GOOD AFTERNOON & welcome to my South West Surrey update No.221
Today is local elections day and although I try not to be political in this email I hope you will allow me to say this once I do hope you will vote for your local Conservative candidate today because we really need to get a grip of planning issues locally, something I know is a major concern to many of you. Westminster is busy with coronation preparations and I have been meeting leaders in the space and creative industries. Locally we have finally got to the bottom of what’s been causing the awful chemical smell in Bramley (mystery revealed below). I’ve also been out campaigning in Guildford with my friend MP Angela Richardson.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER
GEARING UP FOR THE CORONATION Westminster is busy with preparations and excitement for the coronation with all the roads around Buckingham Palace now closed. The King and Queen Consort both visited Parliament on Tuesday during which they saw a 300 year old gilded coach that used to ferry the speakers of the House of Commons to coronations and royal weddings. Nowadays it is no longer used and Sir Lindsay Hoyle will just walk a few hundred metres across Parliament Square to Westminster Abbey. From my office in the Treasury I get a sense of the ongoing preparations in St James’s Park, with some people already camping along the Mall. The BBC have a good guide to the weekend which you may wish to look at here.
TREASURY UPDATE It has been another busy week at the Treasury which started with a breakfast with the space industry. Did you know we have a thriving satellite manufacturing industry and employ 50,000 people in space-related projects? Next time you log on to the internet from a British Airways flight, it will be thanks to British company Inmarsat. I also attended the Creative Industries Conference, another of our key growth sectors. People groan about Netflix but our film and TV industry has become Europe’s largest in the last decade and we remain the world’s second largest music exporter. As a former Culture Secretary I want to keep it that way which is why, in the Budget, I announced tax reliefs to continue to boost the sector.
COVID CONTINUES TO DECLINE The government’s Coronavirus dashboard confirms that cases continue to decline, and are down by 12.5%, hospitalisations down 15.6% and most importantly, deaths down by 5.2%. As always, vaccines are key to keeping these numbers low, so when called this month, all eligible individuals should schedule their 2023 Spring Booster.
The key number is 0300 200 1008 for anyone with pandemic related difficulties. Also, check out my full list of local groups working to support vulnerable residents.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY
BRAMLEY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES As regular readers will know, an awful smell has been circulating throughout Bramley for the past few months, particularly evident in the Jolly Farmer Pub. Towards the end of March, the strength of the smell increased, and residents noticed a lot of activity and workmen at the local petrol station. I raised the issue once again with Waverley Borough Council, SCC Trading Standards, the EA and the petrol station’s senior leadership team. As a result of these enquiries and local campaigner Jane Austin’s hard work, Trading Standards have now confirmed that during precautionary works at the petrol station on one of its tanks (tank 1) to repair the skin lining, and whilst sealing the ducts in the petrol chambers, leaks were identified to the gauge tops for tanks 2 and 4. Trading Standards think this may have been as a result of the pipe and tank pressure test carried out in February although the smell was first identified in January.
Trading Standards have been informed by the petrol station that a contractor was on site on Friday 28th April to rectify the leaking tank gauge/lids and conduct further inspections. I have now sent another letter to the petrol station’s senior leadership team for their response to the news of the leaks, and to ascertain the cause, whether any works remain outstanding and if they will share their concluding report with me.
So it looks like the mystery is solved! But now of course there is concern about the impact these leaks have had on our environment, including leaking into the water table. So I have got back in touch with the Chair of the EA to request a thorough investigation. I have also updated Sarah Bentley, CEO at Thames Water, as Thames Water are actively carrying out remedial works to water pipes in Bramley. I will keep you posted.
GREEN SPACES I recently received a response from Waitrose who say they have now removed the option to pack grocery orders in plastic bags. Waitrose in Farnham is also accepting single-use plastic carrier bags and flexible plastic that can’t be collected in the usual kerbside way to be reprocessed into new products and materials. In my Green Spaces survey, 1800 of you supported my request for local supermarkets to increase recycling for single use plastics so this is progress. I will also be writing to Poundland and Boots to ask whether they are doing the same.
We are also finalising our plans for Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey’s visit to South West Surrey. I look forward to showing her our green spaces, explaining why we want the Surrey Hills AONB to be considered for a boundary extension, and discussing the issue of sewage overflows. If there are any additional concerns you would like me to raise with Thérèse please do let me know via email at [email protected].
LOCAL CRIME WAVE The government this week hit its target of 20,000 more police officers and overall crime is down 14% since 2019. But nonetheless we were all shocked that a man in his 20s has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm following a stabbing in Haslemere on Saturday 22nd April. He has been remanded pending his next appearance at Lewes Crown Court for sentencing on 23rd May. The victim remains in a stable but critical condition, and as with the incident in Farncombe, the suspect was known to the victim. Over in Farnham, it was very upsetting to see that The Maltings has been vandalised for the second time in a year. Last September Surrey Police had real difficulty identifying the suspects from the CCTV footage obtained, so let’s hope this isn’t the case this time. With both of these incidents, I have written to our new Waverley Borough Commander - Inspector Rob Brien, requesting an update and further information on how Surrey Police are moving forward with these investigations. I will update you further next week.
FANCY A FISH & CHIP SUPPER? Friends of The Royal Surrey County Hospital are holding a fundraising quiz and fish & chip supper (& dessert!) on Friday 19th May at 7pm. This fun and friendly evening will be raising funds for the hospital’s Cancer & Surgical Innovation Campaign and take place at Farnham Town FC in Mead Lane, Farnham. So, why not grab a few friends and join others for a little healthy rivalry? There’s also an amazing raffle with some great prizes kindly donated by local independent shops and businesses. Tickets cost £20.00 and can be bought by calling 07932 411108 or emailing: [email protected].
The Friends of RSCH were also out in force at Last Saturday’s Farnham Duck Race where they raised a quacking £200+ towards the campaign. Finally, my latest total from running the London Marathon now stands at an incredible £35,446.04 – quite amazing, thank you everyone who has donated!
LOCAL EVENTS A great selection of Coronation celebrations this weekend in Farnham, Godalming & Haslemere! If you’re staying at home, enjoy your local street parties, and let’s hope that the weather behaves itself!
CORRECTION TO LAST WEEK’S NEWSLETTER Sainsbury’s are not yet accepting flexible plastics at its Godalming and Farnham stores but are working on a strategy to this end.
LOCAL ELECTIONS In case you missed it, here is my rallying cry for the local elections - vote Conservative for lower council taxes, lower charges, better public services, and a better run council! Want to get more involved with our campaigns locally? Email me at [email protected] to join my growing team supporting our work in our community.
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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.