GOOD AFTERNOON and welcome back to my South West Surrey update No.171. With the police now investigating potential breaches of lockdown rules in Number 10 and Russia threatening to invade Ukraine it has been a tense and frustrating week in Westminster which has rather overshadowed today’s good news on Covid restrictions and a sense that we really are putting the pandemic behind us.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER
MET INVESTIGATES Everyone will have heard that the Metropolitan Police are now investigating potential breaches of Covid lockdown rules in Number 10. The complication is whether Sue Gray’s report can now be published in full if the police think parts would prejudice their inquiry (something they seemed to have changed their mind on). Those who thought Sue’s report would be a whitewash may take some comfort from the fact that the police investigation was prompted by her team passing over evidence. What it means for the PM’s future is hard to gauge - the mood amongst MPs appears to have swung behind him today but everyone is really waiting for the report.
UKRAINE Despite the debates about lockdown parties raging there was a rare moment of cross-party consensus this week as the Prime Minister updated the House of Commons on the situation in Ukraine. What Britain says and does still matters in these situations because Russia knows we will be a big voice in determining the consequences of any invasion. It feels like the West is getting its cojones back after the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in August.
HEALTH SECRETARY EVIDENCE SESSION The Health and Social Care Select Committee held a session with Sajid Javid earlier this week. It won’t surprise you to know that I focused my questions on workforce shortages where the palpable lack of urgency from the government was summed up aptly by former NHS CEO Lord Stevens as ‘wilful blindness' in his speech to the House of Lords on Monday. One longer term benefit of resolving the workforce issues would be that we could go back to GPs having their own list of patients to ensure continuity of care for us all, a question prompted by yesterday’s report in the British Journal of General Practice that people with dementia are 35% less likely to have delirium if they see the same doctor regularly.
COVID STATS UPDATE As of 11am we have had a total of 16,149,319 positive cases of COVID-19 with 154,702 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 27,420 confirmed cases in Waverley and sadly 265 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 1,495 active cases in Waverley. In the last week in the UK coronavirus cases are down 1%, hospital admissions down 15.2% and deaths down 1.8%.
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
AT RISK CHILDREN AGED 12-15 Clinically at risk 12- to 15-year-olds, or those who live with someone who is immunosuppressed, are now entitled to their booster jab three months after their two primary doses (with those who are severely immunosuppressed able to get their booster after a third primary dose). GP led teams are now inviting those who are eligible, including children receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy, those with leukaemia, diabetes, chronic diseases or severe mental illness, and household contacts of someone who is immunosuppressed. Along with walk-ins, children will be able to guarantee a slot via local booking systems, or can get vaccinated at hospital hubs, via their GP or primary care network (or through a home visit if housebound). More information on how the booster vaccination programme is being rolled out locally, can be found here.
THE GREAT POST OFFICE SCANDAL On Friday 18th March, do head to St John’s Church in Farncombe (7:30pm) for the chance to meet Nick Wallis, the author of ‘The Great Post Office Scandal’. In 2017 the tail end of one of the biggest miscarriages in British legal history struck at the core of Farncombe, devastating the life of our ex Sub-Postmaster Chirag Sidhpura and his family. Chirag was accused of stealing £57,000 on account of a faulty IT system, just as Post Office Directors were gearing up to fight 555 ex-sub-postmasters at the High Court who all faced a similar fate to Chirag: some were convicted, bankrupted, imprisoned; others lost homes, marriages, their sanity or their lives. I remember meeting the then Post Office CEO Paula Vennells about Chirag’s case - she looked me in the eye and said chillingly I just needed to accept there were a lot of criminals in society even amongst sub-postmasters. Chirag’s fight for justice features in the book so well worth coming.
CHANGE OF SCENE A huge congratulations to Pam and the team at Change of Scene for winning first prize in the Persimmon Homes, Building Futures Competition (in the category of Education and Arts). The charity provides valuable outdoor learning for vulnerable children in Surrey and Hampshire, and they are putting the prize money towards their running costs. This is of course a massive help, but means they can’t use the funds on a new site. They are still searching for 15 acres of grazing land in Surrey/Hampshire, within 45 minutes drive of their existing site (GU10 4BE), which has access from a main road and the potential to have structures added. If this sounds like something you’d be able to offer, or know someone who might be able to help, please do email: [email protected]
OMICRON BUSINESS GRANTS There are two new grants for businesses - the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant and the new Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG). The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant is a scheme to support hospitality, leisure, and accommodation businesses whose trading has been impacted by the recent Omicron surge. Businesses in these sectors paying business rates will be eligible to apply, and applications close next month. Waverley Borough Council has also secured further ARG government funding, but to benefit from this, businesses will need to show that their income/turnover has decreased by at least 50% since December 2021. ARG applications will be open to all businesses that are not eligible to receive the Omicron Hospitality & Leisure Grant, although WBC will prioritise applications from businesses who missed out on earlier government grant schemes. For more information on how to apply, click here.
AND FINALLY Ever been ambushed by cake? The Prime Minister’s views on the matter are well known but the real lesson from using that line, as my colleague MP Conor Burns found out, was not to cross Nigella!
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