Good afternoon and welcome to my final South West Surrey update of the year, no. 96 for those who are counting.  As of today, we have a total of 2,040,147 positive cases of COVID-19 with 67,401 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 2,175 confirmed cases in Waverley, 95 confirmed deaths and an estimated 340 active cases locally. All data is accurate as of 11am this morning.
 
Tier 4 The Prime Minister established a new tier on Saturday evening, which essentially tells people to stay at home in line with the original spring lockdown. Christmas relaxation plans have also been scrapped for Tier 4 while the rest of us are now only allowed to see family from other households on Christmas Day. Tier 4 has been applied to London and much of the South East - but not Waverley (see below) - because of an alarming increase in the number of cases over the past few days caused largely by a new strain of the virus which spreads far easier (although it is no more deadly). It is believed that the vaccine is still as effective for this strain but we won’t know for a couple of weeks while Public Health England run tests at their laboratory in Porton Down. I spoke to Martha Kearney on Today on Saturday (0815) just ahead of the decision and it was almost as if Boris was listening judging by what happened later that day (but in fact the key decisions were taken on Friday afternoon). More details on Tier 4 here.
 
Here in Waverley, we remain under Tier 2. While our northern border is touching Tier 4 regions, Hampshire and areas to our south and west also stay in Tier 2. The latest infection rates for Surrey show we were lucky to escape Tier 4 as our own infection rates are growing, albeit from a lower base. Given we are right on the border we should not be surprised if we end up moving into it when the data is next reviewed on 30 Dec. Under Tier 4 rules, no one should be entering or leaving other parts of Surrey. We are also still allowed up to two different households (from tiers 1,2 and 3 areas) to join us but for Christmas day only - and my advice would be to avoid all household mixing unless absolutely necessary. You can remind yourself of the Tier 2 rules here.
 
Trouble at the ports? This new strain has also caused alarm amongst our European neighbours. This strain is far more prevalent here in the UK than anywhere else in the world, so it is understandable that they would want to avoid the new strain entering into their shores but I won’t be the only one wondering if it is also partly designed to increase pressure on us ahead of the Brexit deadline because a deal has yet to be agreed. For the first time since the war the Anglo-French border has been shut to not just passengers but also freight. We are expecting these restrictions to remain in place for 48 hours while the bloc co-ordinates an EU wide approach to the situation which is likely to involve a travel ban until at least the new year. Hopefully though freight and goods will be able to start moving again from Wednesday and so please avoid panic buying which will only create shortages for people who may genuinely need things, More details here.
 
Need some support? I know that for a lot of people, these changes now mean that we are having to spend Christmas very differently this year, or even alone. I have updated my website with all the local support numbers, whose services (such as the Samaritans) remain fully open. You can find the directory here.
 
Where to stay up to date? Although this is the last email of the year, I will be keeping my Facebook and Twitter pages up to date with COVID-19 and Brexit.
 
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

Recalling Parliament? The changes won't require MPs to return to Parliament for a vote, a cause of some grumbling on the Conservative back benches. My own view is that in a pandemic you want a government to be prepared to change its mind quickly and given they would have known some of the criticism that would be forthcoming, I am pleased they had the courage to do the right thing. An EU-UK deal, on the other hand, would require MPs to return to vote on the proposals but who knows frankly if that will happen.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY

Christmas Carol Services The new Tier 4 restrictions in Surrey mean that many of the churches across the country won’t be able to open this Christmas for services. Here in Waverley though, as long as we remain in Tier 2, church services will be able to go ahead as planned (singing is still restricted though). However, many have decided to cancel even outdoor services with understandable caution given the new strain of the virus. I will be taking part in the Busbridge and Hambledon Drive Through Service at Godalming College on Christmas Eve - full marks to Revd Simon Taylor for thinking of that one although I suspect it is a case of bring your own hotdogs. You can find the most up to date list of services in your town or village on the churches together website here.
 
Thames Water On Friday I met with the new Chief Executive of Thames Water, Sarah Bentley, who updated me on the latest situation in Haslemere, parts of which ran dry earlier in the year. The region is getting a £55 million investment to solve the longer-term issues and the company are taking a series of other steps to make sure it never happens again in the short term. Overall, I came away encouraged they are taking the situation seriously but because the investment will take five years we will still have some risk for the next few years. I had not realised the rainfall in May this year was just 7% of the long run average, but the heavens seem to be making up for it in December…you can find out more about our meeting here.
 
See my list of local groups working to support vulnerable residents here.

THE ECONOMY AND JOBS

Grants Still no news from Waverley Borough Council regarding their discretionary grants for businesses. As we reach the New Year and the holiday period, I know that lots of firms are furious that they haven’t even been told who can apply for these grants yet. I remain in contact with the council about this issue and hope it is resolved in the next few days. 
 
Furlough Last week the Chancellor announced that he is extending the Furlough to the end of April 2021. Essentially adding another month onto the scheme, more details here. In the meantime, it’s expected that the Chancellor will be making an announcement on tier 4 support for businesses shortly. 

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON

The Star of Bethlehem! The celestial phenomenon that the Vatican believes explains the Star of Bethlehem will be repeating itself this evening as Jupiter and Saturn align. We should also be lucky enough (if the weather clears) to be able to see this; the BBC have the full details here. 
 
And finally, we are at the end of a horrible year. But what an incredible effort locally - I am just so proud of our community spirit. There is a good chance that the news won't get any quieter over the holiday period, so please do keep an eye on my Facebook and Twitter pages where I will be posting the most up to date information and I will be back in your inbox again on January 4th. Thank you too to George Lawley who does a brilliant job helping me to draft these emails. All that is left is to wish you a very safe and merry (small) Christmas and a better New Year.

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