Arts bursaries mired in confusion
Confusion reigns over the Government’s plans to fund a number of ‘Creative Bursaries’. The DCMS website announced the £600,000 initiative yesterday and said that this was enough funding to pay for ‘at least 40’ youngsters on a scheme which is intended to help create the next Billy Elliot. Ignoring the fact that Billy Elliot is a fictional character for a moment, it would appear that the DCMS didn’t manage to brief Number 10 on the scheme.
Gordon Brown didn’t waste any time in getting in on the action and had his photo taken with ‘the young Billy Elliots’ but the Prime Minister’s team didn’t quite seem to understand the detail of the plan. When asked at a Lobby Briefing how much the bursaries would be worth to internees, Brown’s spokesman said that ‘with 15,000 places, it would amount to £7,500.’ On this reckoning the scheme would be worth £112.5 million.
Not only does Number 10 clearly not have much of a clue how limited the budget of one of Whitehall’s smallest departments is, it would also seem to be the case that they don’t take this initiative quite as seriously as the DCMS.
Whereas Margaret Hodge was reported as saying that 40 person scheme had been her “obsession” and that she has been thinking about it since she came into post as arts and culture minister (a post she has held for almost two years in total), the Prime Minister’s spokesman said that ‘Anything that helps with the next generation of tutus helps.’
Certainly anything that helps Gordon Brown pirouette his way out of Number Ten has to be a good thing.
Posted on 9 March 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Building in Badshot Lea
People are understandably very concerned about Waverley's recent document outlining where there is potential land for development - not least in Badshot Lea, which features by name in all five of the options mentioned. The document repeatedly refers to Farnham (including Badshot Lea). But single out Badshot Lea as opposed to Hale, the Bourne or any other part of the town.
A few things though do need to be borne in mind:
a)This is not a planning application, just a statement of land availability which Waverley is legally required to do
b)If the Conservatives win the next election regional targets (which require Waverley to build an additional 5000 houses by 2026) will be scrapped so this kind of nonsense should not happen.
That said, Waverley does need to explain why Badshot Lea appears to be singled out. I met David Atfield and Gillian Beel to discuss this in detail on Friday and will be seeking a meeting with Mary Orton to find out more - but those who are concerned should also respond directly to the consultation available on www.waverley.gov.uk
Posted on 8 March 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Response in The Guardian
In the Guardian today I respond to Jonathan Freedland's claims that Conservative media policy can be summed up in two words "Rupert Murdoch". This is ludicrous and I explain how The Conservative Party wants the best for British Broadcasting and we back the BBC. You can read the full article here
Posted on 5 March 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Work started at Haslemere hospital
Great news - have just heard from Alison Edgington, Chief Executive of Surrey Community Health, that work on refurbishing Godwin Ward has now started and is due to finish by 12 March. When that is complete the patients will be moved to Elizabeth Ward, where refurbishment is expected to be completed by 31st March. Overall Alison says she expects the work to be completed and both wards to be reopened by mid April at the latest.
If this happens, everyone in Haslemere will heave a huge sigh of relief - as well as asking why we couldn't have been told this earlier. But I am not going to complain: the most important thing is that a senior NHS manager has personally called me to give me a date when Haslemere's community beds will be back at full strength.
Posted on 3 March 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Labour's tactics exposed: lie and lie again
OK I know the election is getting
close, but it really takes the biscuit when a Cabinet Minister is prepared to
tell straight porkies repeatedly at the Despatch Box, as Ben Bradshaw did
yesterday in Culture, Media and Sport oral questions. Here’s a flavour:
1. Answering a question from on
Adam Price on regional news he said:
“whether we manage to secure quality regional news in
Wales, Scotland and the English regions in the future will depend on the
outcome of the next general election, because the Labour party is committed to
achieving that, while the Conservatives have absolutely no proposal whatever to
do so.”
Absolutely no proposals? How about
our proposals to turbo-charge the local media sector by getting rid of the
cross media ownership rules, set up a network of city-based local TV stations
and bring to the UK
the kind of local news coverage that other countries take for granted? True we
don't agree that more subsidy is the solution (Ben's plans) but whether or not
you agree with our approach you surely cannot say we have "absolutely no
proposal."
2. Answering a question from John
Robertson, Bradshaw said:
“the suggestion that the requirement for impartiality in
broadcasting should be lifted that has been made by the Conservatives and some
of their friends in the media would be a regrettable, even dangerous, step.”
