Jeremy wants to hear from you. What are your priorities for South West Surrey?
A letter, leaflet and survey are currently being delivered to households in South West Surrey. Within this Jeremy outlines his 10 ideas for South West Surrey and he wants to hear your thoughts.
You can either complete the survey delivered to your house and send it back or you can complete your answers online.
CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY ONLINE
If you have any additional suggestions or comments. Please email huntj@parliament.uk
You can download a copy of the leaflet in pdf format here.
1. MAKE OUR TOWN CENTRES GREENER & MORE FAMILY FRIENDLY
Jeremy believes that Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere are some of the prettiest and most pleasant towns in the South East. But too often they fail to reach their full potential because their centres have been modelled to help cars more than people. Jeremy is currently campaigning for a trial pedestrianisation scheme in the centre of Farnham so that – like Godalming – families could walk around the centre more easily at weekends. All our towns could be made easier for cyclists (although the hills will always be a challenge!).
Jeremy says:“We do not want just to shift traffic from one part of Farnham to another, so finding a workable pedestrianisation scheme will not be easy. But making our town centres greener is not just good for residents – all the evidence shows it is good for local businesses too.”
2. FIGHT OVERDEVELOPMENT IN OUR TOWNS AND VILLAGES
Many people accuse those who worry about overdevelopment of being “nimbies” – people who want development anywhere except near them. But in reality we are all as concerned about spiralling property prices that make housing unaff ordable for young people as we are about overdevelopment. The answer is surely to promote small-scale, community led housing projects that cater to local needs rather than “big bang” schemes that threaten the character of our towns and villages. Jeremy is particularly concerned about the “key site” development in Godalming and supports developments such as that recently completed by theWinn Hall in Dunsfold.
Jeremy says:“Rather than top down government targets, the way to solve the housing crisis is to allow communities to decide the appropriate places for development are.”
3. PROTECT SERVICES AT HASLEMERE HOSPITAL
Whilst there have been successes in the campaigns for the Royal Surrey and Milford Hospital, there are real concerns that Surrey Primary Care Trust wants to close community hospital beds in Haslemere. One ward was closed at Christmas for “deep cleaning” but has not been reopened, and there are fears that with only one ward of 16 beds the hospital will be deemed “uneconomic.” Jeremy believes that people want to be treated nearer home where there is a more personal service and it is easier for friends and family to visit. More importantly the clinical results can be better as well as saving money for the NHS. The Minor Injuries Unit at Haslemere is also very popular, with a staggering 79% of Haslemere residents wanting longer opening hours in Jeremy’s survey. He has pressed the PCT on this repeatedly on this because far from costing money, he thinks it should save money by reducing pressure on GPs and the Royal Surrey.
Jeremy says:“It seems that time and time again we have to fight the battle for local healthcare provision. If the PCT really does want to close the community beds at Haslemere, they had better be ready for a fight because this is an issue which I and local residents feel incredibly strongly. With its GPs next door, Haslemere hospital is an innovative model which works – so we should be supporting it not cutting it back.”
4. KEEP UP THE PRESSURE ON THE PROMISED MILFORD HOSPITAL REFURBISHMENT
Surrey Primary Care Trust have indicated their wish to save Milford Hospital and invest £1m in refurbishing it, news that is hugely welcome to Jeremy and other local campaigners. But previous experience shows that these commitments are not always honoured, and there are rumours that the Primary Care Trust has a long term plan to remove all beds from community hospitals. Jeremy is determined not to give up until the plans to invest in Milford are actually implemented – and very concerned about the 6 beds that have recently been closed.
Jeremy says:"We have won the argument – now we need to win the war. My grandfather benefi ted from the amazing care offered by Milford – I want everyone to be able to do the same for generations to come.”
5. HELP HOUSEHOLDS TO BE GREENER
Since Jeremy became an MP, recycling in Waverley has increased from practically nothing to an impressive 43% of all waste. But there is much further to go. Waverley still doesn’t collect cardboard or kitchen waste. Campaigns like Greening Godalming show we can all make a difference in fighting climate change – but proper incentives from central and local government make a huge difference.
Jeremy says:“In Windsor an innovative scheme by the local Conservative council rewarded recyclers with M & S vouchers, leading to a dramatic uptake in recycling rates. We need to do more to encourage all local residents to be part of the green revolution.”
6. IMPROVE PARKING AT OUR RAILWAY STATIONS
Haslemere and Farnham train stations in particular really suffer from a lack of parking. This causes huge problems for local residents constantly affected by on street commuter parking outside their houses. Recently plans for an extra deck at Haslemere station were abandoned by South West Trains because of the recession, so Jeremy has been working with Network Rail and South West Trains to try and find an alternative solution.
Jeremy says:“It is crucial that we find a solution to the lack of parking at the stations. Commuter parking has become a nightmare in some streets but this problem will never be solved unless we increase station car park capacity.”
7. TRIAL 20 MPH SPEED LIMITS IN OUR VILLAGES
Recently the government has announced plans to allow communities to reduce speed limits to 20 mph in residential areas. This follows evidence that it significantly reduces the number of deaths and injuries where it has been introduced. Jeremy wants Surrey County Council to allow local villages to trial this, particularly in “hotspots” where traffic continues to go too fast, such as the A287 through Elstead and the A283 through Witley and Chiddingfold .
Jeremy says:“All of us – myself included – have got to learn to drive more slowly through our villages. 20 mph limits would help that so I want to support any villages that think it might work for them.”
8. PROTECT GREEN SPACES IN OUR TOWNS AND VILLAGES
Whether Lion Green in Haslemere, Lammas Lands in Godalming or Bishops Meadow in Farnham, all our towns benefi t from vital “green lungs”. However recently there have been concerns that some could be used for development. Along with others Jeremy has been campaigning to protect Bishops Meadows in Farnham both from development and being used to off set development elsewhere.
Jeremy says:“Being so close to London, the pressure to develop is immense and we must be eternally vigilant in protecting our special green spaces.”
9. SUPPORT LOCAL POLICING
Big changes are afoot at Surrey Police and Jeremy is determined to ensure that local policing in Surrey stays local – and not based out of Guildford. There are currently plans to close down police stations in Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere. Jeremy is determined to ensure that the public continue to have a local police station they can use – and police do not get sucked into Guildford exposing our towns and villages to greater risk of crime.
Jeremy says:“Community policing has been a huge success in recent years, and along with many residents I really value the work done by our brilliant PCSOs. You always need to look at more efficient ways to deliver services, but truly local policing must mean they are based locally and not in Guildford.”
10. ALLOW SOUTH WEST SURREY SCHOOL CHILDREN TO HOLD A DEBATE IN THE CHAMBER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
Jeremy has organised numerous tours of the Houses of Parliament for local school groups. He believes it is vital to nourish interest in our democracy at a time when trust in politicians and parliament has been rocked by the expenses scandal. Under the new speaker John Bercow, the UK Youth Parliament held its first debate in the chamber of the House of Commons. Why shouldn’t we organise something similar for school children from South West Surrey?
Jeremy says:“Many people have been put off politics by what has happened in the last 6 months. But rather than giving up on politicians, I want to do anything possible to inspire young people to be part of the change we need.”
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