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Good afternoon and welcome to my regular South West Surrey update No. 91. As of today, we have a total of 1,617,327 positive cases of COVID-19 with 58,245 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 1,637 confirmed cases in Waverley and sadly 87 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 448 active cases in Waverley. Surrey is in Alert Level Tier 2, these rules will apply from Wednesday ([link removed]) . All data is accurate as of 11am this morning.

Numbers looking hopeful Figures published this morning by Imperial College and Ipsos MORI in the “REACT” study shows that the second lockdown caused a 30% fall in infections in the last two weeks. Even better the ‘R’ Rate was nationally below 1 for the first time since the spring – it now sits at 0.88 – although this figure varies slightly region to region. The most dramatic fall in cases came from the Northeast which saw its infection rate decline from 1.9% of the population to 0.7%. We have seen a similar situation in the Northwest. Closer to home, the situation in Waverley continues to show improvement, including the fewest number of new cases last week (just 111) of any Surrey district. The county, in turn, has also seen a steady decline with the 7-day rolling average of new cases standing at 133. You can find out more about the REACT
([link removed]) study here and the local situation here ([link removed]) .

Tiers 1,2,3… Ahead of tomorrow’s crunch vote in the Commons, there were lots of rumours over the weekend about when the new tier system will end and how often they will be reviewed. It was confirmed - presumably to buy off the rebels - that the regulations will have a sunset clause of February 3rd and that the tiers will be reviewed fortnightly. The damage to local businesses of losing normal Christmas trading is devastating and some may not survive - but the imminent arrival of a vaccine is also making some see the virtues of patience. We had an agonising family discussion over the weekend and have decided - after some reflection - to postpone a big family Christmas gathering until after my mother has been vaccinated and we can hug and kiss without worry. It’s a totally personal decision which will be different for every family - and so sad we are having to make such choices.

Testing in Farnham Don’t forget that from today there will be a ‘walk-in’ testing centre in Car Park 3 in Farnham. To find out if you are eligible for a test and to book, please visit the government portal. ([link removed])

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

Immunity Passports The Head of NHS Test and Trace, Dido Harding, said over the weekend that the Test and Trace app will be used to record your vaccine and testing status. They are looking to build a tool that will enable people to test themselves at home and record the results of their tests alongside whether you have been vaccinated. Many airlines are hoping that an 'immunity passport' may mean that you won't need to quarantine upon arrival, and I championed this in the Times recently. ([link removed])

Farming Evolution The Environment Secretary, George Eustice, has today announced the government's replacement to the Common Agricultural Policy following the end of the Brexit transition period at the end of the year. The Environmental Land Management (ELM) fund, will pay farmers if they prevent floods, plant woods and help wildlife. This replaces the system where farmers where given subsidies for the amount of land that they owned, which had the unintended consequence of making already wealthy farmers even better off. These changes will not come in overnight and should have little, to no effect on food prices. You can find out more about these changes here ([link removed]) .

WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY

Another victory over UKOG! On Friday the Surrey County Council Planning Committee met to decide (again) if a UKOG drilling site should be allowed in Dunsfold. The same committee refused the application earlier in the year, but for a technical reason, the decision had to be made again. I am thrilled (as I think is everyone) that the decision was upheld. It really has shown the best of the community with everyone coming together in opposition. It’s not just the residents of Dunsfold who will benefit from not having to cope with the negative impact on the local environment but actually the entirety of Waverley as the site would have potentially also meant more housing across the borough.

The Royal Surrey continues to cope extraordinarily well according to Chief Executive Louise Stead whom I spoke to this morning. They currently have 25 COVID-19 patients with 5 in intensive care, the highest level to date in the second wave but nowhere near the 80 they had at the peak of the first wave. Some of the older wards are having to keep their windows open to keep ventilation up which is not great for sicker patients. The staff are heroically battling on despite being pretty exhausted from having to do their normal work alongside COVID-19 (and with all the extra requirements for PPE and social distancing) - just another reason the government was right to exclude them from the public sector pay freeze.

HGV limit in Farnham? The Farnham Infrastructure Programme now has a regular newsletter which you can sign up to here ([link removed]) . This week’s newsletter is focusing on the proposed weight limit for HGVs in the town centre. It is a big step forward that this is finally being championed by Surrey County Council, so please add your voice to those wanting the ban to go ahead.

Local Virtual High Street The brilliant Economic Development Team at Waverley have partnered with Click It Local to set up a virtual high street platform that enables anyone in the borough to order products online from local independent stores and even market traders and artisan producers. Users of the service can buy all their shopping from retailers across the borough, make one payment and receive everything in one delivery. The service will be launching tomorrow and retailers, market traders and even home-based businesses can sign up here ([link removed]) .

See my list of local groups working to support vulnerable residents here ([link removed]) .

THE ECONOMY AND JOBS

More Support for Pubs! Recent lockdown and the new restrictions have seriously impacted the hospitality sector. I personally heard from dozens of pubs, restaurant and venues about this and wrote to the Chancellor a few weeks ago urging him to go further with financial support. It looks like that now may happen so please keep an eye out for the news over the next few days.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON

In other news… Beavers have built the first Exmoor dam in 400 years. It's all part of a National Trust project which started in January to help reduce flooding and restore streams. What I didn’t know was that beavers became extinct in the UK during the eighteenth century so this really is an incredible achievement. More details here ([link removed]) .

And finally, I bring you a strange story about a mysterious monolith discovered in a remote part of the US which has suddenly disappeared ([link removed]) .

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