Torry is the maritime area of Aberdeen where his father, Ernest, ran a fish-processing business. Mr Gove stood down at the last election after 19 years as MP for Surrey Heath, having held Cabinet positions including education secretary. He also helped to lead the Brexit campaign in 2016, before a high-profile falling out with Boris Johnson as they vied to lead the Conservative Party. He is now the editor of the Spectator magazine - also once edited by Mr Johnson. He was supported by close allies and fellow Conservative peers Baroness Finn and Lord Vaizey of Didcot. As he left the chamber, Lord Gove laughed loudly at a whispered comment made by leader of the Lords Baroness Smith of Basildon as she welcomed him to the upper chamber. The politician, who had been MP for Surrey Heath since 2005, was among the most high-profile members of the Conservative Party to call time on his Commons career at the last election. He cited the 'toll' of public office as he said it was time to let 'a new generation lead' following a political career spanning nearly 20 years. He conceded he had 'undoubtedly made mistakes' throughout his political career but said he had always 'tried to be a voice for those who have been overlooked and undervalued'. When in Government he sparked controversy after he suggested the upper chamber could move to Stoke-on-Trent during the multibillion-pound restoration of the parliamentary estate. The then levelling up secretary put forward the idea after ruling out the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, which is just a few minutes' walk from the Palace of Westminster in London, as an alternative location. It led former Lord Speaker Lord Fowler to accuse him of acting 'like a 19th century mill owner'. Speaking to the Aberdeen Evening Express last month about his title, Mr Gove said: 'It's really in memory of my dad who passed away in 2023. He meant everything to me. He was a wonderful man. 'I'd love for my dad to be remembered just as he was; a hard worker, a good businessman and someone who always cared about other people, someone who always tried to give a start to people others didn't see the potential in.' Mr Gove, now 57, was born Graeme Andrew Logan in Aberdeen on August 26, 1967. He was taken in and then adopted by Ernest and his wife, Christine, arriving with nothing but the clothes on his back.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Unprofitable car parks in Surrey Heath could be sold
Car parks in parts of Surrey could be closed or sold off if they do not make money, a council has warned. Surrey Heath Borough Council (SHBC), which has to find an additional £4m a year to cover interest payments on loans for property investments, had said it faced "difficult choices" to deal with "substantial" financial Ashberry, portfolio holder for parking services, told the council's performance and finance scrutiny committee that parking was a "discretionary service".He said: "This council's precarious financial state means that if a discretionary service is not being funded by those that use it, it should be discontinued and not subsidised by council tax payers." The council was advised that £300,000 a year should be spent on maintaining its car park but that over the course of the past decade "not a fraction of that money has been spent", leaving the authority with "a very large number of unresolved issues".It comes amid calls for SHBC to lower parking charges by those saying it has impacted town centre footfall, the Local Democracy Reporting Service Ashby argued this was not the case and the reduction was more in line with national behaviour shifts, adding the percentage of people coming into towns and using car parks in the borough had actually year SHBC car parks generated £1.8m in that was not enough to cover the cost of keeping them open and fit for council has spent about £600,000 on new lifts and stairwell refurbishments across its sites.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gove gets peerage in Sunak's resignation honours list
Michael Gove is among several ex-Conservative ministers to be given a seat in the House of Lords in Rishi Sunak's resignation honours list. The former housing and education secretary served in the cabinets of four prime ministers before standing down as an MP ahead of last July's general election. Meanwhile, former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly have been awarded knighthoods. Now editor of the Spectator magazine, Gove was MP for Surrey Heath for nearly 20 years. A key ally of Sunak, Gove was appointed his secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities in October 2022, a role he also held under Boris Johnson. Other cabinet roles he has held include environment secretary, justice secretary and education secretary, when he brought in major changes to exams and the curriculum under David Cameron's coalition government. A leading figure in the Brexit campaign alongside Johnson, the pair had a fraught relationship. In 2016 Gove derailed his friend's leadership hopes by running against him. Later, in the dying days of Johnson's premiership he was sacked after urging the PM to resign. What is the House of Lords and how does it work? Sue Gray among 30 newly appointed Labour peers MPs back end of House of Lords hereditary peers Sir Jeremy was brought in by Liz Truss as chancellor after she sacked Kwasi Kwarteng following her disastrous mini-Budget. His moves to scrap almost all the tax cuts his predecessor had promised helped to calm financial markets. He continued the role under Sunak but returned to the backbenches when Kemi Badenoch took over as Conservative leader. The MP for Godalming and Ash, who first joined the Commons in 2005, has also served as culture secretary in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics, foreign secretary and health secretary. Cleverly held the role of foreign secretary under Truss and Sunak, before moving to home secretary. He ruled out serving in the shadow cabinet of Sunak's successor, after he was unexpectedly knocked out of the leadership contest before the final round. Former International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, who was first elected in 1987, has been appointed a knight commander. Others to be honoured include former Northern Ireland Secretary and Brexit campaigner Theresa Villiers, who is made a dame. The former MP for Chipping Barnet lost her seat in last year's general election.
