Surrey Heath News
Local Health Leaders: Last month, I had a catch-up and briefing with the Chief Executives of Frimley Health Trust and Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, together with the Chief Officer of Surrey Heath CCG and others, about their response to Covid-19 and the work of the Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System. As ever, I am hugely impressed by our local health leaders and am grateful to them for all that they do.
Facebook Live Q&A: I held a Q&A on Facebook on 14 May, chaired by Cllr Paul Deach, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to respond to lots of important questions from constituents. You can watch the whole session here.
Mental Health Awareness Week: 18 May marked the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Week, and this year's theme was kindness. Now more than ever, kindness really does matter, and you can view a Mental Health information booklet on my website, which I hope proves helpful, particularly at this difficult time.
Esso Pipeline and Turf Hill: Following the recent wildfire at Turf Hill, I wrote to the Planning Inspectorate to highlight the fire and the significant damage to the area, and asked for this information to be considered. As the examination period has now closed, however, my correspondence has been passed to the Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, so that he can take my submission into account. To follow-up, I have written directly to Alok, ensuring he is fully aware of the change in circumstances at Turf Hill.
Headteachers: Following the reopening of schools for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils, I hosted a conference call with Headteachers from Surrey Heath. I greatly appreciated their thoughts, and have written to the Education Secretary, the Rt Hon Gavin Williamson MP, to raise their queries, and will report back to the Headteachers at our next conference call in the near future. I would also like to say a big thank you to Cllr Paul Deach for arranging these important calls.
Access to MOD Land: Many residents continue to be concerned about access to the Ash Ranges, and I have written once more to the Defence Minister, Jeremy Quin MP, to raise this issue. On the wider matter of the proposed changes to the byelaws affecting MOD land, I will be meeting the Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP, later this month.
Chapel Lane: I was opposed to Cala Homes' original application to develop 44 dwellings on the meadow next to Chapel Lane in Bagshot, and I was delighted that it was unanimously rejected by Surrey Heath Borough Council’s Planning Applications Committee. Disappointingly, the developer has chosen to appeal to that decision, but I have just written to the Planning Inspectorate to highlight my wholehearted objection to the plans. I have also given my support to the Chapel Lane Action Group to help raise funds for legal representation. If you can, please donate and support this worthy cause. You will find further information here.
British Airways redundancies: I know that there are many constituents who are deeply worried that they may lose their jobs in the very near future, and feel that British Airways is acting opportunistically. I have expressed my concerns to several colleagues in Government, including the Prime Minister, and will continue to follow the situation very closely.
Volunteers' Week: Towards the end of May, I called on constituents to get in touch to nominate a local community hero as part of Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June). I received a considerable number of nominations, and it was very heartening to read of so many wonderful people who have been giving up their time to help others. I made several posts on my Facebook page to celebrate these community heroes, which you can view here.
Ash Vale Train Station: I continue to support the campaign for step-free access to be installed at Ash Vale Station, and I have just written again to the Chief Executive of Network Rail and to the Secretary of State for Transport to ask for information on potential funding opportunities. I will report back as soon as I have any news.
Carers Week: Carers Week (8-14 June) is an annual awareness week which recognises the vital contribution made by people caring unpaid for family members or friends who are older, disabled or seriously ill. Unpaid carers have been providing crucial support to friends and family members during the Covid-19 pandemic and it is important that their efforts are recognised and applauded.
|
