The Localism Bill going through Parliament is all about giving more control over important issues to local communities, so four local parishes are working together to produce a bid for money to develop a 'Neighbourhood Development Plan'.

Caterham-on-the-Hill, Caterham Valley, Whyteleafe and Chaldon Parish Councils have combined with local businesses and community groups to work with Tandridge District Council and Surrey County Council in a 'Front Runner Bid'. The scheme provides grant funds from the government to assist with the development of Neighbourhood Plans, to encourage groups to act as 'early adopters' and share experiences with others.

Chris Windridge, Chairman of 'A Better Caterham' community group, is the acting co-ordinator for the Front Runner Bid for government funding. He said: "The Government's agenda is 'sustainable growth' which means it will be impossible to halt development. However, with a Neighbourhood Plan we expect to be able to affect how future growth will be implemented and supported, with a stronger local voice."

Mary Mountain, Chairman of Caterham-on-the-Hill Parish Council said: "We thought there would be quite a lot of challenges and opportunities with the Localism Bill so we decided to see if we could follow them through together with the other local parish councils and business groups. We realised that all the issues were the same for Whyteleafe, Caterham and Chaldon such as housing, loss of employment opportunities in the area and transport. Our first challenge is to put together our Front Runner Bid for government funding to help produce the Neighbourhood Plan."

A Special Interest Group consisting of 20 local community representatives has been formed to steer the development of the Neighbourhood Plan. Readers of The Caterham and District Independent will be kept informed of their progress.

For further information contact Chris Windridge on 07850 757037, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.