Good job we haven’t made it then -
as he knows perfectly well, because he and I spoke at the same Voice of the
Listener and Viewer Conference last November in which I said we would not
remove impartiality requirements for traditional broadcasters. What I have said
is that it will be harder to police impartiality requirements when the chaos of
the internet arrives on TV (through IPTV) and newspapers are running TV
stations through their websites. On this basis I await Labour's big brother proposals
to require internet websites to be “impartial”.
3. Finally answering a question from Anne McIntosh,
Bradshaw said:
“Her party will
not intervene to deliver [rural high speed broadband.] They will leave 30 to 40
per cent of her householders and her businesses without broadband”.
Really? So what about our plans to force BT to open its
ducts and pipes to allow other people to lay fibre inside them? Or our plans to
use the BBC Licence Fee – as it is being used for digital switchover – to help
plug gaps the market will not fill. All of which can be done without Labour’s
phone tax which will put bills up by £7 for everyone, broadband or
non-broadband users alike.
Incidentally we know where the idea for this last porkie came
from: Gordon Brown said the same thing in a speech two weeks ago.
Unsurprisingly Ben Bradshaw didn't
look me in the eye when he said any of these. And I accept we are in a
pre-election period when there is huge temptation to make exaggerated claims. But
don’t we deserve better from Labour cabinet ministers than simple peddling of
untruths if we are to have any chance of a sensible debate on media or any
other issues?
Posted on 2 March 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Brighton report
Why did DC pull off another blinder at Brighton? Mainly because he did what he always does when the pressure is on: looked and sounded totally relaxed. I was reminded of the Clinton attack ads from the American presidential campaigns when she asked who you could trust to make an important decision in the middle of the night - and for the UK the contrast between the raging bull in Downing Street and the calm control of David Cameron could not be clearer. Yes the polls have tightened and yes it will be a big fight - but the choice is now much clearer. Concerns about low turnout may well end up being wide of the mark - and with 82% wanting change according to Populus that cannot be a good thing for Labour.
Posted on 1 March 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Haslemere Hospital update
One week on from my meeting with Chris Butler and I have finally received some encouraging news - they have committed to reopening Godwin ward once the refurbishment, due to start on March 1st, is complete. I am absolutely delighted. However, I am not going to claim a victory just yet, not until the official announcement is made that all the beds on both wards are to re-open and the hospital is safe. The latest announcement shows that putting pressure on the PCT is effective and they need to know that Haslemere will not give up without a fight. I will be inviting Chris Butler to come to Haslemere to explain his policies at a public meeting, and following that, if he is unable to provide satisfactory assurances we will launch a full-scale campaign to save the community beds.
Posted on 26 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
100Mbps broadband
Great news this morning on the broadband front. Virgin Media will roll out broadband with speeds of up to 100Mbps this year. This shows just what the market can deliver. Once people start getting this sort of broadband I am convinced that we'll see new applications and technologies emerge that need these sorts of speeds. That will drive demand and then the market will have an incentive to deliver superfast broadband much further than the Government currently thinks. Now imagine how far the market will drive take up if we implement our plans to reform the regulatory regime
Posted on 25 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
The internet and social responsibility
Very worrying ruling in Italy today that could have a massive impact on the internet.
In effect the court has decided that Google is responsible for every piece of user generated content that is put on YouTube. It goes without saying that this particular video was offensive, and it was rightly taken down, but surely it is the people who made the video who are responsible? I won't get into the legal arguments about European law as Google have said they are going to appeal, but the wider implications are very serious. Do we really want every single piece of content posted on the internet to be vetted? If so the internet will become a very different beast to what it is now.
We have in the past called for companies like Google and Facebook to act in a socially responsible way and remove illegal and offensive material from their sites. By and large they do a reasonable job. This is surely a better approach than heavy handed censoring of the web? It is difficult to balance freedom of expression and the right to privacy, and I think the internet makes this balance even harder. But what makes the internet such a powerful social and economic tool is the freedom, and to some extent chaos, that goes with it. If we lose that then society will be the poorer for it.
Posted on 24 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Haslemere Hospital Update
Last Friday I met with Chris Butler of the Surrey PCT to discuss bed closures at Haslemere. I have delayed making any comment on the meeting until now as I was hoping to get confirmation from Chris about when the beds would reopen. Unfortunately this has not happened and the PCT have refused to commit to a firm date. During the meeting Chris Butler gave repeated reassurances that the closure was temporary whilst they refurbished the wards to install single sex bathrooms and toilets.
