HELLO & welcome to my weekly update no.332.

Welcome to December and a very wet and windy one indeed today…perhaps appropriate as the fallout from a botched budget continues in Westminster. Locally things felt better – not least at the brilliant Ash Fantasia on Saturday where I had a lot of fun.

WESTMINSTER WHISPERS

BACKWARDS BUDGET With the tax burden now at all-time highs, there was little to be enthusiastic about this manifesto-breaking budget. I spoke in the budget debate about the lack of a plan to reform welfare and unlock growth, which I also summarise in this  article for the Telegraph. I explain why tax rises were not necessary and why avoiding the hard choices has been so damaging in this recent episode of The Capitalist podcast. What was most depressing was a sense that this was not about the country but the political survival of Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer. We now know that public finances were not as bad as the Chancellor told us and she faced an incredibly uncomfortable grilling about whether she lied on Laura Kuennsberg’s show yesterday. I am not the kind of politician who calls for people’s heads (I have only done it once and regretted it) but misleading people, as independent economists like Paul Johnson have said she probably did, is just not acceptable. 

WELFARE WOES The PM today said the government would have another crack at welfare reform  but do we believe he will actually do it? If he really did, it should have been in the budget alongside the abolition of the two child benefit cap (a measure that I believe will increase poverty by the way as more children will grow up in families where no one is working). Returning the UK’s benefit bill to pre-pandemic levels by 2030 would save £47bn a year and mean no tax rises were necessary. It would also be much better for the individuals involved. Instead 2,200 are being signed off every day from having to even look for work and Labour MPs, having blocked the last attempt at welfare reform, smell blood. 
 

LOCAL LIFE

THAT DIDN’T TAKE LONG The Bramley fuel leak is back in the spotlight following recent reports of fuel smells coming from Bramley Stream, along with locals reporting fuel close to drains in the area. We know the contamination will take several years to fully dissipate and is more noticeable during the autumn and winter months as groundwater levels rise. But it remains a concern, and Bramley Business Network also says that there are still issues affecting service connections along the High Street. Cllr Jane Austin and I have asked Asda for a full update ASAP.
 

A MOBILE SIGNAL…FINALLY? VodafoneThree is planning to build a new site near Cranleigh as part of its £11 billion investment programme following the merger - hooray! This site will expand the coverage footprint and significantly enhance connectivity for Cranleigh and surrounds. But in the meantime locals are still struggling with poor reception – not helped by maintenance of a mast in Ewhurst impacting Cranleigh residents last week. To continue to push things along I have written once again to VodafoneThree, EE and O2 - the work continues! But brilliant to login to Cranleigh’s WiFi network up and running by Destination Cranleigh. 
 

ASH FANTASIA I had brilliant fun at the Ash Christmas Fantasia on Saturday - thanks to the parish council and many volunteers for putting on yet another terrific event!