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Good afternoon and welcome to my regular South West Surrey update No. 95. As of today, we have a total of 1,913,277 positive cases of COVID-19 with 65, 520 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 1,986 confirmed cases in Waverley and sadly 90 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 324 active cases. All data is accurate as of 11am this morning.

Changing Tier Many people will be heaving a sigh of relief that Waverley escaped ‘promotion’ to Tier 3, something I pushed hard for given that Waverley has the lowest infection levels in the county - indeed at levels closer to Sussex and Hampshire than the northern part of the county. Obviously with the rest of Surrey in Tier 3 we must remain cautious. Increasingly the focus is now not really about the difference between tiers 2 and 3 but whether for the hospitality industry January will be another write-off.

Vaccine update. Yesterday it was announced that over the past seven days a total of 137,897 vaccine injections have been given – England 108,000, Wales 7,897, Northern Ireland 4,000 and Scotland 18,000. That number will increase still further as the NHS operationalises hundreds more GPs and pharmacies and I will start to include regular data in this email as we get it. We are also expecting any day now more news on the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine which will probably end up being the one the majority of us get. In the meantime, take a look at this rather incredible graph ([link removed]) to warm the cockles of any British heart.

More locally, we are also starting to see the vaccine being deployed here in Waverley, which is one of the first places in Surrey. I don’t have the exact numbers, but Dr Ed Wernick has been rolling out the vaccine all week with a trial run of 1,000 doses being used. Yesterday we saw needles going into arms in Haslemere and at Farnham Hospital and Farnham Town Council will help with the logistics and bringing together volunteers to help run the facility. A huge thanks to FTC Clerk Iain Lynch, and Dr Ed W and their teams for this extraordinary effort.

Coming home for Christmas? The past few days have seen scientists raising concerns about the government plans for the proposed Christmas bubbles. In a press conference last night, the Prime Minister announced that there would not be a change to the law governing the period but instead a change in guidance, asking people to hold a smaller Christmas. Or as the Prime Minister said, a ‘merry little Christmas.’ A shorter Christmas really is a safer Christmas, and he is right that we should all seriously consider not having elderly relatives to visit on Christmas day. You can find the new advice here ([link removed]) and listen to my question to Matt Hancock on this today in the Commons ([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

Housing plans scrapped A very nice early Christmas present from the Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick yesterday. He announced that Surrey (along with other Home Counties) would no longer be subject to the new planning algorithm, which would have seen a potential 40% increase in the number of new homes in Waverley. As I said yesterday, in politics, it is sometimes wrong to change tack but sometimes the right thing to do - and often requires more courage than sticking to your guns. More details on how this will work to be published shortly, but for now this has been a team effort with a huge effort from many people locally which has paid off. Invidious to name individuals but Carole Cockburn in Farnham and Waverley CEO Tom Horwood did particularly sterling work on this.

Ockenden Review Earlier this week Donna Ockenden published the first of several reports looking into the Baby deaths at Shrewsbury and Telford which could become the biggest patient safety scandal ever for the NHS. This is an issue very close to my heart, and I was pleased to be able to invite Donna and other experts in the sector to provide evidence to the Health and Social Care Select Committee. I asked Donna why did the scandal at Shrewsbury and Telford go on for so long - was there a cover-up ([link removed]) and what are the lessons for the rest of the NHS from the Shrewsbury and Telford baby death findings ([link removed]) ? We have excellent maternity services locally at both Frimley Park and the Royal Surrey but a close reading of the report shows Donna Ockenden clearly believes there are lessons for everywhere.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY

My Brexit update… In this week’s Herald I have written about where I currently see the EU-UK trade negotiations ([link removed]) , which you can read here. It’s been a hard long slog and the outcome is still unknown although the signs look increasingly good. There is even a chance a deal has been struck just as this goes to print.

Ask the Leader Surrey County Council Leader and its Chief Executive will be running a virtual ‘roadshow’ session, inviting residents to submit questions in advance and take part in a Q&A at 6pm this evening. You can sign up here ([link removed]) .

Elphick’s leading the way In its 139 years of operation, Elphicks in Farnham has seen many changes, yet has stoically remained trading through multiple economic depressions, wars and now a pandemic. The renowned store has turned a new page in its story with the introduction of a new service – online shopping. Making their first sale last week through www.clickitlocal.co.uk/waverley. To celebrate, Elphicks is offering shoppers a £5 discount on items purchased via Click It Local, using the code ELPHICKSCHRISTMAS.

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

THE ECONOMY AND JOBS

Additional Restriction Grants I know that a lot of you, like me are very concerned that Waverley still haven’t opened the applications for government funded additional restriction grants. I have raised this with the Conservative group leader and will be writing today to the Leader of Waverley Borough Council. In the meantime, please do contact your local councillors for assistance.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON

After the Virus A fascinating report from the Think Tank, the Centre for Policy Studies, has published the first detailed post-crisis blueprint for how to renew growth across every part of the UK, written by my friend and colleague Sajid Javid. You can read the report here ([link removed]) .

And finally, as we head towards the holidays my offices will be closing for a few days. As such you will only be getting one email from me next week and with normal service resuming on Monday 4^th January. I will be keeping my Facebook page ([link removed]) and Twitter ([link removed]) regularly up to date, so please refer to them during the Christmas period for any updates and have a safe and rather quieter Christmas than normal - which some may even see as a blessing.

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Promoted by Sean Donovan-Smith on behalf of Jeremy Hunt MP and South West Surrey Conservatives, all at 2 Royal Parade, Tilford Road, Hindhead, Surrey GU26 6TD.

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