However Godwin Ward has been closed since Christmas and the refurbishment is yet to start. More worryingly, subsequent to the meeting the PCT have said they will not commit to a date to reopen the second ward as it depends on "demand." This is a pretty fluid concept, and given they did not mention this to me when I met them face to face on Friday I am extremely concerned. I am afraid this kind of behaviour just adds to the suspicions and concerns that have been circulating for some time now.
So it looks like it is time for Haslemere to mobilise once again and make our voices known: I will be inviting Chris Butler to come to Haslemere to explain his policies at a public meeting, and following that if he is unable to provide satisfactory assurances we will launch a full-scale campaign to save the community beds.
Posted on 24 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Talking about the polls...
The tightening in the polls is mentioned widely in today's papers. But what didn't make the headline - but was none the less featured in today's Guardian poll - is that David Cameron beats Gordon Brown 42% to 28% as the best next Prime Minister and that 12% of Labour voters actually want DC to be the next PM. They know what they need to do...
Posted on 23 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Busy day ahead
Today have just finished surgery in Hindhead, off to do the next one in Haslemere. Then meeting David McNulty, new Chief Exec of Surrey County Council, to discuss their response to the snow; after that it's off to the PCT to meet Chief Exec Chris Butler to talk about Haslemere and Milford Hospitals whose future doesn't seem as assured as we all thought; following that it's a meeting with Mary Orton, Chief Exec of Waverley Council to talk about East Steet and pedestrianisation plans for Farnham town centre.
Posted on 19 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Jerusalem
Last night I belatedly went to see Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem. It is a truly extraordinary performance, one of those experiences that remains in your mind for days afterwards as you try to digest and absorb both the power of Mark Rylance's performance and the complexity of the messages it contains.
The story is about a drug-taking hippy gipsy who is detested by the villagers in South Wiltshire where he is illegally encamped. So far so unlikely to appeal to a budding Tory culture secretary. But Mark Rylance plays the role with such subtlety, authenticity and passion that you find yourself drawn into his world, warts and all, and find yourself empathising with his determination to make a stand both against the loss of rural England to developers and mediocrity and insularity in general.
Not that the play romanticises the life Mark Rylance's character represents: you see the devastating impact on his 6 year old son and the desparate pleas of the child's mother for him to keep out of prison. But the impact of the performance is to make you question what rural Englishness should be about and what it can sometimes become.
Jerusalem started at the taxpayer-funded Royal Court Theatre (where Enron also started). It has transferred to unsubsidised West End and will probably go on to New York. Proof, if any needed, of the web of subtle connections between the funded arts sector and the commercially vibrant contemporary theatre scene.
Posted on 18 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Godalming Post Office
I am concerned at news that the Post Office in Godalming is to be relocated from its current position in Waterstones in August. The decision is yet to be made about where the new premises will be and thankfully they are not talking about closing it altogether. However I am worried that it may be moved out of town. Having a good array of excellent shops and services including postal services in the High Street is part of the reason that Godalming is such an attractive and popular place. I am launching a campaign to save the Godalming Post Office and ensure that it retains a presence on the High Street. I hope that this will send a message to the Royal Mail that as a town we will not give up without a fight. Please sing my petition here
Posted on 16 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Why Mark Lawson is wrong about Eastenders
In today’s Guardian Mark Lawson suggests that Eastenders is the kind of programme that the Conservative Party would like to see the BBC make less of. He couldn’t be more wrong. In fact in October 2008 I gave a speech at the LSE where I singled out the soap for praise for they way they dealt with Mark Fowler’s HIV. They have consistently tackled difficult social issues, and crucially reached large audiences in doing so, ever since. So happy 25th Birthday for Friday from the Shadow Culture team!!
Posted on 16 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
An Education - best of British film
Finally got round to seeing Lone Scherfig's extraordinary film An Education last night. Highly recommended. Carey Mulligan is extraordinary as a schoolgirl going through a rite of passage in which she is tempted and then repelled by an older man played by Peter Sarsgaard. It demonstrates yet again the ability of lower budget British films to turn heads with their combination of striking originality and extraordinary quality. I know we all expect Avatar to sweep all before it in the Oscars and BAFTAs - but I will be keeping my fingers crossed for this one.
