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GOOD AFTERNOON & welcome to my South West Surrey update No.220
A busy week all round - not least because I completed the London Marathon for the second time in 6 months to raise money for the Royal Surrey’s new Cancer & Surgical Innovation Centre. I have also been meeting business leaders to understand what we need to do to grow the economy, and spent some time in Bramley with local campaigner Jane Austin and Thames Water CEO Sarah Bentley.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER

MARATHON MADNESS In the end I raised over £33,000 ([link removed]) (including Gift Aid) for the new Royal Surrey Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre ([link removed]) which I was absolutely thrilled with - massive thanks to all who supported me. My legs have recovered but it was exhausting! Although we were blessed with showers (great for runners, less so for their supporters) I found the final 8 miles back from Canary Wharf to the Mall quite an exertion. But what keeps you going are the remarkable crowds clapping and cheering - alongside singers, choirs and bands who keep the atmosphere upbeat and stop you thinking too much about the pain in your feet. And of course it was lovely to have Lucia and my three kids cheering me on at various points on the route - you can see the pic I took with them outside No 11 ([link removed]) just before I left.

What made the day particularly moving for me was to be supported from the sidelines by my brother Charlie who himself is bravely battling a sarcoma. I ran with my sister, his wife and a group of his friends who were all raising money for a wonderful charity called Sarcoma UK ([link removed]) which does research into this relatively rare and little understood - but highly aggressive - cancer. Together Charlie’s friends raised over £100,000 for the charity. Thousands of other charities benefited from the runners too - it really was Britain at its best.

This is my second Marathon - the first was in October when my brother twisted my arm to do it. I do find running quite addictive. For some reason it clears your mind and is great for mental health (if less so for your limbs). Will I do another? That is something I will take a few weeks to decide…

SUDAN EVACUATION More seriously from a global perspective all eyes are very much on Sudan where we have a particular challenge because of the large number of Brits living there. It was a big achievement for the FCDO and MOD to get the first evacuation flights out yesterday in extremely adverse conditions from an airstrip just outside Khartoum.

TREASURY UPDATE On Monday I joined the Prime Minister at his first Business Connect ([link removed]) along with other members of the government and over 200 business leaders– including 60% of FTSE chief executives. The PM gave a powerful no-notes speech ([link removed]) in which he showed his enormous grasp of detail - I really felt people appreciated having both a Prime Minister and Chancellor with a private sector background. Last week, I hosted a roundtable with fintech entrepreneurs which was an opportunity to understand this extraordinary British success story.

COVID’S ON THE DECLINE The Spring weather must be on our side, as the government’s Coronavirus dashboard ([link removed]) confirms that cases are down by 10.8%, hospitalisations down 7.7% and most importantly, deaths down by 1.2%. As always, vaccines are key to keeping these numbers low, so when called this month, all eligible individuals should schedule their 2023 Spring Booster. ([link removed])

The key number is 0300 200 1008 for anyone with pandemic related difficulties. Also, check out my full list of local groups ([link removed]) working to support vulnerable residents.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY

GREEN SPACES One of my top priorities in my Green Spaces campaign ([link removed]) is to remove sewage from the River Wey, as many of you will know. That is why as Chancellor I changed rules so any fines paid by water companies are now being ring-fenced for work to fix pollution and improve water quality. I have also worked closely locally with Thames Water, Southern Water, and the Environment Agency to secure a major local investment plan. It was therefore particularly disappointing to see on Tuesday the Opposition, including the Liberal Democrats, vote against a motion to set a target for the reduction of sewage discharges; to provide for financial penalties in relation to sewage discharges and breaches of monitoring requirements; and to carry out an impact assessment of sewage discharges.

You may remember that I wrote to the CEOs of supermarkets in South West Surrey about their recycling efforts. I recently received a response from Izzy Gill, Government Relations Manager at Sainsbury’s. She told me that Sainsbury’s is now accepting flexible plastics which can be recycled at supermarket stores including in Godalming and Farnham. She also informed me that Sainsbury’s is launching a plan to reduce plastic packaging in their own brand products by 50% in the next two years. My Sainsbury’s plug over - happy to hear from the other supermarkets too!

