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GOOD AFTERNOON & welcome to my weekly update no.299
Today is Holocaust Memorial Day - and 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Thank you to King Charles for representing us on this sober and sad occasion which I discuss below alongside other national and local news.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER
NEVER AGAIN Many of us will watch the commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau this evening. As a new MP I visited Auschwitz Birkenau nearly 20 years ago with young people from Godalming College. What I could not get out of my mind then was the way efficiency, normally a virtue, was twisted and harnessed for such a murderous purpose. What worries me now is something different, namely that democracy and freedom can no longer be taken for granted because of the recent rise of autocratic regimes. 80 years on, history must never, ever be repeated. One of the most extraordinary Holocaust survivors is Edith Eger, an American psychologist who wrote about how she survived with sheer mental willpower in a book called The Choice. She said, in words I can never forget, ‘the biggest prison you will ever live in is the prison you build inside your own mind.’
REEVES HOBNOBBING The Chancellor is in fightback mode this week with a growth speech on Wednesday and hints she will approve a new runway at Heathrow. Many will say it’s a bit rich to be talking about growth after she has hammered small businesses with her national insurance increases - indeed all three of my surgery calls today were on just that. Planning rules do need overhauling, so if she is serious that is to be welcomed. But rather than killing businesses with tax rises, can she please fund public services by confronting the ballooning welfare budget and public sector productivity, still 6% below pre-pandemic levels? There was a recent Chancellor who made a start on that in case she wants to dust down some plans…
THE TRUMP KEIR CALL Yesterday Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had a phone call with President Donald Trump. Based on the reporting that followed, it was rather friendlier than many feared. In my experience the special relationship tends to get prioritised by US Presidents as soon as they start thinking about global security. So memo to Keir: cancel the Chagos deal, increase defence spending and don’t cosy up too much to China.
NHS UPDATE For health buffs, last week’s Patient Safety Watch newsletter is worth a read. In particular I look at whether you can (as the government seems to want to) ignore A & E waiting times to focus exclusively on elective care. Unfortunately if the beds fill up with emergency patients, there are none left for hips and knees so the whole system has to be considered.
WHAT’S GOING ON LOCALLY
GUILDFORD HORROR SHOW Shocking news from Guildford Borough Council last week with the release of the investigative report by Heminsley Law into the £13.5m alleged fraud within their housing account. The report confirms numerous major financial and governance failings which allowed the fraud despite 13 red flags which officers ‘could or should’ have picked up. The LibDem imposed merger - or ‘collaboration’ - of GBC with Waverley has been a distraction which many believe meant the fraud was not picked up - and Waverley council tax payers are understandably worried they may now be on the hook. Guildford Opposition Leader Cllr Philip Brooker has called for the resignation of the LibDem leader and a criminal investigation is ongoing. Well done to the Guildford Dragon who have been forensic in their investigation on this for over a year.
CHESTER BRIDGE OPENING DRAWS NEAR More positively we are perilously close to the bridge opening which will be a complete game changer for Ash residents. Signs for the next phase of work post bridge opening went up last week which prompted some concern that the level crossing might close before the new bridge is opened. I raised this with Cllr Matt Furniss and Cllr John Tonks who have confirmed that GBC is now waiting for the permit from Network Rail to close the level crossing in order to then open the bridge… really not long now!
SURGERY CALLS My first call was to a Nick Harris, Godalming resident who represents the UK’s craft baking retailers. He wanted to talk about the way bakery shops have been hit with a triple hammer blow in the budget with the national insurance rise, the increase in the minimum wage and the reduction in business rates relief - alongside a massive blow on inheritance tax. We did not need these tax changes for public finances - welfare reform and public sector productivity improvements could have delivered just as much. I then spoke to an Ash resident and a Cranleigh resident, both with school uniform businesses which will be negatively impacted by another government initiative to simplify uniforms in the Schools Bill. They pointed out that the unintended consequence will be schools moving away from uniforms with a very detrimental impact on the school environment as well as costing parents more. It will also be bad for shops in the schoolwear sector, much of which is small family businesses trying to compete with the big clothing retailers.
NO MORE GODALMING SAINSBURYS CAFE Sainsburys café is to close as one of the last 61 hot food counters and cafes (and 3,000 resulting job losses) are set to close due to Sainsbury’s nationwide cost cutting measures which many have linked to the budget national insurance rises. I am particularly sad as I used to do surgeries there. I have written to Sainsbury CEO Simon Roberts to ask if he is willing to rethink - and if not offer to another café operator. We know there is unlimited demand for coffee in Godalming!
ASH LODGE PARK COMMUNITY SPACE What should we do with the land that the NHS do not now want for a health facility? Last week I launched my campaign to find out resident views - and amazingly over 100 have already responded!). GBC unwisely did not progress the option for a community space on the lot and so the 5-year window in the s106 planning agreement has now lapsed. This means effectively the space is handed back to the developer. The latest from GBC is that Bewley Homes are looking into a sale to a residential care home provider, but I question if this is the community space local people envisaged…. Let me know what you think so we can keep this space for community use if we possibly can.
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