Posted on 15 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Van Gogh and his letters
Will the real Van Gogh stand up? He certainly does at the Royal Academy's brilliant new exhibition at the Royal Academy which displays not just a selection of his best work, but also the letters he wrote (mainly to his brother Theo) in the short 10 years of his artistic output. Most of the letters have pencil drawings of the paintings he was doing at the time, along with commentary that shows the personal struggles he was going through to master his art. Rather like "Turner and the Masters" at the Tate you come away with the sense of art being as much about perspiration as inspiration - something underlined by the extraordinary contrast between his early more descriptive work and his later more impressionist style.
Posted on 11 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Big step forward for superfast broadband
I have been arguing for over a year now that BT should open up its ducts and pipes to allow other companies to lay fibre. Why does this matter? Because the UK has some of the slowest broadband speeds in the developed world, and this is massively hampering our ability to be a European hub for the digital and creative industries (for which I am responsible). Government estimates suggest the cost of a superfast broadband network could be up to £30 bn, far too much for one company to manage on its own. Hence my suggestion of allowing other companies to use BT's ducts.
This was vigourously opposed by the government. Indeed I had a debate live on Channel Four news with Stephen Carter, the then Communications Minister, about the whether it was feasible.
This morning Ian Livingston is quoted in the FT as saying he is willing to allow other people to use BT's ducts, something he confirmed to me this afternoon. Having been a lone voice arguing for this for over a year now, I am delighted. It also brings George Osborne's target that Britain should be the first major European country with 100 mbps speed for the majority of the country one step closer - and shows you can - sometimes - achieve things in opposition.
Posted on 8 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Twitter
Following my recent foray into the world of Facebook it was only a matter of time before I took on the world of twitter. You can follow my tweets under the name @Jeremy_Hunt
Posted on 8 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Sir Thomas Legg
I was not on the Sir Thomas Legg's list of MPs needing to repay yesterday. However where I have identified mistakes in my expenses myself I have published them online on the expenses section of my website in the interests of transparency.
Predictably my Lib Dem opponent locally has tried to claim that the reason I was not on Legg's list is because he did not look at MPs under investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. Not true. Although for obvious reasons Legg did not investigate the same matters as the Commissioner, he did investigate everything else. I supplied him with copious information about my mortgage claims (as was reported as doing so in the Surrey Advertiser) and he found there was nothing untoward.
With respect to the parliamentary commissioner's enquiry, I did repay some money although he confirmed that the arrangements made with my agent were done with no personal financial gain to myself or my local party - as I explained here http://www.jeremyhunt.org/text.aspx?id=123
Posted on 5 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Daily Politics and World at One
Today I was a guest on the Daily Politics Show. I explained the Conservative stance on the BBC Trust and also gave my thoughts on todays Prime Ministers Questions. Following that I appeared with Peter Hain MP and Sarah Teather MP on the World at One on Radio 4 where we discussed the economy and defence issues. Click here to watch the Daily Politics again and here to listen to WATO again (around 12 mins in).
Posted on 3 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Where are your policies Ben?
I note with wry amusement that Ben Bradshaw is claiming a Tory u-turn on broadband policy on his blog http://www.benbradshaw.co.uk/blog/
Let me scotch that right away. We have never opposed the use of the licence fee to support the roll out of Digital Britain. It is happening at the moment with Digital Switchover, which we support, so our suggestion to extend this into the next licence fee settlement from 2012 to support superfast rural broadband is logical and consistent. What we don't agree with is using the licence fee to support other broadcasters - something that would make them channel all their energy into getting more subsidy from government rather than attracting more viewers.
The substantive question is rather what is the government's policy on superfast broadband? They have, it is true, proposed a phone tax. Apart from the fact that it would be grossly unfair on the 3m people who have a phone but no broadband, it will raise only a pitiful £175m a year - nothing like the nearly £30bn the government's own broadband stakeholder group says will be necessary.
Which is why our policy, to break open BT's monopoly on infrastructure and allow other private sector providers to use BT's pipes and ducts to lay fibre, is so significant. Countries like Korea and Singapore have the most modern broadband networks in the world - with the private sector providing 95% of the investment in the former and 75% in the latter. We can do the same.
But that can only happen with the right regulatory structure, something in which the government has shown little or no interest. Shame the Culture Secretary is more interested in blogging against me than introducing policies that might actually give us the broadband network we need.
Posted on 2 February 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Haslemere Hospital - battle ahead?
