Councils - So who's responsible for what??

Saturday 27th March

I was accosted in the street on Saturday by one of the Borough's Licensed Taxi Owners. Not in a bad way of course, but rather in a friendly and concerned manner. The driver/owner in question wanted to know all about the forthcoming High Street closures and how they were going to effect business in general and his pocket in particular.

It's an interesting one this and one that further highlights the contrasting and sometimes conflicting responsibilities between the various local authorities and plethora of government agencies.
In this case, the Police have recently determined that a way of limiting late night disorder in Camberley is to close the High Street. To do this, they require a Road Closure Notice, which is a County responsibility. They also have to advise the Highways team of the removal of taxi ranks. The Borough, as the licensing authority has to advertise new ranks and advise the holders of Hackney Carriage Licenses. The parking authority - the Borough - has to consider the effects on parking and the enforcement of it, even though the signage for parking and ranks is in fact undertaken by a contractor of the County.
And so on and so on.
But the cabbie doesn't necessarily understand this. And neither might he - it even confuses those who work within this quagmire!

A similar example is that of Town & Country Planning responsibility. Planning responsibilities in Surrey are split between the county council and the district/borough councils.
The County is responsible for delivering a Minerals and Waste policy; considering planning applications for minerals, waste and the County Council's own planning applications (incl. Schools etc): and highways and transport planning.
By comparison, the boroughs deal with delivering a local development framework; building regulations; and considering all development except minerals, waste and the County Council's own development. Again, the cabbie might not appreciate this. Indeed, Denis Fuller CC reported that a great many of his residents were unaware of the distinction during the recent Mosque application
This is why the Borough Planning Committee considered the application for the Camberley Mosque (including information supplied by County Highways officers), and why the County Planning Committee considered the erection of a new school building within Surrey Heath at Frimley C of E, in Frimley Green.
The two have completely different remits.

At some point in the future, I remain certain that all of these responsibilities: highways, licensing, planning & parking, will all be managed under the auspices of one authority.
In the meantime of course, they remain under wholly separate control and responsibility.
Water of course, is another story.