GOOD AFTERNOON & welcome to my weekly update no.318

Just over a week to go before summer recess and Westminster busy ‘bringing out the dead’ - all the announcements government departments want sorted before everyone disappears. Locally the balmy weather has meant some very parched lawns and - as ever - heightened concerns about unreliable water supply and potential hosepipe bans.
 

WESTMINSTER WHISPERS

ENTENTE AMICALE Clever media management kept us guessing till the end on the one in one out migrant deal but I am personally sceptical it will make much difference if numbers remain as low as 50 a week. The French could do so much more if they weren’t obsessed with punishing us for Brexit. But so could we: a Rwanda scheme, detaining migrants in campsites, digital ID for UK citizens to stop illegal working and rewriting (or as a last resort leaving) the international treaties are all elements to the solution. Of course I believe a Conservative government would have got there but now Labour are in office I just wish they would get a grip because in truth their failure to do so is massively damaging trust in democratic politics.
 

WEALTH TAX WOES Labour’s U-turns have blown a huge hole in their budget and rumours are circulating they may go for a ‘wealth tax.’ Please don’t. France abandoned theirs in 2017 because it was too difficult to collect and did too much damage. Sweden, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands have all tried and abandoned it. Superficially polling suggests that the public would support a tax on wealth above £10m (everyone likes taxes on other people) but the evidence is they don't work. Welfare reform and public sector productivity are the way to avoid having to raise taxes - let’s hope the government doesn’t give up on them. I am doing the Today programme debate with Nick Robinson on Tuesday next week (8 pm 22 July Radio 4) if you want to hear all the alternatives properly fleshed out. 
 

AND ONE POSSIBLE SOLUTION to avoid a wealth tax is if we became the world’s next Silicon Valley, something I have long championed. Last week on the Daily T,  I made my case in more detail. Unbeknown to many, our tech sector is the third largest in the world and we attract more VC funding than anywhere else in Europe. We also have one of the best education systems in the world. The potential is there but only if we have the right policies in place. Most importantly, we need to harness the power of AI and not overregulate it, like the EU is trying to do. More about it in my book Can We Be Great Again?

LOCAL LIFE 

CIL SCANDAL I had an encouraging meeting with Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook on the awful CIL scandal at Waverley which is seeing huge taxes slapped on people for doing home extensions. Councillor Jane Austin and I relayed the terrible impact on the many Waverley residents. There is now a broader impact - including putting off small housebuilders from the area and property prices falling for homes which need work. The Minister agreed this was not what CIL legislation was meant for and said he would look at amending the law. I asked him to give guidance to councils. We also discussed ring fencing CIL interest which is being used as a revenue stream for some Council's - including Waverley - to top up its revenue instead of funding infrastructure.

HANKLEY TRAGEDY Devastating to see the fire raging over the weekend which involved 16 fire engines on site damping down 8 hectares of Conservation area. A reptile charity has said it will take decades to fully recover - incredibly sad news.
 

RONALD REJECTED Thank you Guildford planning officers for rejecting the application for a McDonalds drive-through on the edge of Tice’s Meadow Nature reserve, Tongham, citing an "unacceptable" loss of land within a conservation area. I joined my neighbouring MP’s Greg Stafford and Alex Baker in calling for this to be rejected. A brilliant result - especially for Tice’s Meadow Bird Group whose petition against was signed by over 5,500 people last year.
 

HOSEPIPE BAN INCOMING? TW have just announced hosepipe bans for 1.1m people covering large parts of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Surrey. Our area is not included so far, but Thames Water have been in touch to ask me to pass on a request for careful use of water resources locally. We live in a closed ‘Water Island’ so water resilience is restricted to local reservoirs and what can be tankered in. The continued hot dry weather brings heightened concern of drought and the potential for restrictions. So a request from TW for shorter showers, turning the tap off while brushing teeth and letting the lawn go dry - painful I know, not least with the multiple leaks in Chilworth Cranleigh, Bramley TW has still failed to fix.

PIED PIPER AT THE WATTS GALLERY Want to entertain the kids over a long summer holiday? Try the Watts Gallery Pied Piper who will be weaving through the woods nearby with stories of garden creatures, folk songs, classical tunes and plenty of chances to join in. Designed especially for children ages 6-9 (and the grown-ups!), these interactive, outdoor sessions Full details and to book click here.

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 (although email me rather than comment for a guaranteed reply.) 

AND FINALLY Listen to this BBC podcast about Shere’s little secret here. Clue: you can only take a dip here if you are a Shere resident….