Dear Member
We hope you continue to keep well.
As we come to the end of Volunteers Week, we want to say a big thank you to all the volunteers in Richmond Borough. Our volunteers make a huge contribution to this community, and more than ever during these challenging times we are so grateful for all you do.
Please find below a brief update on some local issues.
The Government has provided a further £2.15m to Richmond Borough as a new discretionary business fund to support local businesses
Whilst restrictions on some businesses opening are beginning to ease, we know that this has been a challenging time for our local high streets and businesses. We are determined to support our local businesses and we are reaching out to them to provide guidance on available funding support and on how to work safely during the coronavirus pandemic. For those of you who run businesses you may want to see the guidance on the Gov.uk website
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19
and information on apply for the discretionary business fund can be found here www.richmond.gov.uk/apply_for_the_discretionary_business_fund
Cycling resumes in Richmond Park (with restrictions)
Although the decision to stop cyclists using Richmond Park was a matter for Royal Parks this has been particularly hard for teenagers. Cllrs Fleming and Buckwell contacted the Chair of Richmond Park Cyclists who together with local parents wrote to Royal Parks asking them to consider allowing young people up to age 18 to cycle on the roads.
We are pleased that the park is now permitting cycling for key workers commuting to work at any time during park opening hours, for children aged 12 and under at any time, and for all cyclists before 10am and after 4pm week days only.
Social Distancing measures to facilitate active travel
The council has introduced a number of temporary measures to facilitate active travel and aid social distancing. Whilst many of these measures are welcome, the lack of strategic plan across the borough with a joined up traffic and travel assessment means there is a risk of unintended consequences and shifting of problems from one area to other parts of the borough. There has also been little, if any, consultation on these measures. We will continue to feed in the views of residents and we will be pressing for a comprehensive and strategic assessment of travel across the borough. If you have any questions or want to raise any issues regarding the current temporary measures then please do get in touch with your Conservative councillors directly.
Local Government Boundary Review Recommendations
The Local Government Boundary Commission has published its final recommendations for new electoral arrangements for Richmond upon Thames.
The final recommendations propose the same number of councillors (54), and wards (18) as there are currently. However, there are some changes to ward boundaries. Full details of the recommendations can be found here https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk/node/16793
Get in touch and follow us on social media
There are of course, lots more issues happening locally, please follow our social media posts for the latest updates.
www.facebook.com/rbconservatives
https://twitter.com/LBRuTTories
And please get in touch any time if we can help you with any local issues.
Please stay alert, and stay safe.
Your Richmond Borough Conservative Councillors
