Good afternoon and welcome to my regular South West Surrey update No. 86. As of today, we have a total of 1,256,725 positive cases of COVID-19 with 50,365 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 13,893confirmed cases in Surrey and sadly 850 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 572 active cases in Waverley. All data is accurate as of 11am this morning.
The cavalry has arrived! We all sighed with relief when we heard that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has proven 90% effective and that it could potentially be deployed by the end of this year. BBC World At One presenter Sarah Montague's reaction resembled much of the nation when Prof Sir John Bell (a leading member of SAGE) said that life should be returning to normal by the spring. At the Select Committee I pushed him further and he said he was 70-80% certain all those who needed it would get a vaccine by Easter. The government also deserves credit for securing at least enough vaccines for 5 million people before the new year (we have brought 10 million doses, but it is a double vaccine) for which I congratulated Matt Hancock in the House of Commons. Getting it out will not be easy though - it has to be transported at -70 degrees. Over 80's and care home staff will be the first to get the vaccine followed by those over 70 and frontline NHS staff, followed by vulnerable groups and eventually everyone over 50. So, light at the end of the tunnel but whilst we are still in that tunnel remember the social distancing rules here.
Santa coming to students after all The government has also announced how they plan to get university students back home safely for Christmas. Universities will be asked to give students 'leaving time slots' over a week-long period to avoid a rush (and an associated burst of infections). Almost every student in the country will be able to access a rapid LAMP test to check if they are negative before they leave. Of course, if they test positive students will be asked to self-isolate, but enough time has been built in to ensure that even if they do they should still be able to get home in time for Christmas. The full guidance can be found here, and the BBC have an excellent summary here.
Here in Surrey Surrey County Council have pulled together an excellent 'data dashboard' which shows the COVID-19 position both at County level and at borough level. The most recent data shows that to the week ending November 6th there were 123 cases per 100,000 with cases stabilising locally. Interestingly this second peak has seen four times as many cases across the county than the first wave. In Waverley we may have passed the peak of the second wave with cases now appearing to fall. You can find all the local data and some excellent graphs here.
The key number to remember for anyone with pandemic-related difficulties remains 0300 200 1008 the Surrey Helpline run by Surrey County Council (Mon-Fri 9 am to 5 pm).
WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER
Test and Trace This week's Health Select Committee inquiry session on the government’s handling of the pandemic focused on NHS Test and Trace. I asked Dido Harding, who runs the service, what went wrong with the system over the past few months so that we ended up having to enter into a second lockdown, you can listen to her answer here. I also asked her what can be done to encourage people to self-isolate (watch here). The key is surely to use this lockdown period to get NHS test and trace fully working so we can move to monthly population testing in the future. Whilst the number of tests has been going up, only 20% of those asked to are actually isolating. Money is clearly an issue and we should surely be making a blanket offer to refund wages lost.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY
Calling Robert Jenrick This afternoon I will be meeting Robert Jenrick, the Housing Secretary, to express concerns about the new housing algorithm that would see a totally unacceptable increase in Waverley’s housing targets. Waverley, Haslemere and Farnham town councils have responded to the consultation which closed last month. We have an agreed local plan so any changes in housing numbers will not happen immediately but the precedent they set for an area that is 81% Green Belt/AONB/AGLV is extremely concerning. More broadly forcing the council to give more permissions will not tackle the root problem that we have nearly 6,000 unused planning permissions in Waverley where developers are sitting on land - most famously including the old Woolmead site in Farnham. I will also be asking Robert Jenrick about the plans for unitary authorities and whether Surrey is likely to be included any time soon.
Flu Vaccine shortages Many local residents have been in touch in the past few days to tell me they are struggling to access a flu jab. The issue seems to affect Godalming acutely, but there area also some Farnham issues as well as in some of the villages. I have spoken to Jo Churchill, who is the Minister responsible, and she has assured me that the national supply is fine but that we just waiting for the next batch to be delivered locally. I will be providing regular updates on the situation on my Facebook page.
Chiddingfold Neighbourhood Plan Waverley Borough Council is inviting residents and other interested parties to give their views on the Chiddingfold Neighbourhood Plan from Friday 13 November until January 11th next year. Neighbourhood Plans give local communities the opportunity to decide for themselves what their town or village should look like and how it should develop and grow in the future. The document will be available to view at here. Comments can be made here.
See my list of local groups working to support vulnerable residents here.
THE ECONOMY AND JOBS
Local Restrictions Support Grants Applications have now opened for LRS grants, which are available to all businesses that have been required to close under the new restrictions. Under the scheme, businesses can receive between £1,334 and £3,000 for the 28 days. Further information and an application form is available at www.waverley.gov.uk/lrsgrant. The Government has also announced an Additional Restrictions Grant, which businesses that do not qualify for a LRS grant may be eligible for. The council is working to identify which types of businesses will be prioritised for the grant and hopes to have an application process in place within the next two weeks. I know how difficult it is for businesses to be closed in the run up to Christmas and I encourage you to shop local whenever possible.
Economic Growth! Some good news this morning, although we should be careful not to overegg it. The UK's economy bounced back from recession earlier in the year with record growth of 15.5% in July to September. The return to growth comes after a six-month slump induced by the first coronavirus lockdown. However, the expansion was not enough to reverse the damage caused by the pandemic and the new restrictions are likely to result in another smaller recession in the back end of the year. A full write up can be found here.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON
Turning the city green Some news that didn't get the coverage it deserved was the announcement from the Chancellor this week that the UK will launch its first-ever "green sovereign bond" next year in a speech about how he plans for a green, post-Brexit financial services world. The money raised by the bonds will be used to help fund projects to tackle climate change, build infrastructure investment and create "green jobs" across the country. You can read more about this exciting new package here.
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