WELCOME TO MY WEEKLY UPDATE no.287 With just 9 days until the Autumn Statement I am busy working on the Conservative response to what I fear will be a huge tax raising budget. Meanwhile I had a jam packed constituency day on Friday rounding off with an important public meeting in Farnham about VAT on independent school fees.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER
INFLATION BUSTED The ONS recently announced that inflation had fallen to 1.7% in the year to September, below the Bank of England’s target. Inflation has been falling steadily since October 2022, when CPI peaked at 11.1%. This was also the month that I became Chancellor and making sure we squeezed inflation back out of the system was one of my most important and challenging responsibilities. Hardly ‘the worst economic inheritance since WW2’ as the Chancellor keeps trying to persuade us.
BULLIES JUST CAN’T HELP THEMSELVES The Russian ambassador recently told Laura Kuenssberg that the UK was fighting a proxy war against Russia rather gliding over who actually started the conflict on 24 February 2022. I was privileged to travel to Ukraine to meet President Zelensky to talk about the increase in support the UK would give him following our commitment to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence but I am now rather worried the new government may not honour that pledge. We are now entering the most dangerous period for democracy since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 so it is no time for hesitancy by the UK or any of its allies.
ASSISTED DYING COMING TO LIFE Labour MP Kim Leadbeater introduced her bill to legalise assisted dying in the UK last week and I will now have to think about how to cast my vote. I used to be strongly against it but have recently become more agnostic, not least because as health secretary I heard frequently about the unimaginable pain of some terminally ill patients. The argument previously was that good palliative care can relieve that but it can never give back the sense of control many want over their last days. I will be thinking hard on this.
WHAT’S GOING ON LOCALLY
SQUEEZE #1: VAT HIKE ON SCHOOL FEES On Friday I joined MPs Greg Stafford and Damian Hinds at an event in Farnham to discuss Labour’s misguided decision to charge VAT on independent school fees. Surrey has more independent schools than any other county (about 20% of all children) and so its parents - and state schools - will be disproportionately impacted by the introduction of this policy. Headteachers and parents present were strongly critical most of all because of the impact on special educational needs (SEN) schools. There has already been a huge increase in applications for the EHCPs needed to qualify for SEN support in the state system which will have a big impact on Surrey’s finances. But most damaging is going to be the heartache caused to countless children when they are forced to move out of a school where they are very happy (and not costing the state a penny.) Madness. If we want to end the disparities between state and private education, the answer is to raise standards at state schools which has been happening - English state schools are now some of the best performing in the world. Punishing parents like this belongs to 1970s class wars not modern times.
ANGELA RAYNER’S MASSIVE HOUSEBUILDING TARGET FOR WAVERLEY John Goodridge, Surrey Chair of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) echoed the concerns of many when he raised with me the pressures created by the government’s new compulsory housebuilding targets which will force Waverley to build nearly double current numbers - 1400 a year. That will increase Waverley’s population by 50% in the next two decades, one of the steepest rises in Surrey. What is so frustrating is that what we really need is help to meet the current targets which see places like Alfold bearing the brunt of unconstrained development. Everyone knows we need to build more houses but giving us a target that is literally impossible to deliver is unjust - and risks ruining our local countryside. See my post as to what I think we should do instead that would both protect the countryside and get us the new homes we need.
SURGERY CALLS My first call today was to a Cranleigh resident having massive problems with her housing association. She has had appalling damp and mould problems as well as boiler and ceiling issues in her house which just doesn't get fixed by Vivid, her housing association. She is also asthmatic with an eight month old baby. If the damp isn’t fixed she needs to move so I will take the issue up urgently with both Waverley and her housing association. I then spoke to another Cranleigh resident who I met knocking on doors in the election campaign. She has an adult son with muscular dystrophy who is not doing well at the Royal Surrey. She has been having ongoing battles trying to get funding for his care package from Surrey Heartlands NHS so I will arrange a meeting with the new boss there.
TONGHAM AONB BOUNDARY Thanks to Cllr Ed Hall from Tongham who came to talk about his concerns the proposed extended AONB (now called National Landscape) boundary extension which doesn’t extend far enough down the north slope of the the Hogs Back. As you know I am a big supporter of expanding the AONB and it is fantastic news locally that an expansion is going ahead but can’t we do a better job for Tongham? I am going to write to Natural England to see if there is any more flexibility as they have previously said they will not consider further changes to the boundary.
SURREY CARE ASSOCIATION Last week I met CEO Nicola McLeish who represents 235 providers on over 400 sites across Surrey offering care homes, nursing homes and home-based care. We talked about the pressures created by unscrupulous players in the market but most of all concern at the lack of a plan for social care from the government. There can be no solution to problems in the NHS without tackling social care so I will raise these issues with Wes Streeting and try to find a way to make sure SCA’s concerns are properly addressed.
BRAMLEY …. GAS LEAK? Quite extraordinarily we are now facing the prospect of a gas leak near the petrol station. This is likely to mean more roadworks as investigations happen. But is it linked to the fuel link about which I have written too many times? We know both Thames Water and Openreach's pipes have been impacted by the leak in recent months - with very significant consequences. I have made contact with the WBC, the CEO of Scottish Gas Networks and also with Asda directly to ensure they are onto this as is Bramley’s Sherlock, Cllr Jane Austin.
ABRACADABRA AND THEY’LL BE GONE! Don't miss the chance to purchase your tickets to enjoy a magical afternoon tea and raise funds for the Cancer & Surgical Innovation campaign.The event takes place from 2.15pm on Friday 8th November at Elstead Village Hall and will include magician Jared Gale plus a delicious tea with homemade cakes. Tickets cost £22 and are available to book on: ticketsource.co.uk/royal-surrey-charity or by calling 07932 411108.
JOIN ME Want to get more involved with my brilliant election-winning team locally? Email me at [email protected] to help support our work in our community.
AND FINALLY….we all know Winkworth Arboretum is THE place to see glorious autumn colours - but I’m not sure anyone loves autumn as much as fabulous Stella the dog. I must get Poppy in training!
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