GOOD AFTERNOON & welcome to my weekly update no.308

Lots to report on in this first email since the Easter break - hope you had a good one! I am happily back to eating chocolate after giving up for Lent…
 

WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER

RIP POPE FRANCIS The dominant news of the last week has been the sad passing of Pope Francis. His funeral was a fitting farewell for a remarkable Pontiff who in some ways reminded me of Her Majesty the Queen in the way he led by quiet expression of his own inner values. Somehow he inspired us all - including many from other traditions such as C of E types like me - and the world feels poorer and more vulnerable without him. But perhaps, just perhaps, part of his legacy will be to have brought together Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenksy in a meeting that will lead to a more sustainable peace in Ukraine.  Earlier today President Putin announced a 3-day temporary ceasefire from 8 to 11 May which to me looks like he wants to be seen to be helpful. We should not be deceived - anything that looks like a victory for Putin will, sadly, just lead to more war and more death. But Mark Galeotti’s piece in yesterday’s Sunday Times was a thoughtful analysis as to why, in the end, Zelensky might just accept the terms on the table - worth a read.
 

TRADE TALKS Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been in Washington attending the IMF’s spring meetings where she also held talks with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about a potential trade deal with the US. It was a grim week for my successor as the IMF just slashed its 2025 GDP growth forecast for the UK to 1% - and said the downgrade wasn’t just caused by Trump’s tariffs. That said the mood music around a trade deal was good with talk of a ‘landing zone’ for an agreement. A trade deal with the UK on its own makes little difference to the US (which doesn’t have a deficit with us anyway) but exerts useful pressure on bigger fish like the EU - or so UK trade negotiators will be hoping.
 

AND LET’S NOT FORGET THE NHS struggling, as we heard today, with fewer admissions than the year before despite record numbers of long waits - not a headline the government was hoping for. My particular concern has always been reducing the number of avoidable deaths in the system. If that is of interest you might want to sign up to a fortnightly newsletter I co-write for a charity called Patient Safety Watch - the latest email is here. Topics include poor working conditions, staff fatigue and the latest data on baby deaths (sadly not coming down which is why I advocate learning from Japan and Sweden - both of whom have systems that would lead to about 1000 fewer baby deaths every year). 
 

WHAT’S GOING ON LOCALLY

THE FUTURE OF DUNSFOLD PARK is still uncertain, as explained in this fascinating but I suspect speculative piece in yesterday’s Sunday Times. The pausing of development has massively added to pressure to develop elsewhere and seems to be the result of the need to remediate the site of potential pollution (which is expensive) alongside a contractual dispute between the owners and developers. I have met with both sides now to see if the issues can be resolved - including last week with the Bursar of owner Trinity College Cambridge. But even if the development does go ahead we are unlikely to meet Angela Rayners’s ridiculous doubling of local housing targets which is something I will continue to raise in parliament.

SURGERY CALLS  One surgery call today to the redoubtable Julia Pearson from Shere who wanted to tell me about the remarkable Surrey Hills International Music Festival. Julia set it up in 2011 and it brings musicians of the highest quality right to our doorstep. You can hear performers from the Lincoln Centre, internationally acclaimed artists like Alim Beisembayev and Will Durden and groups like VOCES8 performing in beautiful local settings. This year’s programme is here and ticket sales here!

MILFORD DIAGNOSTIC CENTRE OPEN! The Royal Surrey's new Community Diagnostics Centre (CDC) at Milford Community Hospital officially welcomed its first patients earlier this month. This is something I persuaded Sajid Javid to invest in when he was Health Secretary and we can now see it was worth the wait as it includes two cutting-edge MRI scanners and a CT scanner. Once fully operational, the team expects to complete a remarkable 30 MRIs and 40 CTs daily - great news for local residents. By the way a big thank you to those who joined my campaign 20 years ago to save Milford Hospital (take a bow John Sandy, Peter Martin and Cynthia Perkins amongst many others) - without it we would not be cheering today…

MAKING A DOG'S DINNER OF CIL? More victims are still coming forward with heart-breaking stories about being forced to pay huge CIL levies to Waverley, leading some residents to say that even dogs would be treated better. Waverley’s full council meeting last week was dominated by the issue - but no real resolution. Apparently the Lib Dem led council may now consider refunds to people deemed ‘poor enough’ - but surely if the charges are unfair (which they are) they should be refunded to everyone irrespective of personal circumstances? I am also awaiting a response to my request to meet the Housing and Planning Minister to discuss the issue alongside Farnham MP Greg Stafford.

BLACKWELL SOLAR FARM  PERMISSION QUASHED Huge well done to Compton Parish Council who instigated a judicial review of Blackwell Solar Farm planning permission- and won! This means the planning permission will now be rescinded. Last year I supported the (unsuccessful) request to call-in the Blackwell Solar Farm decision to the Secretary of State because the site is a candidate area for inclusion in the Surrey Hills National Landscape expansion consultation. This case sets an important precedent and is particularly important as we wait for confirmation of the Surrey Hills National Landscape expansion areas - come on DEFRA…

COUNCILLORS UPHOLD HONESTY More drama in Waverley as Councillors across the political spectrum joined Councillor Jane Austin’s motion in requesting rescission of a decision to spend £1m on new grounds maintenance equipment to take the service in-house. Why on earth would you spend such a huge sum of money a year before Waverley’s demise?  Much of the evidence used to justify it turned out to be misleading and unreliable so the decision will now come back for re-decision at a later date.

FILMS, MUSIC AND A QUIZ! Lots going on at Cranleigh Arts over the next few weeks including Oscar-winning film screenings, a fabulous live music event from the Everlys on 15th May and a special Quiz Night on 16th May. And do please take a moment to support their fundraising campaign to revamp their coffee bar/cafe. Every donation small or large would be hugely appreciated. 

REPAIR CAFE CRANLEIGH The brilliant Repair Cafe is holding its next event this Saturday - 3 May, 9.30am-12.30pm at the Bandroom in Village Way, Cranleigh. Pre-booking is advisable by email to [email protected].  

JOIN ME Want to get more involved with my brilliant election-winning team locally? Email me at [email protected] to help support our work in our community. If you would like more regular updates of my work locally and nationally, do follow me on Facebook, X (Twitter), Bluesky or Instagram. Please don’t always assume I will see every comment on a post - email is a more reliable way to ensure a reply.

AND FINALLY It was the London Marathon yesterday and absolutely magnificent to see the 56,000 runners, but I must admit it was quite nice to be watching from the side this year! I was supporting my sister Susie running in memory of my brother Charlie’s cancer charity Sarcoma UK. Do take a look at some of the fantastic outfits here.