Since I last wrote to you, South Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail have started a programme of station upgrades in Esher and Walton constituency.
A footbridge with lifts at Walton-on-Thames railway station. This received prior planning approval in June 2022.
Plans to build a footbridge with lifts at Esher station. SWR and Network Rail will be bidding for further funding under the government's scheme.
These improvements are being funded by the government's £390 million'Access for All' Scheme.
I have been campaigning for improved station accessibility at local train stations across the constituency (see below for an update on my Esher and Walton Rail Survey).
At the beginning of this month, I wrote a letter to the Transport Secretary in support of SWR's bid for government funding to build a lift and bridges at Esher station.
There is still time to fill out my rail survey. I will be meeting with South Western Railway to present the results of this survey and demonstrate local demand for:
The extension of Zone 6 to Hinchley Wood, Oxshott, Cobham & Stoke D'Abernon, Esher, Hersham, Claygate, Walton-on-Thames stations;
Improvements to station infrastructure and accessibility; and
Increased capacity and more carriages on services to prevent overcrowding.
I am delighted newly released figures show that 155 extra police officers have been recruited in Surrey since September 2019.
The 155 additional recruits mean there are now 2,154 police officers in Surrey, helping to pursue criminals, keep neighbourhoods safe, and reassure the law-abiding majority.
Pub of the Year Competition
Hundreds of pub-goers have cast their vote in my Pub of the Year competition 2022.
Voting closes on 15 August, so there is still time show your favourite local pub how much they mean to you after a challenging two years.
In July, I had the pleasure of meeting the CEO of Pub Punch Co, from Molesey, and his team at the British Beer and Pub Association Showcase in the House of Commons.
Punch is a multi-award-winning pub company with around 1,250 pubs across England, Scotland, and Wales.
In the constituency
26 community visits since last update
Read below to see what I am doing for our area.
Meeting local business owners
I visited independent retailers along Walton High Street and Terrace Road to catch up post-pandemic and discuss local ambitions to improve the High Street and its links with the Heart Shopping Centre.
It was good to hear that footfall remains steady and our local independent retailers benefit from a loyal local customer base from Walton, Hersham and Molesey.
I also visited Tozer Seeds, a local, independent plant seed company based in Cobham. Tozer seeds specialises in creating new and improved varieties of vegetables - with a core focus on celery, parsnip, leek, wild rocket, cepa salad onion and kale - and sell to a global market.
In the community
This month, I have had two significant updates on my campaign to improve road safety around our primary schools.
Walton Oak Primary School.Surrey County Council are progressing with getting a permanent zebra crossing implemented following a petition by parents that I supported.
St Lawrence's Primary School. A range of options are on the table to help keep children outside St Lawrence's primary school safe.
A ‘point closure’ to restrict vehicle access to the school immediately before and after the school day is the favoured option. I have been joining councillors and school governors to arrive at a solution to keep local children safe.
• I announced a £120m investment to tackle drug use and create more abstinence-based drug recovery wings in prisons. Only by getting prisoners off drugs can we help them into work – which is key to cutting crime and making our streets safer.
• We continued the rollout of pre-recorded cross-examination in Crown Courts for victims of rape and modern slavery – introducing this measure in all six Crown Courts in Wales, and four more Crown Courts across the Midlands.
This vital tool, which spares victims the stress and trauma of being cross-examined during a live trial, is now available in over two-thirds of Crown Courts in England and Wales. It will be available nationwide by the end of September.
• I set out how we’ll put an end to the abuse of our legal system by oligarchs and other corrupt elites seeking to silence their critics in the UK. Under our new measures, Courts will be able to dismiss meritless claims quicker. We’ll also make sure that legal costs can’t be used as a weapon to stifle free speech.
