A residents’ association fighting to stop the closure of a public toilet has angrily hit back at claims by its own councillors that it did not consult them before launching the campaign.

Last week the Epsom Guardian reported Epsom and Ewell Residents’ Association councillors claiming they were caught by surprise when Stoneleigh and Auriol Residents’ Association (SARA) voted to start a campaign last week against the closure of the only public toilet in the area.

The chairman of the RA group, Councillor Robert Leach, who represents Auriol ward, told this paper the Stoneleigh association: “has not debated or discussed the issues with the councillors first” and Councillor Christine Long also said she was unaware of the campaign until she saw it on the residents’s association website.

But SARA has insisted a meeting between the residents’ association and its councillors took place prior to the launch of the campaign.

A statement by Mike Sampson, SARA’s Secretary, on its website, reads: “I was astonished to read Auriol Ward RA Councillor Robert Leach’s inaccurate and misleading statement in the Epsom Guardian that SARA had decided to launch its STOP campaign to prevent the closure of Stoneleigh’s only public convenience when ‘it has not debated or discussed the issue with the councillors first’.”

"Not only did I attend a two-hour meeting on February 26, with Councillor Leach to discuss the way forward on the issue, accompanied by SARA’s chairman, but the matter was discussed at length during SARA’s general committee meeting on Friday, March 12 at which Coun Leach, Councillor Chris Long and all SARA councillors except the Deputy Mayor (Councillor Alan Winkworth) were present.

"After a long debate on the matter, the General Committee voted to commence a campaign against the closure of Stoneleigh’s toilets on behalf of our members and Coun Leach made no proposal whatsoever to delay the start of the STOP campaign while further talks were held."

The Epsom Guardian repeatedly tried to speak to Coun Leach this week to confirm whether this was correct, but he failed to respond by the time we went to press.

Coun Long declined to comment and Coun Sanger did not respond to our calls.

However, Councillor Ruby Smith, from Stoneleigh, confirmed she attended a meeting on March 12, where the issue was debated.

She said: “Yes, I was there. My policy is that as a councillor I never take part in any votes on the committee.

"I don’t remember a long discussion, but I could be at fault because my memory is not very good.

"I think there might have been a call for approval for what Mr Slaughter said.”

The SARA campaign, complete with a logo, calls on residents to help “to persuade RA councillors to think again and reverse their unwelcome decision to close the public convenience in Stoneleigh Broadway.”

The decision to close Stoneleigh’s public toilet is part of budget cuts planned by the council, and with the closure of the toilets in Ewell Village and Epsom would save £21,000 per year.

Councillor Neil Dallen, speaking on behalf of Town Ward Residents’ Association, said they were not going to follow suit and fight the closure of Epsom Upper High Street’s public toilet.

The chairman of Ewell Village Residents’ Association, Chris Pottinger, declined to comment on the planned closure of the village’s public convenience.

Find out more about this story and SARA’s campaign at its website stoneleighandauriol.co.uk.

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