Epsom voices: It’s a lovely place – but many feel excluded
This Neighbourhood Voices conversation comes from Epsom, just on the Surrey side of the Surrey-London boundary.

The group consists of just a small group of four: Jane and Ashley from the team at Epsom Pantry, and two of the members, Maureen and Arnold.
Epsom Pantry is run by Good Company, a local charity working to lead the community towards a poverty-free future, while supporting local people. It has been involved in numerous area of work, including running a Poverty Truth Commission.
The discussion at the Pantry touched on the positive aspects of living in Epsom, some of its challenges, and people’s hopes for the future.


Jane: “I would like the new Government to tackle the housing crisis. It’s been going on for years, but it’s getting to the point now where people cannot afford to live. Rents are astronomical. There’s no new social housing or affordable housing.
“Why are we normalising food banks? We are all used to them, but why? They should not be normal! People should be able to buy food.”
Arnold: “People want to buy crime down – but how? How do you bring things down? How do you stop random attacks?”
Ashley: “The issue I’m most faced with is immigration – there’s been a big change by this Government, especially with spouse visa requirements. It used to be that you needed to earn £18,600 but they’re going to make it £38,700 each. It might be realistic for some people and areas, but for a lot of areas it’s not.
“We have a whole arm at Good Company that works with refugees, and the area of immigration is where I would most like to see a change. I’m from Austin, Texas, and I’ve been here six months, as my husband is English.
“One of the best things here is the free medical care, when you get sick. I think it’s so lovely here, it’s such a quaint place. I got public transport then an Uber to get from Croydon to Epsom, and was just seeing how beautiful it was all the way, then seeing the clock tower. I love how walkable everything is here. Everyone is really friendly, it’s a great community. “

Jane: “I would like to see it a bit greener here. Where we are, you step outside and all the pollution is there, and it’s not good for the area. I’d like better public transport links, and would like to see it a bit greener, and we don’t have many charging points for electric cars.
“We are lucky here. It’s a nice place to live, but I think some people in the Pantry feel excluded from that, because they are not in a nice situation financially, or they’re struggling for housing.
“I think sometimes, because it’s quite a wealthy area, people can feel even more excluded than if they were living in London or somewhere else where there are lots of people struggling. When the food bank first opened, people could not believe it – a food bank in Surrey! – and more than 10 years on, it’s been normalised.”