I am seriously worried about the on-going closure of one of the two wards at Haslemere Hospital. This was supposed to be "temporary" in order to allow deep-cleaning to happen over Christmas. But the closure has now been extended indefinitely. Both the Godwin Unit and Elizabeth Ward are outstanding centres of excellence - and the latter in particular vital to the local Haslemere community. The concern is that the PCT seems to believe that all care can take place either at home or in an acute hospital - when all the evidence points that community hospital beds are not just popular, they are very cost effective. The other concern is over salami-slicing: Chris Butler, the PCT Chief Executive, has apparently said that community hospitals are not viable with less than 30 beds. So how long does he give Haslemere with only half that number of beds? He only became Chief Executive after the last fight to save the hospital. I hope someone tells him that we had half the town out on a march to protest.
Posted on 29 January 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Facebook
Yesterday I set up my very own facebook page. Better late than never! I plan to use it to let constituents and anyone else who is interested know what I am up to in both my work as an MP and as a Shadow Cabinet member www.facebook.com/jeremyhuntmp.
Posted on 27 January 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Bring back reading
This week Steve Jobs will launch the Apple iSlate (or whatever he decides to call it), Apple's latest gadget that is supposed to revolutionise reading in the same way iPods have revolutionised music. It is apparently going to address the fact that 40% of Americans read one book or less per annum. No doubt the statistics are equally depressing in the UK. I am quite old fashioned in my love of books - I always think there is something rather sacriligious about throwing away even a trashy book. But if new e-readers mean more people read more "books" then more power to their elbow.
Posted on 25 January 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Snow: progress with Surrey County Council
Had a good meeting with John Hilder of Surrey County Council and local residents from Rowledge and Haslemere this afternoon. It seems like the basic issues are:
* Designation of roads which need to be prioritised for clearing. Because this has been decided centrally, there are some illogicalities which mean large villages like Rowledge end up being cut off
* Grit bins: Surrey's database of grit bins is not complete which means some bins were not refilled. Others had their salt stolen shortly after being stocked up. They are updating the database on the basis of information now being provided by members of the public and considering whether more local responsibility for keeping them stocked up could work more efficiently.
* Information: no one knew whether they should or should not be clearing the snow/ice from in front of their pavement - or indeed other useful facts like the fact that cat litter can work just as well as salt. Nor did anyone really know who was in charge. This kind of information needs to be made more widely available online, and Surrey should potentially have a network of locally elected members who take responsibility in emergencies.
* Farmers: could we set up a network of volunteer farmers authorised to clear the roads? They are not able to farm when it snows and many may have tractors that could clear the snow without damaging the roads.
I will follow this up when I meet David McNulty, Surrey Chief Executive. We all accept this was 'freak' weather, but we need to make sure we are better prepared next time.
Posted on 22 January 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Labour's Broadband Tax
I am giving a speech to the Oxford Media Convention later today reiterating our oppostion to the Government’s plans to tax every phone line in the UK. This will hit hardworking families and businesses alike and worryingly could make make broadband unaffordable for nearly 200,000 homes. They want to use this tax to pay for high speed broadband but are ignoring alternative plans which could deliver the same without the need for public subsidy. You can read all about this in today’s issue of The Sun.
Posted on 21 January 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Labour and the Arts (cont)
Charlotte Higgins of the Guardian has just done a pretty fair blog of my arts speech to the RSA last week. The extraordinary point is that Labour, the self-styled party of the arts, is coming up to the general election with no arts policies. Look how Margaret Hodge dodges my question in yesterday's Oral Questions:
Mr. Jeremy Hunt (South-West Surrey) (Con): Like the Government, I am very happy to confirm that we fully support the policy of free admission to museums. Unlike the Government, however, we are prepared to be much more honest about the financial challenges ahead. Last week, the Secretary of State told the RSA that he was confident that he would be able to sustain funding for the arts and culture, yet at the same time he has cut funding for the Tate, the Science Museum, the national museums of Liverpool, and the Wallace collection. So should the arts world believe what the Government say, or what they do?
Margaret Hodge: First, I hope that you, Mr. Speaker, will allow me to draw attention to the apparent split in the Conservative party between the Front-Bench spokesperson and the Mayor of London, who consistently says publicly what some Opposition Front-Bench Members say privately about the policy of free admissions. May I also invite the hon. Gentleman to write to me with the details of these alleged cuts, because what I see from all the figures in front of me is that we have recently been able to find additional resources to enable the Tate to go forward with its further development, and that all other museums have enjoyed an increase in this comprehensive spending review?
