HELLO & welcome to my weekly update no.332.
Welcome to December and a very wet and windy one indeed today…perhaps appropriate as the fallout from a botched budget continues in Westminster. Locally things felt better – not least at the brilliant Ash Fantasia on Saturday where I had a lot of fun.
WESTMINSTER WHISPERS
BACKWARDS BUDGET With the tax burden now at all-time highs, there was little to be enthusiastic about this manifesto-breaking budget. I spoke in the budget debate about the lack of a plan to reform welfare and unlock growth, which I also summarise in this article for the Telegraph. I explain why tax rises were not necessary and why avoiding the hard choices has been so damaging in this recent episode of The Capitalist podcast. What was most depressing was a sense that this was not about the country but the political survival of Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer. We now know that public finances were not as bad as the Chancellor told us and she faced an incredibly uncomfortable grilling about whether she lied on Laura Kuennsberg’s show yesterday. I am not the kind of politician who calls for people’s heads (I have only done it once and regretted it) but misleading people, as independent economists like Paul Johnson have said she probably did, is just not acceptable.
WELFARE WOES The PM today said the government would have another crack at welfare reform but do we believe he will actually do it? If he really did, it should have been in the budget alongside the abolition of the two child benefit cap (a measure that I believe will increase poverty by the way as more children will grow up in families where no one is working). Returning the UK’s benefit bill to pre-pandemic levels by 2030 would save £47bn a year and mean no tax rises were necessary. It would also be much better for the individuals involved. Instead 2,200 are being signed off every day from having to even look for work and Labour MPs, having blocked the last attempt at welfare reform, smell blood.
LOCAL LIFE
THAT DIDN’T TAKE LONG The Bramley fuel leak is back in the spotlight following recent reports of fuel smells coming from Bramley Stream, along with locals reporting fuel close to drains in the area. We know the contamination will take several years to fully dissipate and is more noticeable during the autumn and winter months as groundwater levels rise. But it remains a concern, and Bramley Business Network also says that there are still issues affecting service connections along the High Street. Cllr Jane Austin and I have asked Asda for a full update ASAP.
A MOBILE SIGNAL…FINALLY? VodafoneThree is planning to build a new site near Cranleigh as part of its £11 billion investment programme following the merger - hooray! This site will expand the coverage footprint and significantly enhance connectivity for Cranleigh and surrounds. But in the meantime locals are still struggling with poor reception – not helped by maintenance of a mast in Ewhurst impacting Cranleigh residents last week. To continue to push things along I have written once again to VodafoneThree, EE and O2 - the work continues! But brilliant to login to Cranleigh’s WiFi network up and running by Destination Cranleigh.
ASH FANTASIA I had brilliant fun at the Ash Christmas Fantasia on Saturday - thanks to the parish council and many volunteers for putting on yet another terrific event!
SURGERY CALLS My first call was to a Cranleigh resident about how to use AI to transform government efficiency. He is a great expert and very reasonably asked whether MPs used AI themselves to improve the efficiency of their operation. I then spoke to a lady from Seale about the extension of the Surrey Hills AONB (now National Landscape) and how close we are to getting it over the line in view of the big new developments proposed for Normandy and Tongham which are causing widespread concern.
WATERTIGHT WINKWORTH Following some major construction hiccups over the last year, the new visitor centre is now progressing well. The roof is on, windows in and the building is now watertight. Only a few months to go hopefully before it is open - together with the new car park which is nearing completion also. For more information read their newsletter.
ROBOTS RETURN Congrats to The Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust which has now performed a landmark 10,000 robotic assisted surgical procedures. From humble beginnings the programme has grown into one of the busiest and most advanced in the country. Now home to four state-of-the-art surgical robotic-assisted da Vinci systems, more than 30 surgeons use the technology across a wide range of specialities, including urology, gynaecology, colorectal, hepatobiliary, oesophagogastric and ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery. Read more on their website.
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY is back this coming Saturday 6th December. Goodness they have had a tough time with all those tax and business rates hikes so please support them in the run up to Christmas https://smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/
CRANLEIGH SEN CHRISTMAS PARTY Constituent Gemma Fowler has asked me to share an invite to her SEN Christmas party. Taking place on Saturday 13th December at 13.30 at The church rooms, St Nicholas church in Cranleigh, the invite is extended to SEN families in Cranleigh and the surrounding villages. For more information, please email me and I will share Gemma’s details.
JUMP ON A HOPPA Worth taking advantage of Hoppa’s offer of free bus journeys across the borough in the run-up to Christmas. Free travel will be available to your closest centre - Godalming, Cranleigh, Farnham or Haslemere - between 9.30am and 2.30pm, Monday 15 December to Wednesday 24 December. You can register by visiting hoppa.org.uk/register or by calling 01428 681701
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