Surrey Council have lost the trust of local people over Nonsuch - Burstow

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sun 9th Sep 2007

Paul Burstow, MP for Sutton and Cheam, spoke last night of his continued concern for the future of Nonsuch Mansion and the approach taken by Surrey County Council. Mr Burstow was addressing a crowded meeting of over 300 concerned residents at a public meeting in Ewell.

Mr Burstow expressed his anger that the County Council had only paid half of the £95,000 it had promised towards lost income and maintenance of the Mansion. A catering contract which would have covered the cost of the Mansion's upkeep was left unsigned in the wake of Surrey's decision to commission a review of the Mansion's future use.

Speaking after the meeting, Paul Burstow MP said:

"Surrey Council's decision to consider sale of the Mansion earlier this year led to a massive loss of income. It is outrageous that Surrey has not kept its promise to compensate for that loss.

"This is just the latest example of double-dealing by Surrey and its spin-doctors.

"They have lost the trust of local people. Confidence can only be restored if Surrey negotiate in good faith with Sutton and Epsom Councils to secure public access to the Park and Mansion.

"There is still a lot of hard talking before a deal is done. I will continue to work with residents and my colleagues on Sutton Council to keep up the pressure on Surrey to do the right thing."

ENDS