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GOOD AFTERNOON and welcome to my South West Surrey update No.186. Downing Street parties were back with a bang with the publication of the Sue Gray report this week. We also saw a significant package of support on the cost of living and my battle to fix the workforce crisis in the NHS and social care sectors hit a frustrating wall in Tuesday’s Select Committee.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER

GRAY DAY Westminster was unsurprisingly dominated by the publication of Sue Gray’s final report ([link removed]) . This account of the various parties that took place during lockdown is deeply troubling, confirming not just that many of them should not have taken place but that people were perfectly aware of how inappropriate they were. Martin Reynolds’s phrase ‘we got away with it’ sadly sums up a culture that, however hard people were working, was flawed and arrogant given what was being asked of everyone else. The report states that “the senior leadership at the centre, both political and official, must bear responsibility for this culture” without really saying what bearing responsibility means, something that in the end is deeply unsatisfactory. The Prime Minister has apologised to the House of Commons and says he
was humbled. I can’t and won’t defend what happened - voters in SW Surrey deserve so much better from their government. However, as I have said many times, however awful these revelations are, changing our leader right now would delight President Putin so we should think carefully before acting. Nonetheless as Janet Daley said in the Telegraph today ‘this is not over.’ Parliament’s Privileges Committee must report on whether the Prime Minister lied to Parliament, Conservative MPs must decide if they can win the next election and - whatever conclusions they come to - there is sadly a massive mountain to climb if we are to regain the trust of many voters.

COST OF LIVING As I wrote last week I thought the Budget was a long time to wait for any help on the cost of living and thankfully the government has now agreed with today’s £10bn support package to help reduce energy bills ([link removed]) . The cynics out there will cry ‘dead cat’ and say this is just an attempt to distract from the Sue Gray report but we do not want to live in a country where people can’t afford to heat and eat so this is very welcome. Not only is the Chancellor scrapping the ‘loan’ element of his previous energy rebate scheme so people won’t now need to repay it but this will be increased so that 28 million households will get some additional help. And more targeted support through the benefits scheme will provide further money to pensioners and other lower income groups. This will be funded by a windfall tax on oil and gas companies which I think given the comments those companies have made about continuing to invest regardless of such a
move is the right approach.

WORKFORCE WOES On Tuesday I chaired the latest Select Committee evidence session for our inquiry into the NHS and social care workforce. The most concerning parts were the warnings from the British Dental Association that only half of the population has access to NHS dentistry ([link removed]) and there is a migration of dentists to the private sector - with the dental register going up but NHS dentists down by 3000. Worst of all were revelations that a much trumpeted government report on workforce which is due out shortly will not after all tell us how many doctors, nurses and midwives we are likely to need in 15 years, nor whether we are training enough for the future. So what’s the point in it? See my very frustrating exchange ([link removed]) with the head of Health Education England for more details.

TEXAS TRAGEDY it is worth pausing to mark the tragic events at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas and hope at long last it leads to some reform to the US gun control laws. America is the most powerful democracy in the world and the worry for America’s friends is that failure to tackle no-brainers like gun control makes it look like a democracy that doesn’t function very well.

COVID UPDATE More good news as case numbers have fallen again as now 1 in 55 people have the virus in England ([link removed]) in the week commencing 14th May compared to 1 in 45 in the previous week. As of 10am the Covid dashboard shows that we have had a total of 22,238,713 positive cases of COVID-19 with 177,977 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 42,050 confirmed cases in Waverley and sadly 330 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 103 active cases in Waverley. In the last 7 days cases are down 13.5%, deaths down 35.7% and hospitalisations down 17.3%.

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 ([link removed]) working to support vulnerable residents.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY

SURGERY STORIES My first call this week was to local humanist campaigner David Savage on the topic of assisted dying following his own recent brush with cancer. I told him I was thinking hard about my own position. I have always voted against changing the law but would like to consider the latest evidence from places like Holland, Belgium and Oregon. It may be something my Select Committee could look at although that would be a decision for the whole committee and not just me personally.

I then spoke to one my local heroes Colin Stokes who has single handedly organised massive support for the new Urology Centre at the Royal Surrey which is named in his honour. ([link removed]) As someone who has ‘been there and done that’ he gave me some important advice about my campaign for a new Cancer Centre and talked to me about an ingenious plan for a new multi-story carpark outside the Royal Surrey at much cheaper prices than the current car park.

Finally I spoke to the Vice Chair of the governors of Shottermill Junior School in Haslemere about the funding pressures in the school sector. These are not caused by cuts in funding per pupil but massive increases in fuel bills and having to fund Covid recovery programmes, tutoring and staff pay rises. They are applying for every grant they can, trying to let out premises more and despite doing all the right things still struggling to balance the books. It is a brilliant school with very dedicated staff and I don't think they are by any means unique in facing these pressures. I will raise the issue with Nadhim Zahawi.

RIVER WEY SEWAGE Last week I met Sarah Bentley, Chief Executive of Thames Water ([link removed]) to discuss sewage discharges into the River Wey. Last year the sewer storm overflow spilled 9 times in Godalming, 9 times in Grayswood, 12 times in Bramley, 19 times in Farnham and an extraordinary 76 times in Chiddingfold. In total these incidents accounted for 1562 hours worth of spillage - or an average of four hours every single day. The Environment Act - after pressure from me and other MPs who refused to support it as originally framed - now includes a new duty directly on water companies to produce comprehensive statutory Drainage and Sewerage Management Plans. I set out more in my Herald article this week ([link removed]) but I’ll also be hosting a public meeting with Sarah in the coming months so watch this space.

ROYAL SURREY CANCER CAMPAIGN UPDATE We have had a terrific response on the fundraising front for this exciting new project, which will lead to an additional 7,000 patients receiving essential surgical treatment every year. Royal Surrey is a regional centre for cancer services supporting a population of up to 3 million (around 4.5% of the UK’s population). A massive thank you to all those who have kindly donated more than £110k to date (adding to the £25m we secured from the NHS last year) - over 700 individual donors. It's now all systems go for a November 2023 opening, but we have more to raise - so anyone able to help please make a donation which you can do here ([link removed]) .

UKRAINE UPDATE Surrey County Council’s latest numbers show that 1,110 Surrey sponsor households are matched with 3,007 Ukrainian guests under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. 267 Ukrainians have actually arrived in Waverley so thank you to everyone who has offered their home.

BIG PLASTIC COUNT The Hunt Family took part in the Big Plastic Count ([link removed]) last week and in the end we used 21 different bits of plastic. This adds up to over 1000 pieces a year - I have to say much more than I was really conscious of before. It shows how important it is for the government to hit their target of ensuring that only recyclable, reusable or compostable plastic is on the market by 2025 - and that we can all play a part in reducing our use of single use plastics.

AWARD WINNING LOCAL BUSINESS Good to hear from Hayley Snishko who runs Home Sanctuary ([link removed]) a local mobile beauty therapy business. She was recently voted the best Mobile Therapist in the UK at the National British Association of Beauty Therapy awards. Well done Hayley!

AND FINALLY Thank you for the many kind comments about my book Zero. It seems to have had generally positive reviews - here is my personal favourite (but not entirely comfortable) review from Dr Rachel Clarke ([link removed]) . And here is my favourite tweet ([link removed]) from someone who manned the barricades against me.

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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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