Welcome to my October Newsletter!

Hello,

My newsletter is designed to give an overview of what I've been doing as Member of Parliament for Surrey Heath and as a member of the Government, so please feel free to forward this on to your friends, family and neighbours. They can sign up to receive it directly by clicking here.

With every good wish,


Rt Hon Michael Gove MP
Member of Parliament for Surrey Heath

Surrey Heath News

RMA Sandhurst: It was an absolute pleasure to visit RMA Sandhurst last month. I greatly appreciated the opportunity to speak to the staff about how the Academy has managed the challenges of Covid-19, and to hear from instructors and cadets about life on the Commissioning Course.

Camberley Rugby Club: I was delighted to learn that Camberley Rugby Club has been successful in its application for a coronavirus Bounce Back Loan. It is a brilliant club, and I look forward to visiting soon to cheer the team on at a future match. 

Great British September Clean: I very much enjoyed taking part in the Great British September Clean litter pick in Camberley on 11 September. It’s so awful to see our precious green spaces blighted by litter, and I would like to say a big thank you to Philippa Anderson, Deputy Chair of Keep Britain Tidy, and to all the brilliant volunteers for their fantastic work clearing away litter, helping to protect our environment and wildlife. You can find more information here.

HGV Watch on Chobham High Street: A few weeks ago, I joined Carole Mancini and Catherine Money on HGV watch on Chobham High Street. They have been working extremely hard to investigate how we can prohibit HGVs from using the High Street – a road which cannot safely accommodate so many large vehicles. You can watch my Facebook video update here. I shall be writing to the Transport Secretary to ask him to investigate whether Local Authorities can be given extended powers to issue penalty notices to vehicles breaching road weight limits.

Frimley Green Traffic Lights: I am absolutely delighted that following the hard work of local residents, in particular Graham O'Connell, Cliff Hilton and Councillor Paul Deach, that the plan to install 4-way traffic lights will not go ahead, safeguarding the Green. A public vote with over 2,800 people participants resulted in around 98% of people voting in favour of the residents’ design to improve the existing roundabouts.

Cabinet Office News

Joint Ministerial Committee communiqué: On 3 September I chaired the 25th meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee. The Committee discussed progress on negotiations with the EU, an update on transition readiness, the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, including the legislative timetable, progress with work on the UK Common Frameworks Programme and interactions with the UK Internal Market.

Internal Markets Bill: On 14 September I closed the Second Reading of the Internal Markets Bill, and you can watch my speech here.

Preparations for the end of the Transition Period: On 23 September, I made a statement to the House on preparations for the end of the transition period. You can find more information here.

Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee: On 10 & 28 September, I co-chaired meetings with the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee, and you can find more information here.

Support service for Northern Ireland trade goes live: With fewer than 100 days until end of Transition period, the government is urging businesses to sign up to new Trader Support Service. Further details can be found here.