This week saw the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, Sarah Goad, opening the Oxted Community Hub, a new facility to benefit the residents of Oxted and its neighbouring towns.

Surrey County Council, its Tandridge Local Committee, Tandridge District Council and the Primary Care Trust came together in partnership to create the Hub in Gresham Road, which was officially launched on Wednesday, 9th March on the upper floor of Oxted library.

Oxted Library used to have Tandridge Voluntary Service Council (TVSC) as a tenant on its lower floor in accommodation that did not really meet its needs. The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) was sited in a Portakabin in a nearby car park. The library had some spare accommodation on the upper floor, which has now been converted into offices for the TVSC, CAB and family support organisation, Homestart. The facility enables these services to work together much more closely and in better accommodation which will benefit both them and the local community.

As Lord Lieutenant Sarah Goad, unveiled the commorative plaque, she thanked all the partners for makaing it happen, and said:  “This is a wonderful example of partnership working, enabled by the County Council and District Council and a lot of other people.  It is super to have all the organisations working together.”

There is still work to be done; Surrey County Council will pay for the installation of a lift to the new offices together with some signage, and is also meeting the costs of external redecoration and providing the accommodation rent-free. Tandridge District Council is paying for the relocation of the CAB and general running costs. And the county council’s Tandridge Local Committee has provided a grant to support the relocation and internal alterations to provide confidential meeting rooms.

Denise Saliagopoulos, Cabinet Member for Community Services, Tourism and the 2012 Games, said: "The opening of Oxted Community Hub is another step forward in finding creative and cost-effective ways of bringing a range of services together under one roof for the benefit of the local community.  All over the county we are working with partners to develop similar one-stop shops. This is a particularly good example where there is a strong synergy between the work of the library providing learning and leisure opportunities and a wide range of information, and the other excellent organisations which will share its space."