Join us on a Walk and Talk event on World Suicide Prevention Day
We are hosting a walk around Epsom Downs on 10th September to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day. This event supports our Suicide Prevention Action Plan and aims to raise awareness of support and resources available to help those suffering from mental health issues or directly impacted by the loss of someone to suicide. Chris, founder of the organisation We Power On, a local walking group for Men's mental health and fitness, will lead the walk for all adults aged 18 and above.
Funding has been allocated from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to We Power On to help residents access support in the borough.
Immediately after the walk we'll host a talk by Chris (founder of We Power On) about his experiences, and the importance of having support available for people suffering from mental health problems. We have commissioned a scribe to create artwork which will then go on a small ‘tour’ of the borough, ending at the Epsom Picturehouse on 10th October to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Day. We'll share more information in our the next issue and through our social media channels.
Residents will need to register to attend - 50 spaces are available for the walk and a further 50 spaces for those who only wish to attend The Jockey Club event - residents can choose to join both when registering. Visit the Event Registration Page(link is external) to register, this link goes through to an external site.
End Stigma Surrey, who are dedicated to raising awareness and reducing the stigma of mental health and are part of the council’s wider Suicide Prevention Action Plan, is also supporting this event.
Councillor Clive Woodbridge, Chair of the Community and Wellbeing Committee said:
“Mental health issues can have a devastating effect on sufferers and those close to them. No one should have to face mental health challenges alone and it’s important as a council that we do all that we can to ensure vulnerable residents are informed, and can access, vital support when they need it.
Working with partners is an essential part of our Suicide Prevention Action Plan and I’d like to thank We Power On, End Stigma Surrey, and The Jockey Club for their support with this event.
I’d encourage anyone experiencing mental health issues to seek help. One life lost is too much.”
Chris, founder of We Power On said:
“I’m pleased to be able to support the council with its walk and talk. Walking helped me especially during the Covid lockdown and I’m looking forward to leading the walk across Epsom Downs and also sharing my experiences in the following event. It’s important for everybody to know that they’re not alone, encourage conversations and keep highlighting where those people suffering from mental health issues can turn to for support.”
If you have any questions then please email Walkandtalk@epsom-ewell.gov.uk.
Housing Pressures and Homelessness: how we're tackling a national issue to help support residents in need
Insufficient housing levels, particularly affordable housing, is a national issue affecting individuals and families up and down the country, and Epsom & Ewell is no exception.
The Government recently released their 2023 statutory homelessness figures, revealing a 12% increase nationwide in the number of households in temporary accommodation, with the figure now standing at over 112,000. The number of households with children in temporary accommodation rose even more sharply by 15%, now totalling 74,530 households.
As Councillor Hannah Dalton, Chair of the Epsom & Ewell Residents Association (Majority Group) and Housing Spokesperson for the District Councils’ Network, recently said in a letter about the homelessness crisis sent to the Deputy Prime Minister The Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP:
“The human impact of this crisis is enormous. Families in temporary accommodation face huge challenges including disrupted education, health issues, and difficulty holding down a job. Homelessness undermines people’s lives and life chances.”
There are many factors that contribute to this nationwide problem; the lack of affordable housing, high rental rates, the ongoing cost of living crisis; and higher interest rates and mortgage costs to name a few.
Epsom & Ewell has proportionately one of the highest numbers of homeless households living in temporary accommodation in England and is in the top seven boroughs outside of London
In Epsom & Ewell we face the additional challenge of the South East’s very high housing costs, coupled with a severe shortage of housing. Affordable housing options in the borough are severely limited, partly due to the low level of affordable housing development in recent years. There is also only a small stock of private rented properties available which are in very high demand.
So as a borough, we urgently need more housing of all types including, but not limited to, affordable housing. Every house fulfils a need that makes other housing available, improves supply and demand, and lowers costs.
