Yesterday the Chancellor set out the government’s spending plans for next year, 2021/22. These announcements deliver on the government’s promises to residents in Elmbridge, and include important measures to tackle Coronavirus, but also to deliver on other priorities including policing and schools. First, Coronavirus. The government is spending £280 billion this year to get the country through the pandemic, including through the furlough scheme, business loans and grants, and tax relief. Next year, public services will receive £55 billion to tackle Coronavirus, including an initial £18 billion to fund programmes on testing, PPE and vaccines. This will support the national ...

I enjoyed taking part in a virtual assembly about internet safety at Thames Ditton Junior School on Friday. The assembly was organised by Google and Parent Zone, an organisation which helps families to navigate the internet safely and confidently. With everyone spending more time online at the moment, it’s important that we teach children how to benefit from the internet in a safe and secure way. This assembly gave me a chance to help with this, encouraging the children to “Be Internet Legends” by following some key tips to stay safe online. Joining the assembly was also a good opportunity ...

Yesterday, I was encouraged to receive a letter from the Department of Health and Social Care, informing me that a new Coronavirus testing site will soon be opening at Hersham Village Hall. This is good news for the community, as it will make it easier to access tests and tackle the virus. The new testing site is part of an expansion of ‘walk-through’ sites across the UK, complementing the existing drive-through testing network, home testing and the Mobile Testing Units which have been travelling across the country. This will help the NHS Test and Trace service (which has processed more ...

On Friday afternoon I had a valuable catch up (via Zoom) with the Cobham and Downside Residents Association (CDRA) and Federation of Oxshott Residents and Associations (FEDORA). We had a good discussion about the forthcoming Elmbridge Local Plan, which Elmbridge Borough Council recently announced will be published for consultation in the new year. Local Conservative councillors are clear – we oppose the option with development on Green Belt land. We call on the Lib Dems and Residents Associations running the council to follow our lead in protecting the Green Belt. We also spoke about the government’s reforms to the planning ...

Earlier this afternoon I was at Holy Trinity Church in Claygate, with Jenny French, their vicar Patrick Bateman, and a team of volunteers from the East Elmbridge Foodbank. I joined the team in preparing parcels of Christmas food and essentials, carefully observing the rules for volunteering during the current Coronavirus restrictions. These parcels will be going out to clients of the foodbank and local families who need a bit of help at this time of year. This was also a good opportunity to catch up with Jenny and the foodbank team, who have been doing a terrific job recently to ...

Earlier this year, I posted about the government’s independent review of flood insurance, which was established after serious flooding in some areas of the country last winter. While this review was to focus on the situation in Doncaster (which was particularly badly affected), it was also asked to look at any systemic issues in the provision of flood insurance. This is important in Elmbridge, given the proximity of communities like Walton and Molesey to the River Thames and the River Mole, and our previous experience of flooding. The review has now been published, and makes 12 recommendations to help residents ...

I was very encouraged to hear that eight local charities have received over £124,000 of government funding during the Coronavirus pandemic, through the National Lottery Community Fund. This figure includes £10,000 for the R C Sherriff Trust (which works to advance the arts across Elmbridge) and more than £30,000 for Music in Hospitals & Care, which provides live music sessions for people in hospitals and hospices. Citizens Advice Elmbridge (West) has also received more than £40,000 to support their essential work. I visited the great team there last month and was, as always, very impressed by their dedication. It’s been ...

Last week, the Department for Work and Pensions announced that Surrey will receive £2.1m to support vulnerable families and individuals this winter. This funding, from a new Covid Winter Support Grant Scheme, will allow Surrey County Council (SCC) to directly help the hardest-hit families and individuals, as well as providing food for children who need it over the holidays. At least 80% of the funding will be earmarked to support people with food and bills. SCC will receive the funding at the beginning of December, with the support lasting until April next year. In addition to this, local children who ...

It was good to catch up with Alison Mein and the team at the Citizens Advice Elmbridge (West) offices in Walton on Friday. They have all been doing an amazing job during the pandemic, helping residents with almost 3,000 issues over the past six months. I heard about the team’s ongoing support for the elderly population in Elmbridge, as well as their plans to develop a bespoke service for 16-24 year olds. This will make their presence even more valuable to the local community. We covered measures that the government introduced to support private renters during the pandemic (first a ...

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 ...