As residents will be aware, on Saturday the Prime Minister announced that new national restrictions will be introduced from Thursday, as part of the government’s ongoing effort to drive down the level of Coronavirus.

These measures mean that, from Thursday, everyone must stay at home, only leaving for a limited set of reasons. These reasons include for education, work (if you cannot work from home) and to shop for food and essentials. There is more detail, including other reasons you can leave home for, available here. Until Thursday, the current “high” alert level restrictions remain in place in Elmbridge.

I know that these latest measures will be frustrating for Elmbridge residents, particularly given the efforts that have been made to follow the “high” alert level restrictions. These new measures have, however, become essential. As the Prime Minister, the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Scientific Adviser set out on Saturday, the virus is now spreading faster than the reasonable worst case scenario of the government’s scientific advisers. As a result, while the recent local action we have taken has made a difference, we must now take further measures.

Neither I nor the government underestimate the pressures that this will place on residents and businesses in Elmbridge. This is why the Chancellor has extended the furlough scheme until 2 December, made the self-employment scheme more generous, extended the deadlines for applying for the business loan schemes, and ensured that mortgage payment holidays will continue to be available.

In addition, local businesses which are forced to close will receive up to £3,000 per month. The grants which were made available when Elmbridge entered “high” level restrictions (worth up to £2,100 per month) will still be provided for the period that these restrictions applied.

Local residents have shown great resolve over the past seven months, and I know that everybody will continue to do so over the next few weeks. As ever, residents can contact me for assistance at dominic.raab.mp@parliament.uk.

It was good to be out in Stoke D’Abernon on Friday, meeting local businesses with councillors David and Mary Lewis. Almost two weeks after Elmbridge entered the “high” COVID alert level, I wanted to see how businesses have been finding the restrictions and raise awareness of the new government support available.

The businesses I’ve visited across Elmbridge have been doing a great job in supporting their communities in recent months, and Stoke D’Abernon was no exception. Bruce’s Doggy Day Care, for example, ensured that key workers with pets could carry on doing their jobs. The Mace convenience store, Zara’s Patisserie and ‘Good Elf’ delicatessen all stayed open during lockdown to support the community, with the latter expanding their product range to make sure residents could access what they needed. I saw another great example of this community spirit when I met the volunteers running Chatterbus, a not for profit bus service which now takes children to Cobham Free School.

It was very welcome to find out how government support has kept businesses going. I heard from Corinne, at Baloolah hairdressers, that both the furlough scheme and one of the small business grants had made a real difference. At Bruce’s Doggy Day Care, the furlough scheme saved over 50 jobs and everyone is now back at work.

It’s clear that, while businesses owners and staff are putting in a huge amount of effort, this is still a challenging time. The government has made more help available, and I encourage residents to support local businesses (as much as possible in line with current restrictions) through this period.

On Friday, I joined local councillor Christine Richardson and Conservative candidate Kris Januszajtis-Neale for a tour of Walton High Street. With Elmbridge now under the “high” COVID alert level, I wanted to check in with local businesses and make sure they have the support they need.

First up, we dropped into some shops on the High Street and New Zealand Avenue, including Hope’s Barber, the tech shop Click Save and Print and the window furnishers Pleats and Folds. We also spoke to staff at the Surrey Coffee Company. Like many of the businesses I’ve visited in recent weeks, many explained how they are keeping their businesses going by switching to a takeaway service.

Next, we moved on to Bridge Street, where we visited Artielli Jewellers, County Carpets, Walton Stitch and the Escape hair and beauty salon. Finally, we heard about how the Eat Out To Help Out scheme helped to keep business going at Morts Wine Bar.

Many of these businesses have already accessed government support this year, but I know that the new “high” alert level in Elmbridge may present challenges – particularly for the hospitality sector. With this in mind, it was good to have a chance to talk to retailers about the new support that the Chancellor announced last week. This includes grants for businesses under “high” alert restrictions, and a more generous Job Support Scheme to keep on staff who are working fewer hours.

I would encourage local businesses to take a close look at the new support available, and local residents to support them if you can.

Last week, the government announced significant new measures to support businesses, livelihoods and communities in Elmbridge during the Coronavirus restrictions.

First, on Thursday the Chancellor set out a new package of economic support for businesses and employees. This includes new cash grants, worth up to £2,100 per month, for businesses in “high” alert areas like Elmbridge. These grants are primarily for businesses in the hospitality, accommodation and leisure sectors, enabling Elmbridge Borough Council to determine which businesses are eligible. The council is providing updates on its website, here.