The rising cost of temporary accommodation
We don’t have enough temporary accommodation in the borough to meet the large rises in demand we’ve seen over the last few years, so we often need to place people in nightly paid accommodation outside the borough. This can impact the household’s wellbeing and is very expensive: Epsom & Ewell Borough Council spent £1,665,493 on nightly paid accommodation in 2023/24. This was due to a number of factors: the consistently high number of households approaching as homelessness, a 15% increase in rental costs by our accommodation providers and a lack of alternative accommodation options.
The average net cost of nightly paid accommodation for a small family is about £23,000 a year, nearly 20% higher than it was in 2022/23. For those families who require three-bedroom or larger accommodation, the cost is £27,900 per year. We currently have 27 of these families in our borough.
At present, we have 160 homeless households in temporary accommodation in the borough and more than 90 homeless households in nightly paid accommodation outside of the borough. Many of these families may have to wait more than three years before temporary accommodation in the borough becomes available, and even longer before a permanent housing solution can be found for them.
Councillor Woodbridge, Chair of the Community & Wellbeing Committee, Epsom & Ewell, said:
“The vast majority of homeless households are those who cannot afford suitable accommodation. Perhaps they are sofa surfing or living with family in overcrowded households.
43% of homelessness is due to eviction from a private rented tenancy, with a further 24% people experiencing homelessness after living with family or friends who are no longer willing or able to accommodate them. There is also a significant percentage of households fleeing violence.”
Epsom & Ewell’s very low supply of social rented housing is in high demand. Fewer than 90 social housing properties become available each year against about 1,300 households who are on the housing register. The average waiting time for applicants with a high housing need (which includes issues such as that their current accommodation lacks basic facilities, doesn’t have enough bedrooms, they are experiencing homelessness, or they have high medical needs), is between 18 months and more than a decade depending on the size of the property required. Those in lower housing who need bandings have little or no prospect of being offered social housing.
The only alternative to social housing is private rented accommodation which is very expensive – it rose to an average of £1,630 in June 2024, an annual increase of 10.7% (the rise in the South East over the year was 8.2%)*.
“The housing team at Epsom & Ewell Borough Council undertake a huge range of actions and activities to mitigate and help solve the many challenges, as set out in the council’s Homelessness Strategy. Without the incredible work being done by this team, the situation would be much worse.” - Councillor Woodbridge, Chair of the Community & Wellbeing Committee.
Initiatives that Epsom & Ewell Borough Council undertake to prevent homelessness include:
- Prevention focus – liaising with family and friends of people at risk of homelessness, negotiating with private rent sector landlords on their behalf, and assisting with deposits
- Private Sector Leasing (PSL) Scheme - the council leases a property for between three and five years from a private landlord for use as temporary accommodation: Read more about our Private Sector Leasing Scheme.
- Rent Deposit Scheme: the council is able to support residents with rental deposits that would otherwise be unaffordable, to help secure accommodation.
- The borough’s Local Plan, if approved, will bring much-needed development to the borough to help ease the pressure, costs and demand for housing. This includes a policy to increase affordable housing delivery on all eligible sites.
- Working with partners to increase local temporary accommodation options including utilising any council owned sites and properties.
- Lobbying government in partnership with other local authorities, via the District Council Network (DCN) – recently, this has resulted in the Local Housing Allowance being increased, having not previously seen any increase since 2019.
- Working in partnership with landlords to bring empty properties back into use.
- Downsizing households in social housing to free up larger accommodation.
- Challenging developers to provide much needed affordable housing on eligible development sites.
- Working in partnership with Registered Providers to increase affordable housing.
Development of affordable housing
Furthermore, the current National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) currently states that smaller sites (fewer than 11 homes) are exempt from providing an affordable housing contribution, and commercial to residential ‘permitted development’ sites are not required to provide affordable housing either.
