GOOD AFTERNOON and welcome to my South West Surrey update No.177 The release of Nazanin and Anoosheh provide some much needed cheer this week and showed that sometimes, just sometimes, the right thing can happen. Sadly though horrific Russian violence in Ukraine continues and if anything is getting worse. Plus at home Covid cases continue to rise and my Select Committee hears that GPs are in crisis.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER
FREE AT LAST The images of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori arriving back in the UK after years of detention in Iran are wonderful to see. Credit must go to Liz Truss for getting them back and to everyone who campaigned so hard over the years for their release. I would particularly single out Richard Ratclife though for his heroic one person campaign - as his MP said to the Commons he has set the bar high for every other husband in the land! Thanks to him not only is Nazanin home but the world knows about the barbaric practice of hostage taking by the Iranian regime. As I told the House of Commons yesterday I would like to see the same unity the world is showing against Russia put to use to stamp out state hostage taking. You can hear my full thoughts on all of this on Andrew Marr’s LBC show which I was on last night as well as PM on Radio 4 (13 minutes in) and Channel 4 news.
UKRAINE The bombing of a theatre in Mariupol that was being used as a civilian shelter is the latest in a long line of horrific acts of barbarism by the Russian armed forces. President Biden is right to call Putin a ‘war criminal’ and it is great to see the US increase still further the military support they are providing. It is also welcome news that the government has now launched the Homes for Ukraine refugee scheme meaning people can volunteer to house those fleeing from the war. Many of you had got in touch with me offering to do just that so it is really good news there is now an official route to do so. Our ability to sanction those close to Putin has also improved this week with the passing of the Economic Crime Bill. As soon as this became law the government used the power to introduce sanctions on a further 370 people bringing the total to over 1,000 people and organisations. So after a slow start on the refugee and sanctions front it feels like we are now getting our ship in order.
FUTURE OF GPs The Health and Social Care Select Committee started our inquiry into the future of general practice earlier this week. We were told in stark terms that the profession is in crisis, a view I know is shared by some of our local GPs who do a terrific job. You can see also my video about the inquiry which was shot at the Haslemere Health Centre and features an interview with our very own Dr Phil Ridsdill Smith.The increasing workload faced by doctors is the root cause of this crisis and I’m hoping our inquiry will provide some answers on how to address this.
COVID UPDATE The ONS is now picking up the increase in Covid cases as it reports that 1 in 25 people in England had the virus in the first week of March. This is up from 1 in 30 in the last week of February. With the dashboard showing cases have risen by 50% in the last 7 days and hospitalisations by 21% we really do need to start on those fourth shots, particularly for those who are more vulnerable. As of 11am the Covid dashboard shows that we have had a total of 19,911,155 positive cases of COVID-19 with 163,248 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 36,854 confirmed cases in Waverley and sadly 292 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 1230 active cases in Waverley.
That key number is 0300 200 1008 for anyone with pandemic related difficulties. Also please check out my full list of local groups working to support vulnerable residents.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY
FARNHAM HEADS I had an excellent discussion with heads of Farnham schools last week - the main focus was recruitment challenges with 40,000 vacancies nationally for non-teaching support staff and a 26% drop in those applying for teacher training. Those problems are made worse in Surrey where people are put off seeking jobs because of the high cost of living. Lots of cross over with the staff shortages in health and care with which I am more familiar. We also had discussions about the frustrations of dealing with Surrey County Council (SCC) when it comes to special needs children and the high turnover of social workers - something I will raise with Rachael Wardell, Executive Director of Children's Services at SCC when I meet her next. I also discussed ongoing concerns about the national tutoring scheme which is bogged down in huge bureaucracy which I will raise with the new schools minister Robin Walker. Finally, we discussed issues caused by the six month limit on people using the Women's Refuge in Farnham and support for families and children who come to the end of their six month period, something I will raise with the charity RBWA that runs it.
SWR UPDATE Last Friday, I finally caught up with South Western Railway’s Managing Director, Claire Mann about their proposed December 2022 timetable changes (suggesting the reduction of services to Farncombe, Milford and Witley), along with the cancellation of the 15.47 service (serving many local school children). The bottom line is that they are still to decide what will happen and are monitoring local demand. As I told Claire, commuters from Farncombe, Milford and Witley need more than an hourly service, and that it is not acceptable for Rodborough children in particular to wait on the platform for half an hour every day to get their train home. As a next step, I have requested a meeting with the Rail Minister at the DfT, Wendy Morton which is now in the diary.
PROTECTING OUR GREEN SPACES I have also met with some of my fellow Surrey MPs to further support the extension of the Surrey AONB and learn about the issues being faced by one particular area - Wanborough. I also attended a briefing yesterday morning by the RSPB which was fascinating in explaining that even inside AONBs we need to do much better at boosting wildlife. There is now an aim to protect 30% of land for nature by 2030. In its response to Julian Glover’s Landscapes Review, the government has accepted the importance of boosting biodiversity and improving public access and I have invited environment minister George Eustice to visit SW Surrey to tell us what is planned.
WRECCLESHAM BRIDGE This morning yet another lorry has hit Wrecclesham bridge on the busy A325 and turned over. How many more times!? I and many local residents including Cllr Paula Dunsmore and Lynley Griffiths have been campaigning for change, but this continues to be a frustratingly regular occurrence. I am meeting senior Surrey Highways team members next Friday to talk about speeding concerns near schools in the constituency…I shall be adding Wrecclesham bridge to my list.
AND FINALLY Another heartwarming moment this week as two Ukrainian children (Dimitri, 8, and Victoria, 10,) receive a special welcome at their new school in Naples, after fleeing from the ongoing Russian invasion. Here’s hoping for lots of scenes like this in the UK as well going forward as we extend a warm British welcome to our Ukrainian friends.
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