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News from Jeremy Hunt MP

Posted by Jeremy Hunt, MP for South West Surrey, at 10:29, Wed 23 August 2006:

Royal Surrey County Hospital- Public Meeting

I was delighted to see so many people at the University of Surrey last month for the public meeting which I hosted with my colleague Anne Milton, MP for Guildford.

Dozens of people attended in a bid to make their voices heard over the potential closure of the Accident and Emergency Department at the Royal Surrey.

Royal Surrey Chief Executive Nick Moberly attended alongside Nick Yeo, who is Chief Executive of the North Surrey Primary Care Trust and the transition Chief Executive of the new Surrey-wide PCT.

The wealth of support which the Royal Surrey enjoys is fantastic. There were many people at the meeting who wanted to make the two Nicks aware of their feelings for the hospital – and I think they succeeded.

I was delighted so many local people, including doctors and nurses, came along to voice their concerns about the future of our local hospital. The message is clear; we want services to stay at the Royal Surrey. The threat is real so the fight is on

I fear that losing Accident and Emergency services at Royal Surrey would be the first step in closing down the hospital altogether and would be devastating for our area. What sort of service is it if you take up to an hour to get to hospital in an emergency?

We must show the PCT and the Strategic Health Authority how much we all value the Royal Surrey in order for them to rule it out as a cost-cutting victim.

In conjunction with Anne, I have submitted a very detailed submission to the Strategic Health Authority as part of the consultation. We wrote it together and compiled all the thoughts which were collated during the public meeting.

If anyone would like to read the submission, please feel free to drop me an email and I will send you a copy.

A3 Tunnel – Inspectors Report Published

We have finally received the great news that the funding for the A3 tunnel had finally been approved.

I can now tell you that the Department of Transport has finally also published the Inspector’s Report.

The report, which is over 300 pages long, recommends an additional six-week consultation on the economics behind the scheme, as a result of the increased costs.

It also suggests the old A3 should be closed when the new tunnel is built.

This is a document we have been awaiting for so long. However it will not please everyone.

I know many people will be disappointed about the decision to close the old A3. A number of powerful arguments made by local residents appear to have been rejected by the inspector.

Sadly, it is highly unlikely the government would overturn the inspector's recommendation because that could lead to a judicial review.

The project is more likely to be cancelled than changed. So as I have said to many stakeholders, we need to exercise extreme caution in the tone with which we respond to this consultation.

Hindhead is desperate for this tunnel to be built. This has gone on too long. We need it to be build and we need its construction to start as soon as possible. I personally would like to see the project completed in time for the 2012 London Olympics.

Site Visit to Monkton Lane and Eashing Farm.

Last Thursday, I visited the two sites in our area which are currently battling against the threat of having a quarry.

I invited along Adrian Lynham who is the Head of Surrey County Council’s Minerals Plan Team. I wanted to show him the impact that a quarry would have on Monkton Lane, near Farnham, and on the areas of Eashing, Hurtmore and Charterhouse.

On the site visits I was also joined by Anne Milton, MP for Guildford, Cllr Peter Martin and a group of local campaigners including Gillian Beel, Sam Pritchard and representatives from the Save Surrey Hills Campaign.

Locating a quarry at Eashing Farm or in Monkton Lane is a suggestion which is fundamentally flawed. I am entirely against either site being earmarked for a quarry.

While I understand that Surrey County Council has been forced by the Government to find potential quarry sites, I think that keeping either Eashing or Monkton Lane in the Minerals Plan would be nothing more than a grave mistake.

Concerned nursery schools in South West Surrey ask for help.

I was recently contacted by a number of independent nursery providers who have severe concerns about the new rules on pre-school funding which are due to be introduced later this year.

The new codes of practice threaten the financial viability of many small nurseries in and around Godalming, Haslemere and Farnham.

Providers will no longer be allowed to charge parents to top-up the difference between what the Government pays and what nurseries charge.

Some nurseries fear the new proposals could result in them loosing between £25,000 and £36,000 a year.

I am working closely with Shadow Education Minister Maria Miller MP in order to secure a more financially viable solution for nursery providers.

The Government has said it is committed to increasing the provision of good quality childcare. But sadly it appears that ministers do not currently have a grasp on the number of well established nurseries that will be adversely affected by these new rules surrounding the charging of top-up fees.

I want the Government to postpone the implementation of these new directions until the facts are known and a proper evaluation of the impact on established nursery provision can be established.

In September, I am hosting a public meeting with Maria Miller for all nursery providers in South West Surrey.

The event is taking place on September 29 at 5pm in Elstead Village Hall. I would like to invite anyone who has an interest in this sector to attend.

E-newsletter.

If you would like to receive this e-newsletter in full and keep up-to-date with all my work, please email me at jeremyhuntmp@parliament.uk