Councillor Woodbridge, Chair of the Community & Wellbeing Committee, Epsom & Ewell, said:
“As a council, we are working hard to ensure that local people have a suitable home to live in. This is crucial for the wellbeing of our residents – a home is not just a physical space to live safely and comfortably. A home provides roots, identity, a sense of belonging and a place of emotional wellbeing.
We also want to be able to reduce the very high expenditure that is currently required to manage the housing crisis in the borough, so that we can continue to invest in, develop and protect the many other services that the council offers its residents. The many actions we are taking will help to ease the crisis for some, but this is a situation which requires significant action to bring about a long-term and sustainable solution.”
Case Study: Mr K
Mr K**, a self-employed professional and single father of two young children, had been renting privately for a number of years.
His rent was already £295 per calendar month (pcm) over the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate when he learned that the landlord wanted to increase his rent by a further £200 pcm. Mr K could not afford to pay this increase and the landlord served an ‘s21 no fault’ eviction notice.
The average market rent for a 2-bedroom property in Epsom is £1,720 pcm, however the LHA rate is £1,200 pcm. The LHA rate is the maximum rent that is used to calculate how much Housing Benefit or Universal Credit someone is entitled to. Anything over the LHA will not be considered, and the shortfall will have to be paid by the tenant, in addition to their usual rent liability.
Mr K was unable to find alternative affordable accommodation as letting agents wanted prospective tenants to have either:
- a minimal annual income of at least 30 times the monthly rent
- a guarantor who earns 36 to 40 times the monthly rent,
- or pay 6 month’s rent in advance (even harder for Mr K as he was self-employed).
In addition, there were very few properties on the market and a lot of competition for them, with some properties going to sealed bids.
When the s21 notice expired Mr K felt he had no option but to approach the council as homeless. He was not previously known to us and is an example of the increasing number of residents who are now unable to resolve their own housing problems and are becoming more reliant on the council for emergency homeless assistance.
When Mr K became homeless, we provided self-contained temporary accommodation in the Croydon area. However, one of Mr K’s children has special educational needs, and they were struggling being placed out of borough with childcare, access to schools, family support and specialised support services. This was the only accommodation available to the council at the time.
After a number of months in temporary accommodation in Croydon, our Move-On Officer was able to find Mr K to find a privately rented 2-bedroom flat in Epsom and helped Mr K secure it by utilising the our Rent Deposit Scheme.
*Office of National Statistics, 17 July 2024.
**In order to protect our resident’s anonymity, we have changed some of the details of this case study and amalgamated details from more than one person. The case study remains a fair and accurate representation.
Working with partners to transform a tired walkway into beautiful community artwork
We recently worked with members of Girlguiding Epsom Division and internationally renowned street artists, Positive Arts, to create a large-scale community mural in Epsom town centre.
The mural is a vibrant depiction of significant women from Epsom and Ewell’s cultural and historical past, including Lady Sybil Grant, designer and campaigner, Isabella Beeton, culinary author, Kathleen Riddick, one of the first female musical conductors in the UK and Nora Willis, the first British woman to work in postal delivery during World War I.
Dramatically improving the aesthetics of the area, which previously looked tired and in need of renovation, the community mural was led by our Arts, Culture and Heritage team and is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity fund.
Speaking of the creative collaboration, Councillor Clive Woodbridge, Chair of the Community and Wellbeing Committee said,
“The members of Girlguiding Epsom Division have done an outstanding job on this new mural to champion female histories of our borough.
"This project also echoes the council’s strategic ambitions within our Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy, which seeks to nurture and champion local creative talents while increasing access to creativity for all to enjoy.”
Girlguiding Surrey East Assistant County Commissioner, Mary Zoeller, added:
“We were delighted to be asked by Epsom and Ewell Borough Council to take part in this fantastic community project. This is an exciting and rare opportunity for local Girlguiding members to help create a piece of artwork that will shine a light on some incredible, inspirational women with connections to Epsom. We were thrilled to be part of it.”
