About Us

Ashtead Conservatives are a branch of the Epsom and Ewell Conservative Association.

The Branch Officers and the Committee are all Ashtead residents. Many are longstanding Ashtead residents.

We write all our own literature, decide what to campaign on, select our own candidates and run our own election campaigns. We are proud to be part of the wider party. Our membership of the Conservative Party is not a weakness - it is a source of strength. To take a recent example, Ashtead Conservatives, Mole Valley Conservatives, the Epsom and Ewell Constituency Association and many of the other Conservative Associations in Surrey all lobbied Surrey County Council over the proposed parking meters. As a direct result of that pressure, the County Council conceded that the first half an hour in any location where parking meters were installed would be free.

To take a related issue, Roads. Surrey's roads are the responsibility of Surrey County Council. Surrey raises considerable sums in Council tax that is sent to the Treasury which then allocates a block grant back to Surrey. The per capita tax take dwarfs the per capita block grant.
There is a massive redistribution of local tax revenue from South to North, in simple terms. We believe that the extent of that redistribution is too great.

Who is best placed to lobby the National Government ? The Ashtead Residents' Association ? The Ashtead Independent Party ? We believe that our connections with other Conservatives in Mole Valley and among the other Surrey Associations aswell as with the Conservatives running Surrey County Council give us a much stronger voice on this and related issues.

We also believe that the Conservative values and competence in Government at all levels is in the best interests of the British people.
The Conservatives now run 156 councils. Resident Associations or Independent councillors run one council, Epsom and Ewell.