Contents Introduction
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Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................... 2 Business and the Economy ............................................................................. 3 The Community.............................................................................................. 19 The Villages ................................................................................................... 26 Local Government .......................................................................................... 45 Law and Order, Fire and Rescue ................................................................... 49 Guildford People ............................................................................................ 54 Guildford People: Honours ............................................................................. 57 Guildford People: Obituaries .......................................................................... 60 Religion .......................................................................................................... 62 Charities ......................................................................................................... 66 Organisations and Societies .......................................................................... 74 Culture and Entertainment ............................................................................. 80 Heritage ......................................................................................................... 92 Children and Young People ........................................................................... 98 Schools ........................................................................................................ 101 Higher Education ......................................................................................... 107 Science and Technology .............................................................................. 113 Health .......................................................................................................... 117 Sport ............................................................................................................ 122 Index ............................................................................................................ 130 HONORARY REMEMBRANCER’S REPORT FOR THE MUNICIPAL YEAR 2016-17 Introduction Mr Mayor, Celebrations of the Queen’s 90th birthday were a major feature of the early part of the Mayor’s year. The Queen actually had two birthdays, on 21st April and officially on 11th June, and a variety of dates were chosen to celebrate it during the Guildford Festival. In the EU referendum in June, 56% of Guildford people voted to Remain and 44% voted to Leave. This contrasted with a national vote to leave the EU by 52% to 48%. At the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August two Guildfordians won gold medals: George Nash as one of the men's four rowing team, and Liam Heath in the men's kayak single 200m canoe sprint. Both were made MBEs in the Queen’s New Year’s honours. Another Guildfordian, Mark England, head of Team GB and director of sport of the British Olympic Association, was appointed an OBE for services to sport. Guildford also distinguished itself in the Paralympics in September: Georgina Hermitage won two gold medals and set two world records. Indeed, during the year the Mayor himself displayed sporting talents, in archery and bowls. In October another referendum was held, this time a purely local one, on the proposal to have an elected mayor. It was rejected by over four to one. It could be seen as a vote of confidence in the traditional role of the Mayor of Guildford, which the people of the Borough clearly value. Matthew Alexander, Honorary Remembrancer of Guildford April 2017 2 Business and the Economy Economy In November, Guildford was judged to be the fifth most vibrant economy in the country in an index prepared by the accountants Grant Thornton. It was outranked only by Cambridge, Oxford, Richmond-upon-Thames, and South Cambridgeshire. The index identifies areas with the best balance between economic growth, social equality, health and happiness. Quality of life On 13th October, the Legatum Institute's sub-national Prosperity Index rated Guildford as the 10th most prosperous area out of 389 in the country, 25th in health, 28th in natural environment, 33rd in economic quality, 65th in business environment, 72nd in social capital, 73rd in education, but only 208th in health & security. House Prices In February 2017, Land Registry figures show the average sold house price in Guildford was £440,516. This was an increase of 3.1% in the last year and around 13 times the average salary of those living in the borough. A September 2016 report by Zoopla showed that outside London, Guildford is the number one UK location for number of streets with an average property value of £1m-plus, at 184. For April 2017, Rightmove agency figures showed that most of the sales in Guildford over the past year were semi-detached properties which on average sold for £484,937. Flats had an average sold price of £305,840 and detached properties averaged £830,287. Central Guildford, with an overall average price of £511,705 was more expensive than nearby Burpham (£456,020), but was cheaper than Shalford (£593,575) and Merrow (£606,537). Land Registry figures reported in February 2017 showed that for properties bought outright (without mortgage), Guildford ranked 4th of Surrey authorities at 26.9% of sales. Stamp Duty The stamp duty payable on the average sold house price in February 2017 was £12,026. Rents In February 2017, average monthly rentals in Guildford were £458 for a room in a shared property, £714 for a studio flat, £911 for a one-bedroom property and £1207 for a two-bedroom property. This is from Valuation 3 Office Agency data. ONS data for the local area suggests average gross disposable monthly income per head is around £2100. Housing On 28th November, a question and answer event about Guildford’s housing was held at the Management School of the University of Surrey. Organised by the students’ union and the Surrey Advertiser, the speakers included Cllr Tony Rooth, Guildford Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Housing and Social Welfare; John Rigg, chairman of the Guildford Vision Group; and Richard Prynne, chairman of the West Surrey Association of Surveyors, Auctioneers and Estate Agents. Homelessness and rough sleeping In the year up to April 2017, 113 people rough slept in Guildford at some time. Monthly counts showed an average of seven individuals sleeping rough (according to the government definition) per night, with a high of 15 in May and a low of zero in December. Riverside On 28th June the Mayor, Cllr Gordon Jackson, opened Riverside’s Ann Allen House in Park Barn Drive. The charity’s supported housing services combine accommodation with support. Guildford Action In early May, the homelessness charity Guildford Action criticised Guildford Vapes, a shop opposite their centre in Haydon Place. They said that homeless men frequently bought ‘legal highs’ at the shop and behaved antisocially. Carolyne Feaver, the client services manager at Guildford Action, said they had banned several because of their behaviour. Surrey Police commented that the Psychoactive Substances Act, which came into force on 26th May, would make it an offence to produce or supply any substance if it is likely to be used for its psychoactive effects. On 30th September, the benefits advice service Get Wise, a partner of Guildford Action, closed due to budget cuts. Employment In September, 73,800 people in Guildford were estimated to be ‘economically active’, with 69,300 actually in employment. Of these 55.5% were in managerial and professional occupations, compared with a national average of 45.1%. Unemployment levels were about 1.6%. Voluntary Action South West Surrey On 19th April 2016, Voluntary Action South West Surrey received 4 recognition for their work to improve the health and wellbeing of their staff with the award of a Workplace Wellbeing Charter. It was the first such award to be made by the Guildford Health and Wellbeing Board, led by Guildford Borough Council. Salaries In February, the job-advertisement agency Adzuna noted that the average salary offered in Guildford was £31,567. Salaries had declined by 0.9% compared with the previous year, and it appeared that demand for jobs in Guildford was decreasing. Personal Debt On 8th February, Guildford Borough Council’s community wardens hosted an event about loan sharks at the Surrey Sports Park. A liaison officer from Trading Standard’s national Illegal Money Lending Team for London and South East spoke about the tactics loan sharks use to entice people and the way they extort money from victims. Boom! Credit Union was represented at the event by Catherine Illingworth. She said that Boom was working to promote its services of affordable loans and savings plans. Suzanne Hoslett, a debt coach for the Guildford area with Christians against Poverty, based at Westborough United Reformed Church, noted that personal debt was mostly commonly caused by low income, joblessness, relationship breakdown or illness in the family. Enterprise M3 On 2nd February, Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership set aside over £20 million from its Growth Deal to unlock new housing supply, reduce traffic congestion and improve connectivity in Guildford. £7.5 million would fund the Slyfield Regeneration Project,