The more one considers the attitude of SCC to their countryside estate and the long overdue SCC/SWT business plan (which I can still find no trace of) the more it smacks of betrayal and bullying.
Betrayal of the intent of past councillors and the landowners who drove the expansion of the public estate. Bullying of a county wildlife trust who were only guilty of naively trusting SCC in the first instance.
No matter that circumstances have changed from when the estate was acquired, abrogating responsibility for contributing towards the cost of managing a publicly owned asset is simply wrong.
I have challenged SCC before and I will say it again, if you don’t want responsibility then hand over the estate, complete with properties, to SWT in a way that at least gives them and the community of Surrey an opportunity to secure a long term for the countryside of Surrey. Yes its complicated and yes it would take time but the current situation is not sustainable in the near future without further cuts and further reduction in positive management.
Car park charges are not the product of a golden goose.