​The turning off of street lights at midnight will turn the clocks back for women: The likelihood is that more women will feel forced to use taxis to get to work for the early shift or to get home from the late shift. After 8 years of real term cuts to wages for nurses, teachers, bar staff etc, there are few women who have the spare cash for extra taxi journeys to avoid having to walk in the dark.

There are no winners when public services are cut; it is simply a way to move costs from Surrey CC back to the individual, in this case to women trying to make their way in the world. Does it make the country a better place to live or a more modern and sophisticated place? No, it is simply taking us back to the dark ages when women were expected to be back in the house before dark. 

Surrey CC has a responsibility to take a lead on the Governments strategy to end violence against women and girls, their "lights off" policy will make the streets less safe for those same women and girls, I wonder how they square the two policies without blushing?

​Local business rates have always been an unfair and unbalanced way of collecting tax. If I am elected as Councillor for Egham on the 4th of May I will fight to create a more even playing field on business rates between local independent shops and the big supermarkets, the chain stores and the online companies, thereby encouraging character and variety on our high streets. 

Currently Surrey CC apply non-domestic rates based on the rent a business pays (or the rent it would expect to pay if it owns the property outright). As rent per square foot decreases the larger the property, the largest shops (such as supermarkets) pay lower rates per square foot than a local grocer in the same area. This is unfair.

Local independent shops not only contribute more in business rates (and on their rent) they also pay taxes on their profits in the UK which is not always the case for big supermarkets and chain stores. They also contribute more to the life of local communities as they bring character and variety to our high street. To level the playing field I would seek to apply a 20% discretionary rate relief to Small & Medium sized Enterprises, whose business addresses are registered in Surrey. It would be paid for by the contributions from the new businesses that would be attracted by this scheme to start up in small properties that are currently empty. More Surrey businesses mean more money circulating in the local economy, more local jobs, thriving communities and more tax collected.

The Conservative councillors ran out of ideas years ago, Surrey County Council needs fresh blood and fresh ideas and I can do that as councillor for Egham.