Keep an eye on our social media channels to stay informed about this and other additional community murals that are planned for later this year around the borough. You'll find us on Facebook, X and Instagram @EpsomEwellBC and on Nextdoor.
Landlords can now sign up to Private Sector Leasing Scheme
We are looking for landlords of three-, four- and five-bedroom houses to sign up to the Private Sector Leasing Scheme.
The Private Sector Leasing Scheme allows us to assist local families in housing need, while reducing the risks and hassle of renting for landlords.
We will lease and manage properties for a period of three to five years. Landlords will be guaranteed rent, with six months being paid in advance. During the tenancy, the council will carry out any minor repairs up to the value of £500 per year and ensure the property is returned to landlords in the same condition as when the agreement started.
Landlords who lease their properties under the scheme will enjoy the following benefits:
- no inventory or inspection costs
- no letting agent or management fees
- no need to register deposits with a tenancy deposit scheme
- a single point of contact within the council
- Right to Rent checks carried out by the council
- an option for routine and major repairs to be dealt with on the landlords’ behalf for a fee.
Councillor Clive Woodbridge, Chair of the Community and Wellbeing Committee, said,
“We are all aware of the housing crisis that is affecting cities and towns across the country, and Epsom & Ewell is no different. It is a priority for the Council that we can provide good quality temporary housing for families in the local area.
“If landlords sign up to our Private Sector Leasing Scheme, it enables us to house local families within the community and minimises the disruption to their home life, work and school at what can be an already stressful time.
“The scheme is also good value for landlords and is relatively low risk when compared with letting the property on the open market.”
Landlord Lee Wiffen said,
“I cannot praise the Epsom & Ewell Private Sector Leasing Scheme enough. In my six years letting my property through the scheme, the professionalism of the team in the housing department is first class.
“The security of having great tenants and regular on-time rent payments, means I would not look any further, as a landlord, when looking to rent a property than the Epsom & Ewell Private Sector Leasing Scheme”
Full details of the scheme can be found in our PSL landlord information pack and PSL landlord application form.
Working with local charities to offer financial support to residents who need it most
We are working with three local charities to distribute up to £88,700 from the Household Support Fund to people experiencing financial hardship across the borough. Working with The Good Company, Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell and The Meeting Room we aim to ensure that funds can be accessed by vulnerable residents including families, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people, before 30 September 2024.
The Household Support Fund was first introduced on 30 September 2021 by Central Government to offer cost of living support over the winter months. This is the fifth time the scheme has been extended.
Councillor Neil Dallen, Chair of the Strategy & Resources Committee, said
“We know that the last few years have been difficult for many of our residents. By working with The Good Company, Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell and The Meeting Room, we aim to ensure that the financial support offered by the Household Support Fund can be accessed by the people in Epsom & Ewell who need it most.
“These trusted partners connect with vulnerable residents across the borough through their fantastic services which include, but are not limited to:
- The Epsom and Ewell Food Banks and Epsom Pantry, in South Street Epsom, run by the Good Company
- The Financial Wellbeing Support Service, run by Citizen’s Advice
- Drop-ins and activities for residents at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness, run by The Meeting Room.
In addition, they have the expertise and administrative experience to ensure that allocations are distributed across the borough both promptly and efficiently.”
Residents who require financial aid can contact one of the three organisations mentioned above.
Find out more about the Household Support Fund, including how to apply for funding in Epsom & Ewell: https://epsom-ewell.gov.uk/residents/cost-living-support/household-support-fund
Applications for Household Support Funds can be made through Citizen's Advice Epsom and Ewell: www.caee.org.uk/household-support-fund(link is external)
For advice about cost of living support, residents can also visit:
Annual Canvass 2024
Epsom & Ewell Borough Council is currently conducting its annual canvass.
Every year, the council is legally required to contact each household in the Borough to find out if there have been any changes to who is eligible to be registered to vote at each address.
