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GOOD AFTERNOON & welcome to my South West Surrey update No.229 -
This week was the NHS’s 75th birthday. It is rightly one of our most treasured institutions and despite its many challenges we should be proud of the values it stands for. I marked the occasion with a bike ride in Farnham to raise money for the new Royal Surrey Cancer Centre and locally, work continues on the Bramley smell, which frustratingly saw a return after heavy rainfall on Tuesday night. Oh yes and on Monday I have my Mansion House speech, one of the biggest moments in the year for a Chancellor which will this year focus on pension industry reform.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER

NHS 75 The NHS celebrated its 75th birthday ([link removed]) on Wednesday which was a great moment of celebration for the noble ideals that it has always stood for. We do need to continue to support it and all though who are part of the NHS community, including the Royal Surrey ([link removed]) and Frimley Park ([link removed]) locally so that it can continue to celebrate many more birthdays ahead and continue to safeguard those . A significant reform which will help to do this is the Long Term Workforce Plan ([link removed]) which was announced last week and for me personally the culmination of over three years campaigning from the backbenches as well as in government. As I also wrote in my Farnham Herald ([link removed])
this week, I really do believe the plan was a momentous occasion for the NHS as it means we will have an extra 60,000 doctors and 170,000 nurses in place in the next 15 years.

INFLATION BATTLES My focus in the Treasury remains on tackling inflation and doing what we can to support consumers. This week the Competition and Markets Authority found ([link removed]) that some retailers have been charging over the odds for fuel– you can read about the Treasury response here ([link removed]) but in short we are putting a stop to it. You may also have seen that I called on banks to pass heightened interest rates to consumers as it is currently taking too long for savers to see higher returns, andI am supporting the FCA ([link removed]) in their work to this end too. In more positive news, energy bills are now two thirds lower ([link removed]) than they were at their peak, and this week’s fall in the price cap means the typical bill
will fall by £426. For those on prepayment metres, charges were scrapped this week which will end the unfair penalty that existed for millions, as I announced in the Budget.

OTHER HMT NEWS We have also had some positive news which reflects our booming tech and AI sector, which is something many of you will know that I am proud about. Last year we became the third country in the world to have a tech sector valued at $1 trillion and our AI sector already contributes billions of pounds to our economy, as well as employing 50,000 people. News at the end of last week that Salesforce UK have pledged ([link removed]) to invest $4 billion into AI innovation and OpenAI will open their first international office ([link removed]) in the UK are both massive votes of confidence in the work we are doing. Another way we aim to grow the economy is with our twelve new investment zones, which are planned to be mini Canary Wharfs with clusters of high growth industries, such as tech and life sciences, and a university. I met
([link removed]) the Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce and local Chambers of Commerce to speak about how to make this vision work. Finally, we have a strong financial services sector (which actually pays for around half the cost of the NHS so don’t knock it!) and this weekI also met banking sector leaders ([link removed]) to speak about how to continue to support the sector. Monday’s Mansion House speech will be a big moment for the City and follows my Edinburgh Reforms ([link removed]) and the passing into law last week of the Financial Services and Markets Ac ([link removed]) t.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY

CANCER CAMPAIGN Last Sunday I took part in the Farnham Charity Bike Ride ([link removed]) with a 16 strong team of Royal Surrey Riders to raise money for the new Cancer Centre. I was very proud to raise over £15,000 ([link removed]) all of which will go to purchasing crucial state-of-the-art equipment. Together with our other fundraising efforts, including the two London Marathons, the hospital will have enough funds to purchase a robot-controlled operating table which costs a staggering £95,000. Thank you to all organisers of the event including Farnham Round Table.

GREEN SPACES AND BRAMLEY SMELL Fuel smells and signs of fuel contamination in the river have been frustrating Bramley residents since the start of the year. As well as being in close contact with the Co-op and Thames Water, I asked the Environmental Agency to install a sensor in the Jolly Farmer’s cellar to conduct tests. I have now received the results which indicate the presence of low levels of hydrocarbons associated with motor fuels. Although the chemicals have strong smells, they pose a minimal risk to health and investigation as to the source of this pollution is ongoing. However, the visible fuel contamination is negatively affecting the local wildlife, ecosystem, and businesses like the Jolly Farmer. On top of this, the smell and contamination have returned after heavy rainfall on Tuesday night. I have therefore followed up on the matter with Alan Lovell, CEO of the Environmental Agency, to ensure the situation is addressed and will continue to keep everyone informed.

ELSTEAD VILLAGE MARATHON Well done to over 600 runners who last week donned their trainers and completed the long and short course of this famous run! This run is well known for its river crossing finish, but sadly this year organisers were not able to secure permission to cross EA land at Elstead Mill land using the Bridge Weir and Sluice Valves Walkway. This route has been used for over 100 years without issue, so I have given my support to the team and will push their case with the EA. If you would like to sign the petition please click here ([link removed]) .

HOGSBACK BREWERY Earlier this weekI met Rupert and his team ([link removed]) at the Hogsback Brewery in Tongham. What a brilliant, enterprising set up. I had a great time hearing about their focus on sustainability and tours of the hops, although it was unfortunately a bit too early in the day to get stuck into a tasting of their incredible selection of ales. Hogsback Brewery have recently led local protests against a proposed whopping 21-week road closure by South East Water to install 600m of new pipework on Tongham High Street. It was good news that this closure has now been reduced to only 6 weeks but I will continue to follow this issue closely as even though 6 weeks seems short compared to 21, it will still have a significant impact upon local residents and businesses.

SUMMER FETES I had a wonderful Saturday afternoon ([link removed]) at a total of three summer fetes in one day! I experienced all things British– from cake to Pimm’s– and of course stopped by the Royal Surrey stand for the Cancer Centre at The Bourne Show. Thank you all for the wonderful hospitality and delicious cake at the Ash Summer Fete, Hale Carnival, and The Bourne Show.

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.

AND FINALLY… Not sure anyone wants a surprise when they get home from the supermarket– and certainly not like this one! ([link removed])

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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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