GOOD AFTERNOON & welcome to my South West Surrey update No.223
There has been lots going on in my job as Chancellor, as I met G7 Finance Ministers in Japan and responded to developments in our national economy. Locally, I’ve continued to push for answers for Bramley residents and have been busy preparing for a packed constituency day on Friday!
WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER
G7 UPDATE As I mentioned in my previous newsletter, I spent last week in Japan for the G7 meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. Many often say that these international meetings are just talking shops but this meeting was definitely not. The G7 are the seven largest democratic country economies in the world (us with USA, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada) and we all face very similar challenges so are very much focussed on dealing with global inflation, as well as trying to figure out how to have economic security without reverting to costly protectionism. Whilst in Japan, I also met businesses from Sony to Synspective in Tokyo. I was even introduced to robot dog Aibo in the Sony showroom– though it has absolutely nothing on our labrador Poppy…
TREASURY UPDATE Last week also saw several announcements regarding the economy. Firstly, the Bank of England made a decision to increase interest rates. Though it is good news they are no longer predicting a recession, their decision is undoubtedly challenging for families with mortgages. But inflation is the biggest pressure on family finances so it is even more important to stick to our plan to halve it as I outlined in this video. The ONS also showed that GDP has grown– picking up much faster than anyone predicted. We are on the right track but there is much to do– including on labour supply and productivity which is what my Budget measures were designed to target. Back in London, today I will be speaking at the British Chambers of Commerce Annual Conference, which includes the opportunity for business leaders to quiz me on that exact topic– our plans for growth.
In the survey I am currently conducting in Godalming and Ash and South West Surrey, almost all respondents have so far said that my top three priorities as Chancellor should be to bring down inflation, get more people into work, and attract more international investment to the UK. Message heard loud and clear!
FIGHTER JETS FOR UKRAINE In other Westminster news, at the start of this week the Prime Minister promised to spearhead an international effort to secure fighter jets for Ukraine as he pledged hundreds of long-range attack drones for Kyiv. The UK’s leadership in supporting Ukraine is something I know we as a constituency are very proud of and it does feel the war may be at a tipping point in Ukraine’s favour.
LITERACY RATES It was extremely encouraging to hear yesterday that England’s nine and ten year olds have taken fourth place in a major international literacy study overtaking every European country. The Prime Minister and I are in total agreement that a good education system is crucial not just for the economy but also so our young people have the very best opportunities - which is why we prioritised school funding in the Autumn Statement. Next step is maths till 18…
WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY
LOCAL ELECTIONS I mentioned last week that the results were disappointing for the Conservatives locally (as they were nationally). But I would like to thank all those who supported us - our vote share was only 1.5% down on four years ago which is significantly better than we feared. I would particularly like to thank the 50 candidates who stood for us locally - putting yourself forward for election is a brave thing to do and whichever party you stand for public service is a noble idea. Details for your new Waverley Borough councillors can be found here, including our excellent group of ten Conservative Councillors, more than half of whom are new. I would also like to thank many long standing councillors who did a brilliant job for their communities and have now stepped down or were sadly unsuccessful, including former leaders Julia Potts, Robert Knowles and Stephen Mulliner, alongside, Steve Cosser, Trevor Sadler, Jenny Else, David Else, Anna James, Richard Seaborne, Mary Foryszewski, Patricia Ellis, Val Henry, Simon Dear and Chris Howard. At Town Council level, we fielded a strong team of candidates, and I would also like to congratulate Jean Arrick, Malcolm Carter and Tom Bridge on being elected to Haslemere Town Council and Peter Martin and Ed Holliday on being elected to Godalming Town Council. Peter Martin is also now our Waverley Conservative Group Leader.
GREEN SPACES Having written to supermarkets and major chains in our constituency to ask about recycling single-use plastics, I recently received a response from Sebastian James, Vice President at Boots. Sebastian told me about their “Recycle” scheme which enables customers to return hard-to-recycle health, beauty, and wellness packaging which are not ordinarily recycled via local authority kerbside collections. You can find these drop off points in the Boots stores in Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere. In my latest survey, 68% of you said you would like better litter collection and better recycling services locally, so I am pleased that Boots is helping us to achieve this.
CANCER CAMPAIGN SHOPPING LIST A few weeks ago I said I would update you on some of the equipment and facilities the new Cancer Centre at The Royal Surrey hopes to purchase. This week, we look at more traditional surgery…
ITEM: Fluobeam LX
USED FOR: Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery
BENEFITS: Better preservation of the glands and their functions.
COST: £75,000
This piece of equipment provides fluorescence imaging in thyroid and parathyroid surgery. This innovative camera solution allows identification of the parathyroid glands (found behind the thyroid at the bottom of your neck) based on their autofluorescence. This allows the parathyroid gland to be precisely located in the surgical area. Equipment like this and with your help, the new facility at the Royal Surrey can become one of Europe's leading surgical centres. For more information click here.
SPORT GODALMING This Sunday sees the return of The Godalming Run, which is one of the few legacy events from the 2012 Olympics. There are three distances to run - the 1k fun run for children and families plus 5k and 10k options. The route is a mix of local streets and off road lanes across the Surrey Hills (including the grounds of Charterhouse). After the marathon last month, I’m sitting this one out! However, I would really like to encourage those who can, to take part and raise funds for charity - perhaps for the Cancer Centre at The Royal Surrey, but it can of course be a charity of your choice. For full details and entry information, click here.
LOCAL EVENTS Why not head to Gosden Common in Bramley on Saturday (12-4pm) for their annual village fete? There’s fun for all the family, including tug of war, children's races and traditional fair games, alongside a variety of music from local schools and bands. Or you can indulge in a spot of retail therapy at one of their many stalls, followed by drinks and food ranging from Thai to pizza, ice-cream to home-made cakes.
JOIN ME Want to get more involved locally? Email me at [email protected] to join my growing team supporting our work in our community
AND FINALLY… (a serious one this week). This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, and the theme for 2023 is anxiety. Considering 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (like anxiety and depression) in any given week in England, I feel it’s important to share some helpful resources for those of you who may be going through a challenging time.
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