GOOD AFTERNOON & welcome to my weekly update no.310

What a glorious weekend! I was at the Dunsfold Village Fair and rather memorable VE day celebrations - and did you know Saturday was Surrey Day? A good chance to celebrate the lovely things about our county which will be even lovelier if we get the AONB (now called National Landscape) protections extended in Tongham, Wanborough, Rowly, Bramley, Wonersh, Shamley Green and Dunsfold! 

WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER 

IS THAT IT? Earlier today, the government unveiled their white paper on immigration reform. It was not an area the last Conservative government got right as I told Andrew Neil although it should be noted changes introduced in the final year led to a 37% drop in visas issued. Much of what has been announced today is welcome but is it enough? Labour should not have cancelled the Rwanda scheme which would have deterred many. And they should be seeking an international consensus to change the ECHR and 1951 Refugee Convention which were written for a different age as I talk about in my new book Can We Be Great Again? If you think I am being a ‘typical Tory’ read this column by left-leaning Times Columnist Emma Duncan who makes the case better than I can.
 

FREE TRADE RULES? Last week we saw the UK government strike deals on trade with both India and the US. The former was more impressive than the latter although both are steps in the right direction. Combined with today’s news that the US and China have paused their trade war, we do seem to be stepping back from the brink. Why? I think the world has decided that it wants to carry on trading even if America does not - and more importantly that it can if it chooses because the US only accounts for 14% of world trade. At the same time Donald Trump has realised that even he can’t buck the markets. Let’s hope this is the start of better news for the world economy.
 

SAFER MATERNITY CARE We had some rare good news on NHS care with news that baby deaths are starting to go down again. They are still higher than in 2019 as I say here, but it is something I take a close interest in because the big patient safety programmes I started as health secretary led to a fall in baby deaths of around a fifth and I don’t want the clock to go back. More on this in the Patient Safety Watch newsletter published last Friday. Also check out my question to Wes Streeting about maternity safety both in parliament and in a letter. Key facts which always get me going on this: firstly if our maternity wards were as safe as Sweden, around 1000 more babies would survive every year; and secondly we spend more on compensating families for brain-damaged babies than we do salaries for the entire workforce of NHS obstetricians, midwives and maternity nurses. 
 

WHAT’S GOING ON LOCALLY
 

MORE PROTECTION FOR OUR COUNTRYSIDE PLEASE! On Thursday I secured a meeting with the minister responsible for nature to progress my campaign to extend the areas protected by AONB designation (now called ‘National Landscapes’ which I actually quite like). If it gets the go ahead it will be a 30% expansion of the Surrey Hills protected areas, the biggest in 50 years and brilliant for Dunsfold, Enton, Bramley, Wonersh, Shamley Green, parts of Cranleigh, Wanborough and Tongham.  According to the minister, analysis of the 2nd consultation will be published in the early summer and then we just need her to sign along the dotted line. Good news for Saturday’s Surrey Day as I outline here next to the gorgeous Cranleigh Waters!

TWO’S COMPANY BUT THREE’S A CROWD Surrey unitary submissions are in so now we all have to wait until later in the year when Minister Jim McMahon will decide which unitary structure works best for Surrey. Last week following a series of Council meetings across Surrey two proposals were submitted: the County Council, Elmbridge and Mole Valley jointly submitted a preference for two unitaries, and the remaining District and Borough Council’s put forward a proposal based on a three way split. I support two because it will save more money. I don't want us to be overloaded with Woking’s debt. This is Surrey County Council’s preferred split in case of interest:

ASH GRANGE SCHOOL LAYBY Ash Parish Council and local parents have raised concerns with me about the proposal to remove the layby and install double yellow lines. The school Headteacher and Surrey CC are both supportive of the scheme as it addresses ongoing safety concerns in the area, but I do wonder if we are just moving the issues further down the road. I would like to see further engagement with parents and local residents as I am aware many felt the original consultation was not well advertised, so I have reverted to Surrey to see what they can do on this. 
 

MORE THAMES WATER WOES how disappointing to see yet more water bursts in Rowly on Guildford Road, with Thames Water digging up the newly laid road once again. Why the repeated patch repairs when the whole pipe run needs upgrading? And in Bramley the water pressure has been reduced in the southern end of the village which is really impacting residents' home life so following requests Thames Water have now agreed to review the pressure in the area. My meeting with the Thames Water Chief this week has frustratingly been delayed, but in the meantime I will remain on their case because this is just not good enough. 

ROYAL SURREY CANCER CENTRE TAKES SHAPE Check out this amazing progress with the first of the 176 modules which will make up the centre arriving on site in Guildford. Over the next few weeks 8 more modules will arrive per day and will be installed using this 450 tonne crane. Simply fantastic to see - especially as today is  International Nurses Day!

SURGERY CALLS My first call was to a Cranleigh resident about the assisted dying bill. Like many others she is very strongly against it on the basis that people given a terminal diagnosis can often survive a long time and the bill doesn’t have enough safeguards. This is a really hard one for me - I have always voted against it but this time after careful consideration decide to support a change in the law. I then spoke to someone who works at the call centre in Mount Browne with concerns about the way calls are classified by the police, something I have raised with the Chief Constable.

COMPETITION FOR GODALMING WAITROSE….according to some canny locals who  have spotted an M&S planning application to remove a non-food use on the former Homebase site in Godalming. We watch and wait…

DUNSFOLD FETE was glorious in the sunshine - thank you to Kate and the Committee for doing such a fabulous job and even driving me around in style with VE day veteran Pat turning 100 in July! Next stop; two brilliant fetes for the Hunt kids this Saturday: Bramley and Compton…

ROYAL SURREY OPENS ITS DOORS On 28th June (11am-3pm) for a Community Open Day when you’re invited to a sneak peek behind the scenes and given the chance to meet some of our inspirational NHS heroes. It’s a fun-filled activity packed day with tours of the hospital’s cutting-edge theatres, inspirational careers sessions, competitions and games for kids, family friendly food, live music and much more. For more information visit the Community Open Day website.

FINAL CALL DR WATSON! This Saturday 17th May I will be at  Undershaw Special Needs School in Hindhead, the former home of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for a fundraiser for this brilliant school. It promises to be a fun evening…tickets here

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AND FINALLY the wait for Eurovision fans is over. Saturday’s Eurovision competition will be held in Basel Switzerland and the UK’s submission is “What the hell just happened?’ by Remember Monday…or you could plump for bookies favourite Sweden’s Bara Bada Bastu - which I am reliably informed is a song about celebrating Finnish sauna tradition!