Welcome to my weekly update no.342
I hope you all had a restful half term week. It turned out to be an extraordinarily busy news week with Andrew’s arrest, Trump’s loss in the Supreme Court and a possible 15th (yes) u-turn from the government on the Chagos deal. Meanwhile locally we have been under siege from potholes and roadworks, all of which my local Conservative team are determined to fix if we are elected in the May West Surrey unitary elections.
WESTMINSTER WHISPERS
TARIFF TROUBLE Following a recent US Supreme Court ruling striking downPresident Trump’s tariffs, the president has responded over the weekend with a new global tariff of 15%. The UK is set to be hit hard by these new tariffs but the bigger question is whether it is ever really worth doing a deal with this President given how quickly he goes back on his word. It is not something I ever thought I would write but these are exceptional times. What strikes me now is two things: firstly that the rest of the world is learning to deal with Trump’s unpredictability (witness the huge u turn on Greenland) and secondly that the checks and balances in the US constitution are turning out to be stronger than many thought. Trump has so far lost 75% of court caseschallenging his executive actions. The military and the federal system, where states jealously guard their constitutional prerogatives, are also a key break on his desire for unchecked power. The next battleground – and one that will really test the constitution – is the mid-terms: Trump is expected to lose control of Congress and is already trying to discredit the result in advance - Justin Webb is well worth a listen to on the issue.
SEND HELP The government has pledged £4bn of extra funding for SEND, along with a spate of reforms, including a controversial re-checking of eligibility for EHCPs at secondary school stage. As a local MP it is abundantly clear the system needs reform: too many children with real needs are waiting too long. I also don’t understand why so many children are being ferried around in taxis which must cost a fortune. Whether these reforms are big enough to make a real difference is more doubtful.
KEMI COMES TO GODALMING A related but separate issue is the big increase in mental illness amongst teens, something Kemi Badenoch discussed with Gemma Taylor and a group of local parents campaigning for smartphone free schools on a recent visit to Godalming. I am someone who believes part of that is connected to social media and smartphones. Last week I read Jonathan Haight’s book the Anxious Generation which looks at this in detail and is well worth a read. I am personally convinced that smartphone free schools (and childhoods) are one of the ways we can improve children’s mental health and reduce the pressure on NHS CAMHS services.
ROYAL ARREST A brief comment on the Andrew arrest: some will disagree but I am personally uncomfortable with such a public lynching. However that does not detract from the fact that what he did was utterly indefensible and we can only hope that the global publicity around his arrest means fewer young women will be trafficked going forward. I do not however believe it is the end of the monarchy as some have said. King Charles has behaved impeccably – it cannot be easy for him to put it mildly. But our support for the institution has weathered greater storms and I think it will come through this one.
LOCAL LIFE
FARNHAM RESIDENTS LEAVE Waverley Borough Council is now being run as a minority Lib Dem administration following the withdrawal of the Farnham Residents from the coalition - with the FR’s citing leadership, governance and transparency concerns. The ongoing CIL scandal and the decision to push yet more parking increases in the borough were apparently the final straw. Waverley have their budget debate this week and Councillor Jane Austin has put forward an amendment to reverse all proposed parking increases - let’s hope it is supported.
NOT SO FAIR FUNDING REVIEW Surrey County council’s budget setting concluded for the final year of operation of Surrey County Council -so residents will see a 4.99% increase as the reorganisation into two new unitary authorities continues, and a maximum 2.99% increase expected from the districts and borough councils too. With the restructuring proceeding at pace it is worth taking a look at the new Future Surrey – Surrey LGR Hub which explains how the transition will work. What is deeply frustrating, however, is the reason for the maximum tax increases: government's so-called “fair funding review”, which in Surrey’s case is anything but fair: £50 million every year is removed from Surrey’s funding base each year and redistributed elsewhere in the UK. The incoming authority will need to deliver significant efficiencies to make up for this or risk a loss of service.
ALFOLD AND DUNSFOLD have both faced an exceptionally difficult start to 2026: January’s rainfall at 200% of average has overwhelmed the sewage network once again leading to sewage overflowing into residents’ gardens and backing up into internal plumbing systems. Short term additional storage capacity has been placed on site and tankers running 24/7 to reduce pressure on the system, but this is all emergency management of a completely unacceptable situation - what is really needed is investment. I now have confirmation that the major planned pipe-relining in Alfold will happen in the coming months. I have a further meeting scheduled with Thames Water where I will be pressing for urgent improvements and a long-term plan to give Alfold and Dunsfold the resilient water network they desperately need. But in the meantime it was brilliant to see Cllr Kevin Deanus in action last week defending residents in a planning committee about lack of infrastructure in the area - powerful stuff - take a look:
Councillor Kevin Deanus at planning committee - click on image to view the clip
TONGHAM For those of you who haven’t yet seen my objection letter on the Manor Farm application take a look here. It really is a step too far for Tongham (and Ash and Alfold for that matter) to have to absorb so much of the additional housing notwithstanding the fact that we all recognise we need more houses in general.
ROADS UNDER SIEGE FROM UTILITY COMPANIES Residents have been pulling their hair out with utility companies using half term to undertake work with recent Thames Water closures in Wonersh causing widespread disruption - and SGN now announcing a 35-week gas pipe replacement programme along the A281 between Bramley and Shalford. I have a full inbox of concerned residents facing long delays to get to and from Guildford. We are urgently checking whether these SGN works are genuinely time-critical or if they can be delayed. And following the Wonersh road closure over the weekend we understand a fine is to be issued to Thames Water for not turning up to work!
SUICIDE PREVENTION BENCH - Legend-on-the-Bench is a brilliant charity helping to combat mental health issues and prevent suicides by providing accessible resources and support to individuals in need. To achieve this, they are installing benches in public parks across the UK, each featuring a QR code that can be easily scanned with a smartphone. This QR code will direct users to a comprehensive reference list of professional support groups with contact numbers. Look out for Godalming’s new bench at the Jack Phillips Memorial Park coming soon.
SPRINGING INTO ACTION I recently enjoyed a great meeting with Green Hub, a Milford, Witley & Godalming-based charity supporting teens (10-18) who are facing social, emotional & mental health challenges. They provide ‘social therapeutic horticulture’, as part of their Green Teens programme for a couple of hours each week in one of their wonderful Green Hub gardens, whatever the weather! It’s a great way to learn how to take time out and improve mental wellbeing. For more information visit https://greenhub.org.uk
AND FINALLY the Winter Olympics closed yesterday after an exhilarating two weeks of high drama and compulsive watching. It left me wondering which event is actually the most dangerous… and surprisingly it’s not the big aerials or the bobsleigh. According to injury data, ski cross and short-track speed skating top the risk charts thanks to high speeds and frequent collisions - have a read here.
Useful LinksRegister to vote - Register to vote - GOV.UK
Report a pothole - Surrey County Council FixMyStreet
Report an issue WBC - Report Issues or Problems | Waverley Borough Council
Report an issue GBC - Report an issue - Guildford Borough Council
Surrey police non-emergency - Contact us | Surrey Police
Citizens Advice Surrey - Home - Citizens Advice South West Surrey
