GOOD AFTERNOON & welcome to my update no.277

In less than 48 hours voting will have already started - but even at this late stage, unusually, there are many people not quite sure how they will vote. In case you are one of them, I thought I would spend this newsletter talking about my early priorities if I am lucky enough to be elected. Hopefully you have seen from these newsletters that a strong local voice can make a big difference - indeed work has already started on the Royal Surrey’s new Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre which will open next year. So here’s a summary of where I would most like to make progress in Godalming and Ash going forward. 

JEREMY’S PLAN FOR GODALMING AND ASH

1. BETTER LOCAL NHS FACILITIES It seems an age ago that the last Labour government wanted to close the Royal Surrey. Some of you marched with me, Anne Milton and Professor Chris Marks through Guildford town centre to stop it. Since then we have seen the hospital go from strength to strength and this year it got a CQC ‘outstanding’ rating. Now the new Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre is actually being built, I want to continue fundraising to buy the latest robotic equipment building on the £500,000 already raised. I also want to make sure the new Community Diagnostic Centre in Milford is opened having worked hard to unblock some NHS Property Services issues that were delaying things. Working with local councillor Daniel Husseini we successfully stopped the closure of Boots in Farncombe so going forward I want to protect local pharmacy provision. Working with Dr Mike Bundy and others I want to get more services delivered at Cranleigh Village Hospital including virtual consultant appointments so that Cranleigh residents don’t have to travel to Guildford - something that will also relieve traffic pressure on the high street. Finally many people have asked for easier and quicker GP appointments in Ash. I suspect the issue may be linked to the big increase in housing but have arranged to meet the Bartlett Surgery after the election if I am elected to get to the bottom of the issue. 

2. BETTER SERVICE AND CLEANER RIVERS FROM THAMES WATER We all want the rivers cleaned up but Thames Water have compounded sewage overflows with totally unacceptable water outages and lousy communications when they have happened. In fairness the current problems in Bramley are not of their making (and I hope the no drink notice affecting 621 homes will be lifted shortly) but having had three public meetings with three successive CEOs I will continue to hold Thames Water to account for their failures. I persuaded Thames Water to commit to spend £200m by the end of next year and £400m by the end of 2026 to reduce sewage leaks - so whatever their corporate difficulties I want to make sure TW delivers the investment promised. Investment is the solution not nationalisation which will cost a fortune and certainly not abolishing Ofwat which is finally getting its act together and requiring £99 bn of investment in cleaner rivers nationally.

3. MAKE THE SURREY HILLS A NATIONAL PARK I secured the first expansion of the Surrey Hills AONB in 50 years, meaning more green space will be protected locally than ever before. But I want the area to be even better protected by making the Surrey Hills a National Park. That would get it more DEFRA funding to boost biodiversity and more protections by being its own planning authority. Some have argued this will mean more pressure for housing in non-green belt areas but I think that is a separate issue: we have too much development in Ash, Cranleigh and Dunsfold which is not coming with appropriate infrastructure (see GP surgery comment above) so we need to make sure local authorities in Guildford and Waverley actually deliver on their infrastructure commitments when new builds happen.

4. BETTER MOBILE PHONE RECEPTION IN CRANLEIGH AND OUR VILLAGES We have transformed local broadband over the last decade but the phone and mobile data reception in Cranleigh (and many other villages) remains terrible. I will fight to change that so we have at least 4G coverage in our villages. I recently secured a new mobile phone mast in Hascombe to improve reception there and it is really about talking to mobile phone companies - and making sure any new mast locations have community support. 

5. STEP-FREE ACCESS AT ASH VALE STATION It is impossible to get on a train at Ash Vale station if you cannot manage the steps – a massive problem for those who rely on it as the main train line to London. Last month, I secured funding for the much-needed step-free access there, so if elected I will work with Network Rail and South Western Railway to ensure that the long-overdue step-free access is finally delivered. 

6. ROAD SAFETY IN OUR TOWNS AND VILLAGES I have had recent success in securing speed cameras for three villages – Bramley, Chiddingfold, and Witley. Next on the list is an average speed camera for Compton and better pedestrian crossing points near schools in Milford and Witley. The key lesson I have learned is that different places need different solutions so careful consultation with parish councils is essential.