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GOOD AFTERNOON and welcome to my South West Surrey update No. 155. In just 32 days COP26 opens in Glasgow (as it happens on my birthday) so as well as my normal update I will be focusing on climate change and environmental issues this week and next. As ever please pass this email on to a friend or neighbour if you think they would like it - they can sign up here ([link removed]) to receive their very own copy too.

PANDEMIC UPDATE As of today, we have had a total of 7,771,294 positive cases of COVID-19 with 136,525 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 10,308 confirmed cases in Waverley and sadly 242 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 328 active cases in Waverley. The most recent ONS survey sees a fall ([link removed]) in the number of community cases for England which is now 620,000 people, or 1 in 90, with the virus. This is down from 1 in 80 for the previous week. The government dashboard for the last seven days ([link removed]) , however, has new cases moving in the wrong direction again with a rise of 12% - although hospital admissions and deaths are still going down. Through the usual fog there appears to be some grounds for optimism that the September school spike has not triggered the exponential growth we saw this time
last year. All data is accurate as of 11am this morning.

FUEL SHORTAGES I have been in touch this morning with Surrey County Council Leader Tim Oliver who has been very proactive in making sure key workers are able to get petrol. The situation is now easing, with more stations opening and shorter queues - but please only fill up if you actually need to otherwise the situation could deteriorate again rapidly. You know your duty…

The key number to remember as ever 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).

CLIMATE CHANGE - THE BIG PICTURE One of my proudest achievements as Foreign Secretary was negotiating the UK’s hosting of COP26. It happened over a tete a tete dinner at the British Ambassador’s residence with the Italian Foreign Minister. So just how are we getting on in eliminating the 51 billion tonnes of CO2 that we currently emit annually by 2050? The good news is that as hosts the UK really is leading by example. Between 1990 and 2019 we cut emissions by 44% ([link removed]) , the fastest in the G7. Since 2000 we have also decarbonised our economy faster ([link removed]) than any other country in the G20 with the amount of electricity generated from coal falling from 40% to less than 2% in the last eight years. We were also the first major nation to put into law our 2050 net zero carbon target
([link removed]) . It is vital we set an example but with less than 2% of global emissions we can’t do it on our own - and the latest estimates show temperatures up 1.5 degrees by 2030, 1.6 degrees by 2040 and 2.1 degrees by 2050 - beyond the ‘tipping point’ scientists warn about if we are to head off climate catastrophe. We are therefore - as things stand - going to miss the global aims agreed in Paris in 2015 ([link removed]) - hence the vital importance of COP26 in Glasgow.

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH is all that Greta Thunberg thinks ([link removed]) we’ve heard from governments around the world so far. But is that entirely fair from a UK point of view? We have pledged to cut emissions by 78% by 2035 ([link removed]) and will end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars ([link removed]) in the UK by 2030, plant trees on 30,000 hectares per year ([link removed]) by 2025 and shortly publish decarbonisation strategies for industry ([link removed]) and transport ([link removed]) . We have also doubled
our international climate finance spend to £11.6bn ([link removed]) over the next five years (although we are taking out of the aid budget which I still believe should not have been cut). The US has doubled their financial contribution ([link removed]) and China has pledged to end all financing of overseas coal ([link removed]) as well as get to NetZero by 2060. This does add up to more than words - the trouble is it isn’t enough, as I will discuss with new Foreign Secretary Liz Truss when I meet her today.

SO HOW IS BORIS GOING TO DEAL WITH THIS?

COAL, CARS, CASH, AND TREES ([link removed]) are the government’s priorities for the summit but we need to see detailed plans which we need to do as we can hardly ask others to take action if we have not ourselves. Together with the other Surrey MPs I am writing to COP26 President Alok Sharma asking for details on how we are doing on each of these areas, and we will publish the letter next week.

THE ENVIRONMENT BILL is a vital piece of legislation ([link removed]) that has now been passed by the House of Commons. It will ensure that the government sets legally binding 15-year targets on biodiversity, air quality, water, and waste efficiency. It will also set a legal binding target on species abundance with the aim of halting the decline of nature in England. It is now being debated in the House of Lords and the government has already indicated it will strengthen it further in some key areas.

PLASTIC RECYCLING is a big concern to many locally judging by my emails. The government’s current target on plastics ([link removed]) is pretty ambitious (and not yet delivered), namely to ensure that all plastic is recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. If we deliver it, we should also halve single plastic use at the same time but a key tool to help get us there will be the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme for plastic bottles. I wrote to the Environment Secretary asking for an update on the timings for this scheme and what else is being done to reduce our use of plastics. You can see his reply here. ([link removed])

HEDGEROW HERO Around half our hedgerows have been lost since the Second World War which is why the CPRE has launched a new campaign to increase the extent of UK’s hedgerows by 40% by 2050. They’ve asked all MPs to become a hedgerow hero and support their efforts ([link removed]) so I’ve written to the Environment Secretary to find out what plans the government has in this area and will report back.