BRAMLEY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES On Saturday afternoon I spent some time in Bramley ([link removed]) with local campaigner Jane Austin and Sarah Bentley, Thames Water CEO to talk about reducing storm overflows into the Wey, the sewage leak at Gosden Common, and ‘that’ terrible smell. Progress is being made on all fronts. In December, following the public meeting we held with Sarah in Bramley, Thames Water announced a multi-million pound overspill reduction programme which will cover Bramley, Cranleigh, Godalming and Farnham. In the meantime, they are replacing the pump at Gosden Common, and tankering out the sewage. It appears the issue was not a faulty pump, but an issue with the pipes - possibly some bends that are preventing the sewage from flowing through fast enough. They are now in the process of identifying where these are. I then took Jane and Sarah to the Jolly Farmer, where the smell is prominent. We all agreed the smell is similar to
fuel fumes, and wondered if it could be connected to the lining of the fuel tanks at the Co Op petrol station across the road (which have just been replaced as they were apparently faulty). The issue, if that is the cause, is how much fuel escaped - the more that has escaped, the longer it will take for the smell to disperse. However, that is only a theory. The Environment Agency has left a testing device in the basement of the Jolly Farmer which should answer the question definitively.

NATIONAL LOTTERY COMMUNITY FUND Congratulations to St Andrew’s Parish Church in Farnham for recently being awarded £6,500 by the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) ([link removed]) The funding will be used to replace all the light fittings in the church with modern LED equivalents, and the project aims to improve energy efficiency of the building, allowing them to reduce costs for its users. The NLCF is the largest funder of community activities in the UK, and between 26/11/22 - 24/02/23, they awarded £32,979 to community projects in South West Surrey alone.

CALLING ALL GUILDFORD COMMUTERS The temporary commuter car park at Guildford Station will be closed between 1st May - 26th June, as contractors need to remove the decking. Car park users are encouraged to use the nearby Farnham Road public car park during this time. The premium car park directly outside the station (including the accessible bays), is unaffected and will remain open. The temporary car park will then re-open on 26th June with approx 150 parking spaces. However, further disruption is expected in December. These works are a precursor to the wider Guildford Station regeneration project, which in 2024 will deliver a new Multi-Storey Car Park with 388 parking spaces, over 400 new homes, and around £25 million worth of station and community improvements. These include a modern station building, a new station plaza, improved taxi drop-off space, enhanced retail units and a larger, more modern ticket hall. You can find out further information about the closure and the wider project
here ([link removed]) , and if you have any questions can call 0800 038 5850 or email [email protected].

JOIN ME Want to get more involved locally? Email me at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) to join my growing team supporting our work in our community.

LOCAL EVENTS For those in Farnham, the ever popular Duck Race ([link removed]) takes place on Saturday 29th April in Gostrey Meadow between 12-3:30pm. Do go along for this fun, family event and remember to stop by the Friends of Royal Surrey County Hospital stall who will be selling a range of gifts and raffling a very decadent-looking hamper of wine, chocolates and biscuits. Over in Chiddingfold, there’s the fantastic Surrey Sculpture Society Exhibition at Ramster Gardens - for more info and ticket prices, click here ([link removed]) .

AND FINALLY… With our beloved labrador Poppy having accompanied me on my marathon training, I think next year I will have to enter the Muddy Dog Challenge ([link removed]) with her instead! It is undoubtedly a greater challenge than the marathon which, despite the relentless rain, was held on the mud-free streets of central London…

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Promoted by Sean Donovan-Smith on behalf of Jeremy Hunt MP and South West Surrey Conservatives, all at 2 Royal Parade, Tilford Road, Hindhead, Surrey GU26 6TD.

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