In this issue of Bellfields & Slyfield Pages we include the first of our bi-monthly updates from local councillors Amanda Creese and James Walsh. Their goal is to keep the Bellfields & Slyfield community informed about their actions as representatives of the Bellfields & Slyfield ward and how the Guildford Borough Council is supporting our local area.

Amanda Creese

Hello there! I have been a councillor in your ward for nearly a year and I have enjoyed myself getting out and about and meeting people who are working very hard to deliver services to people in the area.

At the beginning of my time as councillor I sat down with Kirsten, Vicar at St Peter’s, and Jo Tester from Guildford Action and we asked ’what does Bellfields and Slyfield need?’

I have been associated in one way or another with Guildford most of my life, attending Guildford Tech (allegedly) as it was then in the 1970s and then working on the sewage works as a lab technician. I moved to Guildford about 15 years ago. I have worked most of my adult life in benefits provision and housing advice and most recently for Citizens Advice where I delivered advice sessions at Stoughton Road and other doctors’ surgeries.

So, I have my ideas about what Bellfields and Slyfield need. But that isn’t necessarily what you, the residents want. So, this newsletter is the start of a conversation for you to tell us what you are doing in the Bellfields and Slyfield ward and what you think the area needs.

I’d like to see the communities across the Woking Road more integrated with a community space akin to the Hive in Park Barn providing a place to have a chat and a coffee with friends. A place where community groups can meet. Exciting play facilities across the ward for children of all ages. The new Weyside Urban Village being an exciting place, integrated with the Bellfields and Slyfield communities. I have many more ideas, but we want to hear yours.

We will be arranging sessions soon where you can come and talk to us about any issues you may be having with GBC related matters and to listen to you, about your community and what you want from it and how you might be able to serve it. We want to hear your voices!

Cllr Amanda Creese
E: amanda.creese@guildford.gov.uk
T: 07814 441243

James Walsh

Hello! I have been your councillor since I was first elected to represent you in 2016, first with my former colleague Angela Gunning and now with Amanda Creese. Amanda has only been on the council for a year, but she’s already making a huge difference and together we hope to be able to help you whenever our help is required.

Amanda has talked about some of the ongoing projects that we are involved in and, for both of us, getting more services into the heart of Bellfields and using our facilities in a way that more people can enjoy and participate is at the heart of it. We have a great community here and this newsletter – which is strictly non-political – is a fantastic start to providing a forum and information for everyone who lives in Bellfields and Slyfield.

There is a lot going on in the neighbourhood and perhaps the most obvious are the changes around the water-works and allotments in Slyfield. Once completed, the waterworks will be thoroughly modernised and moved north of where they currently are; this will free up land to build 1,500 new homes and facilities, as well as provide new links to a revitalised canal area. It will also reduce the odours that plague the estate on hot days thanks to new water treatment technology.

This is a huge development and we have asked the council team leading on the project to provide regular updates in the pages of this newsletter so that you are kept up-to-date. There are likely to be a lot of positive outcomes, including a lot more affordable housing that Amanda and I are pushing for so that young people do not have to move away from Guildford when they leave home, but there will also be issues from time to time that you may want to raise with us. Please do email or call us if you have a concern or question and we will respond.

Being a councillor is a privilege and an honour and we never take our residents for granted.

During the past year, for example, I have helped several families get mould in their homes cleared and repairs fixed. You will be aware that there have been issues around housing repairs during the past year and some things have taken far too long to resolve – please do let us know if you have any similar problems and we will do what we can to help. In Bellfields and Slyfield, we have had roads patched up, holes left by workmen fixed and even bees relocated – there’s never a dull moment as your councillor!

There is a lot coming up in the year ahead and none of it would be possible without you and local organisations like St Peter’s Church playing key role in the great Bellfields and Slyfield community. I hope you enjoy the new magazine and that it’s useful to you.

Cllr James Walsh
E: james.walsh@guildford.gov.uk
T: 07533 767227