GOOD AFTERNOON and welcome to my South West Surrey update No.184. This week saw the State Opening of Parliament which Prince Charles presided over for the first time. For what it’s worth I thought he did it beautifully although we all had mixed feelings not seeing the Queen there.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER
QUEEN’S SPEECH There were 38 Bills or Draft Bills contained in the Queen’s Speech - the most since 2005 - and plenty that could really benefit South West Surrey as well as the country as a whole. You might have imagined the Levelling Up Bill was all about Red Wall areas but it includes some key reforms to the planning system which will make it harder for inspectors to override planning decisions and give more protection to areas like ours with a large amount of green belt/AONB. The Transport Bill will create the new Great British Railways - something I hope will address the concerns many have over how our commuter lines will work post the pandemic. The Energy Bill will help our transition towards net zero by developing markets in carbon capture usage/storage and low carbon hydrogen. The Higher Education Bill will introduce a Lifelong Learning Entitlement for everyone worth four years of post-18 education - something that will make a big difference to local school leavers who do not go to university. The Renters Bill will provide better protection for our renters. And finally the Animal Welfare Bill will strengthen animal welfare standards by banning live exports, tackling puppy smuggling and banning the keeping of primates as pets without a licence. More details on each of these and the other Bills that were announced here.
COVID UPDATE There is continued good news in terms of the case numbers. In the last week of April 1 in 35 people in England had the virus compared to 1 in 25 in the previous week. As of 10am the Covid dashboard shows that we have had a total of 22,145,157 positive cases of COVID-19 with 176,424 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 41,853 confirmed cases in Waverley and sadly 362 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 170 active cases in Waverley. In the last 7 days cases are actually up 69%, deaths up 24% and hospitalisations down 25%. I’m not sure if this is a catch up in data but the ONS numbers are the more reliable indicator.
None the less 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
SURGERY STORIES Yesterday morning I spoke to a 35 year old man from Godalming who had a mountain-biking accident on Rodborough Common last year and is now tragically tetraplegic. He is amazingly - and impressively - continuing to work as an engineer but is having great difficulty getting the support package he needs from the NHS. I will of course take up his case - but it strikes me as another example of people being shunted between the health and social care systems because no one wants to accept budgetary responsibility. Surely the smart thing would be for a joint health and social care approach - there is no question about his requirements, and the last thing he should have to be doing is fighting through so many appeal processes.
DOES THIS EMAIL SEND YOU TO SLEEP? If so you may be interested to know we have some world experts on that very topic on our doorstep. On Friday I went to Surrey University’s Sleep Research Centre. Vice Chancellor Max Lu and his colleagues are doing fascinating and extensive research into the links between sleep loss and dementia - both sleep loss as an early indicator of dementia and as a symptom, which means people can then have to move into a care home earlier.
CANDID CAMERAS I then had a very productive meeting with the Surrey Highways team to discuss speeding in Bramley and Chiddingfold - the good news is that both are set to have an average speed camera installed in the current three year programme, and in Busbridge, SCC have confirmed they will carry out speed surveys on Park Road, Brighton Road and Quartermile Road. I have also arranged for the Surrey County Councillor responsible for Highways to come to Witley with me later this week, to talk about a crossing on the Petworth Road and the potential for an average speech check.
OUT AND ABOUT In the afternoon, I visited the brilliant Sheen Botanical Labels in Haslemere run by Christopher & Carmen Ashton-Jones. They supply the National Trust stately homes as well as the Royal Household, which is why I was thrilled to celebrate the renewal of their Royal Warrant. I also paid a visit to see the new pitch at Badshot Lea Football Club, built with support from the Football Foundation, Surrey, Waverley and others which is a fantastic asset for Farnham. They now have 32 youth teams, a womens team and a senior team - around 200 players every weekend at their Wreccelsham site! Finally, I was delighted to join supporters to open The Shed, a youth centre which will be of enormous importance to the Sandy Hill Estate. A huge community effort made this possible, so a big thank you to the three councils, Catherine Powell and of course Cathy, Tracey and Norma who will be running it.
SURREY LEADING THE PACK ON UKRAINE VISAS As of Monday 9th May, at 10.00am, the Home Office online Foundry portal shows that 1,015 (949 last Tuesday) Surrey sponsor households are matched with 2,706 (2,539 last Tuesday) Ukrainian guests under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, making us the second highest recipient of visas nationally in the country after Kent (but we are hot on their heels!). National statistics on Ukraine Visas and arrivals are published both here and here. It may also be helpful to know that Stagecoach is kindly funding travel support for Ukrainian refugees, and guests or their host family can find detailed information on bus routes in their local area here or contact Stagecoach directly, here.The County Council’s library stock team are also offering a variety of support, including currently sourcing books and eBooks in Ukrainian and Russian languages, and Surrey Youth Focus are arranging a ‘coffee and chat’ on Thurs 19th May, with a focus on Trauma, particularly mindful of supporting children from Ukraine - details can be accessed here. The session will include: The Big Leaf Big Leaf Foundation, The Lighthouse Woking, The New Leaf Service and a Q&A/small group discussion. The session will also be recorded and available on Surrey Youth Focus - Coffee and Chat’s YouTube channel shortly after. Brilliant community spirit - who said it was all going to vanish after the pandemic?
HEALTH & WELFARE HUB Surrey County Council have recently launched their excellent new Health & Welfare Hub and Helpline service (as part of their ‘No One Left Behind’ ambition) designed to signpost residents to relevant help and support across the county. If you can’t find the help you are looking for via SCC’s hub, then please do get in touch with the Community Helpline team who can further support you with any financial, health or welfare concerns you may have. The key number is 0300 200 1008 which is open 9am-5pm Monday-Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).
ENERGY REBATE SCHEME Waverley Borough Council are currently rolling out the government’s £150m Energy Bills Rebate Scheme. The Council has received an initial allocation of £3,997,500 for the mandatory scheme and will ensure all payments are made by the end of September 2022 - the rebate is for all households in council tax bands A-D). A letter should have been sent to any households that have not yet received their rebate. The council has also received a one-off amount of £216,600 for a discretionary scheme with allocations due to be made by the end of November. Most of the discretionary payments will be targeted at specific groups (as outlined in the government guidance) and these awards will be made without the need for an application. There will also be a hardship element to the discretionary scheme available to households that fall outside of the automatic award.
AND FINALLY (IF I MAY) A PLUG not of the bathroom variety but for my new book Zero which will be serialised in the Times this weekend. It’s my first book and I must admit to being somewhat nervous - but hopefully a good read for anyone who wants to answer the question as to what we need to do now to make the NHS the safest, highest quality healthcare system in the world. Available in all good bookshops (as they say) or you can pre-order it here - all profits going to my charity Patient Safety Watch. You can also read about it in my article in today’s Herald.
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