Mr. Hunt: I would be happy to do so, and also to send the Minister details of a leaked Treasury document saying that non-ring-fenced Departments would face funding cuts of 17 per cent. in order to meet Government spending requirements. We have announced policies to help the arts get through this difficult period, such as reforming the lottery, boosting philanthropy and cutting arts administration. Those are our policies; what are the Government's?
Margaret Hodge: The hon. Gentleman's policies are akin simply to moving the deckchairs on the Titanic. Cutting the lottery fund from many of the very good causes to which it currently contributes in order to substitute for Government funding is no answer. Let me also say to him that we have yet to enter into discussions about the next CSR, but he will be aware that we on this team secured a very good settlement last time, although there were cuts across Government. I have no doubt that we can in future persuade our colleagues about the importance of investment in arts and culture from the taxpayer, not through the lottery.
Posted on 19 January 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
It doesn't have to be this way....
Took a look at the situation in Rowledge for myself today. It is a small village only accessibly by hilly roads on all sides. What they are asking for is hardly unreasonable - a simple commitment that the council will keep one of the access roads open during freak weather such as this week's. The snow was piled up on the roads around the main area in the middle of the village and I actually got my car stuck in the snow trying to manoevre it around.
I spoke to someone who works at a local surgery: she said that medicines had been running out and on two occasions an ambulance was unable to reach the surgery to pick up someone in an emergency situation. You also think about the older people who are literally trapped in their homes, terrified of falling at an age when falls can have serious consequences.
I am afraid this whole thing makes me even more of a localist. No council can reasonably be expected to deal with every occurrence of freak weather. But when the response is the responsibility of a hapless local official harassed on all sides and trying to cope with a slashed budget, what chance is there of a sensible response? With elected local leadership with real financial accountability to local people (as opposed to Whitehall), these kind of problems become much more solveable. Not least because a local elected mayor would be able to mobilise farmers, the voluntary sector and active citizens to put hand to shovel or tractor and actually clear some of the snow away.
Posted on 15 January 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Snow chaos (cont)
Just done a phone in with BBC Surrey to take questions on the snow crisis. This time there were a lot of callers from Farnham - Boundstone Road, Sandrock Hill Road and Rowledge - as well as one from Busbridge in Godalming. Rowledge in particular has suffered: neither Surrey or Hampshire councils seem to be taking responsibility to ensure there is at least one road accessible in and out of the town. Someone alluded to the good old days when these things were the responsibility of Farnham Town Council, and I must admit I had a lot of sympathy. Councils can't sort out these crises all on their own, but a locally elected mayor might stand a better chance of mobilising the community to sort of the situation.
Have written a strong letter to David McNulty at Surrey County Council - but in the end it isn't letters that people want, it is roads they can use.
Listen again to my phone in session on BBC Surrey here (I was on from 7:10am)
Posted on 14 January 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Labour and the arts
Speaking to the RSA tomorrow about Conservative arts policy. There is a sort of lazy assumption I want to put right, namely that when comes to the arts Labour = good and Tory = bad. The last Conservative government did two highly significant things for the arts: it set up the Dept for National Heritage (later the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) which gave the arts a seat at Cabinet, and it founded the National Lottery, which has generated over £4 bn for the arts totally transforming its funding. What about cuts in government spending? Well Labour is hardly on strong ground here as they have already started cutting the arts budget themselves. A more balanced view would be to say that whilst Labour has often been better at recognising the importance of the arts in its rhetoric, the Conservatives have been better at ensuring they have a solid, long-term and sustainable funding base.
Posted on 13 January 2010 by Jeremy Hunt
Snow Chaos
Why is freak weather so difficult to cope with in this country when we have it so often it is hardly freak anymore? I have been getting daily distress emails from constituents about the difficulties they have faced in the recent adverse weather. Surrey has been particularly affected with up to a foot of snow falling last week. It seems that the County Council did not have good enough plans in place - particularly a lack of grit. Admittedly they are not the only council, but it is particularly distressing for a town like Haslemere (and the hillier parts of Farnham) when none of the B roads are being gritted, potentially trapping people who do not drive in their houses. And it isn't just about getting to the shops. When we had the power cut in Haslemere, the power company complained they found it difficult to access the problem due to treacherous road conditions. We have to do better.
Posted on 11 January 2010 by Jeremy Hunt