The Chancellor also announced changes to the Job Support Scheme, which begins in November. This will help businesses to keep on staff who are working fewer hours, with the government contributing to their wages for the hours they are not working. The scheme has been made more generous, with the government contributing more to employees’ wages than previously planned, and employers contributing less. More details are available here.

The self-employment scheme is also changing, with the two forthcoming grant payments now covering 40% of previous earnings, rather than 20%. More information is available here.

Second, on Thursday, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government allocated a further £100,000 of emergency grant funding to Elmbridge Borough Council (EBC). The council has now received £1.66 million of this ‘un-ringfenced’ funding, which means that it can be spent it as EBC sees fit. This is helping the council to respond to Coronavirus-related pressures.

EBC has also received government funding to spend on specific programmes, such as housing the vulnerable and safely re-opening high streets. Including this funding, EBC has benefitted from £2.32 million of government support during the pandemic.

I’m working hard to make sure we have the local support we need to see us through the challenging months ahead.

Earlier today I went out on Oxshott High Street, checking in on local businesses with Councillors Mark Sugden and Andy Burley.

First up, we headed into Oxshott Village Store. It was good to hear how the new owners made sure the shop became a key community asset during the early stages of lockdown. We also spoke to the staff at Surrey Hills Butchers (pictured above), where the locally sourced produce looked great – and I bought some steaks for dinner.

Next, we dropped into The Hitt House fitness studio and Clay Hair Salon, whose owner organised a community delivery service to help the vulnerable earlier in the year.

Finally, it was great to meet everyone at the Oxshott Delicatessen and Munch and Wiggles café. All of these businesses were impacted by the lockdown, but have been bouncing back since, with innovative business practices, government support and loyal customers.

Of course, there were lots of questions today about Elmbridge moving into the “high” COVID alert level from tomorrow. As I said earlier, I understand that this will be disappointing for residents, but the additional restrictions are necessary to help curb the spread of the virus.

It’s important to remember that all of our local shops will still be open over the coming weeks. So, if you are able to support them while sticking to the new rules, I would encourage you to do so.

It was great to join local Chair of Cobham Chamber of Commerce, Alistair Mann, for a tour of Cobham High Street earlier today, continuing the series of visits I’ve been making to businesses across the borough.

First, Alistair and I dropped into Gordon Marks. This is a really impressive jewellery and furniture business, which counts the Royal Household among its customer base. Next we moved on to Farrants, a newsagent and tobacconist which also sells sweets and toys. Farrants has been open since 1896 and it was good to hear that it supplied a local care home with hand sanitiser earlier in the year. We then visited the health food shop Energetic Health (which also sourced and supplied hand sanitiser), Moonflower florists (which moved to a home delivery system during lockdown), and Café Fego, which also reinvented itself as a delivery and takeaway business when it wasn’t able to open. Finally, we stopped by Stoneleigh butcher’s and Evie Loves Toast, a boutique gift shop. Both are the kind of brilliant, independent local businesses that make Cobham High Street such a great place.

Cobham businesses have made heroic efforts to adapt to Coronavirus. They’ve shown real ingenuity, allowing them to keep welcoming customers in a safe manner. There was plenty of positive feedback on the government’s economic support, and it was encouraging to hear how many businesses had accessed the various schemes on offer. As we continue the national effort to beat Coronavirus, I’ll keep making sure that local businesses have the support they need to weather very tough times and bounce back.

Earlier this afternoon, I joined local Conservative candidate Kris Januszajtis-Neale to check in on shops and businesses at Walton Station and Halfway. This was the latest in a series of visits I’ve been making to shops and high streets across Elmbridge, seeing how they’ve been doing since re-opening after lockdown.

Today we dropped in to Petals of Wisdom, a great florists by Walton Station, as well as Giuseppe’s Coffee Shop, The Barber Shop, Tech Shed and Chocolate Box nearby. Being so close to the station, these businesses had a really difficult time when people stopped commuting during lockdown, so it was great to see them bouncing back.

Next, we moved on to the Halfway shops. Kris and I spoke to owners and staff at the Italian restaurant L’affamato, CIT camping and Cherry’s pharmacy. I was particularly impressed by the hard work everyone at the pharmacy has put in over this difficult period. Just like the Boots I visited in Esher recently, its services proved vital to local residents during lockdown.

Across all the businesses we visited today we saw positivity, innovative business practices as they’ve adapted to the new conditions, and appreciation for government support. All these factors will continue to be crucial in the months ahead.