GOOD AFTERNOON and welcome back to my South West Surrey update No.168.  I hope everyone managed to get a decent break and let’s hope for a happier new year. The Omicron wave and cost of living issues have dominated the first few days back in Westminster with tinsel and mistletoe now a very distant memory…

WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER

PLAN B CONTINUES Here’s how sobering one number can be: in the last week of 2021 3 million people had Covid in England but some predict there will be 3 billion cases globally by the end of February. Fortunately the pressure on hospitals in London, the UK epicentre, seems to have peaked so the Prime Minister was right to hold his nerve as I said at PMQs yesterday. Many will also have been encouraged by some easing of the travel restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers. But the pressures in the NHS are real and will not disappear with Omicron as I explain here. I also do a deep dive into the issue in my column in this week's Herald. 

ENERGY COSTS With energy bills soaring there’s a lot of attention on what the government  can do to help. With the price cap set to increase by hundreds of pounds I’m pleased that Ministers are considering targeted help. Extending the warm homes discount seems the most likely option. Whilst we would all welcome a VAT cut it would also help people who do not need support which would be an expensive approach to take given the other pressures on the public purse. 

COVID BACKLOG Concerns about the 6 million people waiting for NHS treatment because of the Covid backlog have dropped out of the media somewhat but my Select Committee has today published a report which warns that unless the government produces a plan to tackle the shortages in the NHS workforce the money put aside for this will not deliver. You can hear me talking about this report on the Today programme with Martha Kearney (0650 slot) and there are good summaries here and here.  

STATS UPDATE As of 11am we have had a total of 13,835,334 positive cases of COVID-19 with 149,284 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 22,977 confirmed cases in Waverley and sadly 254 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 1,522 active cases in Waverley. In the last week in the UK coronavirus cases are up 40.1%,  hospital admissions up 58.5% and deaths up 131.6%. 

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). See my list of local groups working to support vulnerable residents here.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY

SURGERY STORIES A heartbreaking start to the year - yesterday morning I had a conversation with a father in Godalming desperately trying to get out to the Philippines for the funeral of his 5 year old son who died tragically earlier this week. In the last 24 hours, we’ve managed to secure him an emergency visa, but now the question is whether he can obtain a quarantine exemption from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs in time for the funeral, so we'll keep pushing. A sober reminder of the many human nightmares caused by the pandemic.

HOUSEHOLD SUPPORT FUND Waverley residents struggling financially from the impact of COVID-19 can take advantage of the new government funding this winter, designed to offer help where it is needed the most. The Household Support Fund was announced by the government in late September to support vulnerable households and help ease financial pressures on residents, by providing short-term help over the winter period with food and fuel bills along with other essentials. Waverley has been given £243,000 to help individuals and families who are facing immediate difficulties and struggling to pay essential household bills. Applications are open until 31st March 2022 or until all funds have been allocated, whichever comes first. Further details can be found on their Financial Support for Residents webpage.

FARNHAM HERALD ARCHIVE PROJECT Farnham Herald is digitising the town paper to provide an easily accessible way for the public to find out about the town’s history. Local newspapers run on tiny budgets so in order to do, they would appreciate some support with:

·        People to chair and/or be part of a committee to guide the project going forward

·        Someone/people with experience making National Lottery application

·        Offers of small community grant towards the project

·        An organisation with a space which could be used for the archival process

If you know of people or groups interested in practical involvement, planning, volunteering and digitalising please contact Daniel Gee Eddie Pearce or Chris Shepherd at the Herald. 

AND FINALLY - A huge congratulations to all those whose services were acknowledged in the 2022 New Years Honours List. In SWS there was Emma Simpson, Kylie Grimes, Nicolas Marsh & Thomas Rutherford in Farnham, Nicolas Owen in Haslemere and Fay Sharpe in Godalming. Here’s a picture of me with Kylie Grimes at her homecoming ceremony in August after winning gold at the Paralympics. They have all made us very proud at a time when cheering up is much needed…

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