PLANNING REFORMS 77% of South West Surrey is either green belt, an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) or an area of great landscape value (AGLV) and we all want to keep it that way which is why I spoke out against the government’s proposed planning reforms ([link removed]) and have made certain the government knows I’ll continue to oppose any moves that weaken the greenbelt or remove local people’s say in the planning system. I am meeting Michael Gove in the week parliament returns to press the case.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY

LITTER PICK More about local action in next week’s update but do join me this Saturday 2nd October at midday in Milford near the Esso garage, where I am doing a litter pick with a group of volunteers. I suggest meeting on the Old Elstead Road - we’d love to see you there.

PETROL PANDEMONIUM As you will all be aware, over recent days, a significant spike in demand has caused temporary shortages at some petrol stations. I have been assured that there is plenty of fuel in the refineries and in storage across the country. Our local petrol station was confident on Monday they would receive their normal delivery of fuel this week (which duly arrived on Tuesday morning) so it may help to speak to your regular fuel station before queuing. I have also been in touch this morning with Surrey County Council Leader Tim Oliver who has been very proactive in making sure key workers are able to get petrol. The situation is now easing across the county, with more stations opening and shorter queues - but please only fill up if you actually need to otherwise the situation could deteriorate again. You know your duty…

SURGERY STORIES A range of issues this week. I spoke to a mum in Farnham about the problems with Children’s Services at Surrey County Council, particularly the difficulty of getting EHCPs (a joint health and care plan) for special needs children such as her 17-year-old son. The law, which I put in place as Health Secretary, is basically good in terms of the entitlements it gives parents, but this mum pointed out that enforcement is effectively missing. The only way to get a local authority to comply is by taking them to court which is very expensive for a family (she has spent £60k on legal fees so far). I am going to raise the particular issue with SCC and the general issue of enforcement with the new Children’s Minister Will Quince. I also spoke to Farnham GP, Dr Wernick, in the middle of a booster jab vaccination surgery about getting consent forms done more quickly for care home residents. The issue has now been sorted but given we are likely to be vaccinating for many years to come, I
have written to the new vaccines minister Maggie Throup to make sure delays do not happen in future. Finally, I caught up with Chris who runs an African travel business called Expert Africa. We spoke earlier in the year about how the travel restrictions were killing his business. Kenya is now off the red list, which is a relief (although only 15% of his business) but countries like South Africa are still on it. He wants quarantining to be scrapped for double jabbed returnees from countries like South Africa and I said I would write to Grant Shapps to find out the logic behind the rules.
GODALMING PRIDE There was a fantastic cross-party presence at the Godalming Pride event last Saturday ([link removed]) and the rain held off! It was also great to see David Munro and the team from Outline ([link removed]) , who do some brilliant work supporting LGBT people through a helpline, website and local support groups ([link removed]) . Their helpline (01483727667) is open from 7:30pm - 10:00pm every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and you can leave a message outside of these times and get a call back. See my list of local groups working to support vulnerable residents here ([link removed]) , including a new addition - Crossways Counselling.
([link removed]) Crossways is a brilliant Haslemere-based counselling service that takes NHS referrals and also people who get in touch directly through their website. They are currently operating out of St Luke's in Grayshott but need new premises (x3 counselling rooms). If you know of anywhere this really important service could operate from, please email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
THE ECONOMY AND JOBS

OFFSHORE WIND BOOST Earlier in the week the new Energy and Climate Change Minister, Greg Hands MP, was in the North East marking the announcement of a £130m investment ([link removed]) into offshore wind in the area. This will safeguard 440 jobs across the region and shows how action on climate change really can deliver a greener economy too. All we need is windier weather…

GREEN FINANCING Many of you have pointed out that around 14% of emissions come from the home so we need to do much more to incentivise and support home improvements like insulation and moves towards more efficient boilers and heating systems. The Government has already announced that it will increase the installation of heat pumps from 30,000 per year to 600,000 per year by 2028 and is investing £500 million in new hydrogen technologies. But I’ve written to the Chancellor urging him to consider introducing further incentives in the Budget in October.

AND FINALLY BBC reporter Phil McCann cheered us all up ([link removed]) with his reporting on the fuel shortages. Having had my own battles with nominative determinism at least this example was family friendly!

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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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