GOOD AFTERNOON & welcome to my South West Surrey update No.207 the final one of the year - and what an extraordinary year it has been. As Chancellor (something I never expected to be writing) I announced the Treasury’s Edinburgh Reforms ([link removed]) last week to make our financial services more competitive and get more investment into the UK economy. I also spoke about unemployment in the UK - a small uptick but nearly the lowest for half a century, GDP statistics ([link removed]) , and the dangers of high inflation which continues to plague economies around the world (including in the UK) as we manage the impacts of Covid-19, Putin’s war and high global gas prices. Locally, I had a variety of surgery calls ([link removed]) , attended a significant meeting of the Farnham Infrastructure Board
([link removed].) and met with a brilliant local business ([link removed]) called 4eco ([link removed]) who have created fully biodegradable straws and cutlery.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER

THE NO 1 EVIL At the Autumn Statement last month I set out our plan to tackle the biggest cause of instability in the economy, namely inflation. It is the root cause of the anger felt by those on strike but affects everyone, not least mortgage holders who see higher interest rates. The Bank of England is playing its part but the government also has to ensure that our tax and spending decisions don’t fuel inflation further which is what makes the pay issue so difficult. It is tempting to politicise the issue but nurses in Scotland (run by the SNP) have just voted to strike ([link removed]) and Labour-run Wales has also decided not to increase the pay offer to nurses. ([link removed]) My plan, as announced in the autumn statement, will bring inflation down to less than 4% in around a year and that is the only real way to address the cost of living crisis. But that does not mean we cannot offer help to public sector nurses (and
everyone else) in the meantime: our energy bill support scheme ([link removed]) and energy price guarantee ([link removed]) will hold fuel bills down with extra support for the most disadvantaged, costing around £88 bn this year and next which is one of the biggest support schemes for families anywhere in the world. I also decided to freeze alcohol duty for another six months ([link removed]) . I’ll be setting out more on how we will get the economu growing in the Spring Budget, which this week will be on 15th March. ([link removed]) .

STRIKE ACTION I know that many of you have felt the impact of the strikes across several sectors this month, especially in the lead up to Christmas. Even despite the help being offered I recognise the pressures people are facing but strongly believe independent pay review bodies ([link removed].) are the right way to resolve the issue. Some have pointed out that as Health Secretary I rejected their recommendations in 2014 but that only demonstrates they are independent and often say things that are uncomfortable for ministers - despite which on the vast majority of occasions I accepted their recommendations. Steve Barclay is right to say that there are many other ways we can improve life for nurses and one of the most important is to hire more of them so they are less stretched at work. We are already over half way to delivering our target of 50,000 more
nurses by 2024. ([link removed])

COVID UPDATE As if to remind us of the vulnerabilities facing the NHS, data from Friday 16th December shows the total number of Covid cases in England has ticking up again, with the ONS reporting that 1 in 50 now have the virus ([link removed]) .The government’s Coronavirus dashboard ([link removed]) corroborates this with cases up 17.2% in the last 7 days, hospitalisations up 27.6% but deaths at this stage down 4.3%. With cases on the rise and increased social interactions over the festive period, if you haven’t already scheduled your bivalent booster jab ([link removed]) , please do so before Christmas.

The key number remains 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

GREEN SPACES As we approach the end of 2022, the excellent Heather Kerswell has also finished her tenure as Chair of the Surrey Hills. ([link removed]) I worked closely with Heather on getting the review of boundaries ([link removed]) set, leading to Natural England’s boundary proposals ([link removed]) which will come out in the new year and hopefully extend AONB protection to many new areas in SW Surrey. But the name is changing from AONB to ‘National Landscape’ so it will be the Surrey Hills National Landscape in line with the independent Glover Review ([link removed]) . But I want the Surrey Hills to have the even greater protection of a National Park so am pleased the Environment Secretary Therese Coffey has agreed to come to SW Surrey to
see for herself how important those protections could be.

LOCAL HOSPITALS It’s been another extremely busy year for our local hospitals including the Royal Surrey, who have experienced sustained operational pressures. The Trust is currently dealing with increasing numbers of patients with flu and Covid alongside the other challenges, including the impact of industrial action. Despite this, they have celebrated some highly innovative successes this year, particularly in their treatment of patients with cancer. Thank you for helping me raise nearly £40k with my brother for the new cancer centre ([link removed]) and the good or bad news is that I will be doing the marathon again for the same cause this year!

Frimley has also been feeling the pressure, with A&E currently seeing about 400 patients a day - resulting in longer waits than they would want. They too are treating a high number of patients with flu - over 500 this month alone, and now secondary bacterial pneumonia post-flu cases are increasing. Hospital staff are working closely with their social care partners to treat in the community and to help those who are medically fit to leave hospital, be discharged quickly and safely, freeing up room for new patients.

SURGERY STORIES First this week I spoke to a retired teacher who lives in Rushmoor who is passionate about teaching children about veganism. She is very keen to engage with the Department for Education to make sure children understand how animals are treated and how the food system works. I said I would contact the Education Secretary to ask whether she was willing to meet her and discuss the way these issues are taught in schools. I then spoke to a doctor working in the QA hospital in Portsmouth about the issue of consultants retiring early because of issues with the way their pension pots are taxed. This is an issue I am really familiar with and we urgently need to solve - at a time of high pressure in the NHS we need to make sure we are not losing our most experienced doctors. I will take the issue back to my team in the Treasury.
I then spoke to a Haslemere resident about issues around the loan charge and his difficulties in engaging with HMRC. He is willing to compromise but needs HMRC to do the same so I will raise it with them. The issue has now been going on for over a decade. Finally I spoke to a lady from Farnham about mental health issues caused by lockdowns in the pandemic. She rightly pointed out that there are many health issues arising from lockdowns including loneliness, anxiety and the impact on schoolchildren. I pointed her tothe report ([link removed]) I co-chaired by the Health and Science Select Committees.

CROWN COURT CHAOS Waverley Borough Council Conservatives proposed a motion at Full Council on 13th December, requiring the Lib-Dem led Borough Administration to abandon plans to close most of Godalming’s Crown Court Car Park to build houses there, along with a multi-storey car park at its Godalming HQ site. Sadly the motion failed despite residents being 6:1 against in Waverley’s own recent consultation of nearly 1,000 local residents. Godalming Chamber of Commerce ([link removed]) are also deeply opposed to the plans, and the Save Crown Court Action Group’s petition has now gathered over 4,000 signatures ([link removed]) of residents and visitors who feel the same. It’s a great shame that Waverley is so determined to press on with a scheme that will really damage the centre of Godalming.

AND FINALLY… Happy Christmas! My Christmas wish as Chancellor is to get inflation down and as local MP to get the first shovels in the ground for the new Cancer Centre. I will visit the Churches Together lunch on Christmas Day and also take some time off with my kids, so look forward to being back in touch in the New Year. You can click here ([link removed]) to read my Christmas message in full in this week’s Farnham & Haslemere Heralds.

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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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