Residents will receive one or more of the below:
- A confirmation letter on green paper sent by post. Residents will be asked to check the names of people living at their address. A response is only needed if there is a change or update to the information printed on the letter.
- A canvass form sent on yellow paper by post. This form will ask the resident to confirm who is currently eligible to vote in their household. By law, a response must be provided to this form.
- An email communication. Residents who have previously provided an email address to Electoral Services may get a communication asking them to check the details for their address.
How to respond
To confirm or update the details for a household:
- Visit www.householdresponse.com/epsomandewell. On the login page, please enter both parts of the security code that is on the letter, canvass form or email you have received.
- If there are no changes, residents can also respond by calling 0800 884 0701.
If any resident is asked to respond to a canvass communication and doesn’t, we will make other attempts to get a response which may include reminder forms, a telephone call or a visit to the property, so please respond as soon as you receive the information request from us.
If any resident has any questions about how to respond to the letter, form or email, please email electoralservices@epsom-ewell.gov.uk.
Epsom & Ewell families celebrate the Specsavers Surrey Youth Games
Last month, children and young people who took part in the 2024 Specsavers Surrey Youth Games celebrated their participation with their families at an event held at the Surrey Sports Park in Guildford. The Games are the biggest multi-sport youth programme of its kind in the southeast. Over 90 children, aged 7-16, received six to eight weeks of free coaching for a range of sports including judo, swimming, tennis and touch rugby.
The Games aimed to offer children and young people, who may not otherwise have access to a sports club or sports lessons, the chance to learn a new skill. Eight coaches volunteered their time for free to carry out the programme.
Councillor Clive Woodbridge, Chair of the Community and Wellbeing Committee said:
“I’m so proud that we’ve been able to play our part in supporting the health and wellbeing of children and young people. We know that being socially active from a younger age supports physical development and mental health, and the Games are a great way to introduce children to a new sport or skill.
The free coaching will hopefully provide participants with the confidence to try new sports and inspire them to be more active. A huge thank you to everybody involved, these activities couldn’t have taken place without their support.”
The Specsavers Surrey Youth Games were coordinated by Active Surrey and sponsored by Specsavers.
Jobs at Epsom & Ewell Borough Council
We're recruiting.
Contact Centre Adviser
Are you passionate about delivering a first class service experience to your customers? If you are, then Epsom & Ewell Borough Council would like to hear from you.
We are looking for enthusiastic and customer focused individuals to join our Contact Centre team, providing the public with a first class telephone service providing front line advice and information across a range of services provided by the Council.
Find out more about the role here: Contact Centre Adviser
Principal Environmental Health Officer
At Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, we are a friendly employer with an opening for an individual to lead our small environmental health team in the key areas of food safety, private sector housing, pollution control and health and safety.
This role would suit an experienced manager or equally someone looking to take their first step on a managerial career where you will be supported to learn new skills whilst practicing those gained elsewhere.
Find out more about the role here: Principle Environmental Health Officer
ICT Application Manager
The Council is seeking a hands-on Application Manager to join its enthusiastic ICT team. The role involves working with and managing the Application Technicians/Analysts and Digital/Web Officers to ensure incident resolution and successful project delivery. You will have responsibility for simplifying the complex application estate through migrating to cloud based strategic applications.
Find out more about the role here: ICT Application Manager
Our small but ambitious authority offers you the opportunity to become involved in a wide range of varied and interesting work. That, together with an enviable array of staff benefits and a rewarding and challenging career, is our unique offer to you.
If you have the passion and the drive to make a real difference, we really want to hear from you. View a list of all current vacancies at Epsom & Ewell Borough Council.
At Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, we are passionate about maintaining an inclusive workplace for all that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome applications from all sections of our community particularly from underrepresented backgrounds, including BAME, LGBTQ+ and those with hidden or visible disabilities.
We are committed to ensuring all our staff – regardless of gender, age, religion, sexuality, ethnicity or disability – can thrive and succeed whilst working with us.