Equitable Life

Having been in the House of Commons to listen to the recent statement by the Financial Secretary on compensation payments for those affected by the failings of Equitable Life, I thought I'd lay out some thoughts on a subject which affects so many people in East Surrey.

To begin with, I think we should welcome the swiftness with which the Coalition has got on with the task of setting in motion the process for compensation. Equitable Life victims have been waiting a long time for justice, and now the end is in sight. We should give credit where credit is due.

The Financial Secretary was reporting on the work done by Sir John Chadwick, who made a first stab at coming up with a compensation figure. I would stress that these are preliminary figures and the Financial Secretary has said that there is further work to be done before a final estimate can be produced. But I fully understand that some of Sir John's findings will be contentious. Indeed, personally, I am particularly underwhelmed by this first attempt at establishing a compensation figure by Sir John, but perhaps this was to be expected given his original terms of reference.

Whilst I think we all, including the Parliamentary Ombudsman, accept that the final payment amount will be subject to public purse affordability - and must be given the perilous state of the public finances - I'll be campaigning for Equitable Life victims to get the compensation they deserve.

Celebrating our Epilepsy Champions

It was great to be able to host a well deserved thank you party for the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy on Wednesday in the House of Commons to thank the thirty one staff from Surrey and Sussex schools who trained to become "Epilepsy Champions". This was part of the NCYPE's Champions for Childhood Epilepsy campaign. In 2009, each of the 21 schools taking part chose one or more members of staff to become their ‘epilepsy champion'. The staff then received free training from the NCYPE and went back to work with their colleagues to revise school policies and procedures on supporting with pupils with epilepsy.

As is obvious from the increased awareness and skills the Champions came away with after their training, the NCYPE are leaders in their field and this campaign will help harness that knowledge so that people all over the UK can begin to appreciate the challenges that those with epilepsy face.

I'd encourage anyone interested to visit the NCYPE website to learn more about the great work the NCYPE do.

Surrey Minerals Plan

As some of you may know, I've written to the Council asking for them to withdraw their Surrey Minerals Plan.

New government legislation gives the Council a golden opportunity to reduce the level of mineral production in the county and resulting disruption to the local environment and the peace and quiet of local residents - because it abolishes the regional spatial strategies which the Council has previously argued forced minerals targets upon it.

The spirit of the new legislation clearly looks to give due weight to local opinion - it aims to give far greater local discretion over planning matters and states that plans should reflect local aspirations. As the previous consultation on the Minerals Plan quite clearly highlights, this opposition exists.

The national targets which were the excuse given previously for the Plan are no longer in place and so residents should be consulted on the Plan and its proposals again, based on the new justification for such a plan and set in a new context by the Council. To carry on without any alteration or fresh consultation is grossly unfair, and I really don't think it's "taking account of local concerns" as the Plan should do.

Overall, the currently submitted Plan is a threat to the Green Belt and the local environment. This is an essential part of what makes Surrey such a great place to live and work, and something which the vast majority of us care deeply about.

I am fully aware that creating the current Plan has involved a great deal of time and effort from the Council, and I understand their need to provide a clear framework for the future of minerals production in Surrey.

But I think a review makes sense.

To give local people the voice that the new Government legislation explicitly calls for, and to adjust the Plan to take account of this new people-led process.

Marden Lodge School

I spent Friday morning visiting Marden Lodge Primary School in Caterham. It was a pleasure to meet such lively polite kids; they're a credit to the school and fully deserve the new play area that's just been built there. The teachers there - led by headteacher Georgina Steinthal  - are doing some great things, and it was good to get the chance to take the full tour. Hopefully we can start letting teachers teach again, freeing them up to do what they do best: giving our youngsters the confidence and knowledge they need to fulfil their potential.

Nutfield Marsh Group

Following on from my meeting with the Quarry Observation Group in Bletchingley, I met up with the Nutfield Marsh Residents Group on Friday morning. They have legitimate concerns about the Surrey Minerals Plan which has just been submitted by Surrey County Council, and we spent the morning discussing the specific issues they have and how best we can resolve them. The new planning legislation that has come down from the Coalition Government looks to give power back to the people over planning decisions in their area, and by submitting the Plan it seems that Surrey County Council appear to be ignoring this.

Elaine Burtenshaw - Neighbourhood Inspector for the Tandridge Area

It was good to see Elaine Burtenshaw again, and we had a productive chat about the policing issues in the area. I'm hoping to do more with Elaine and local residents soon - watch this space!

Celebrating 25 years of Glebe Care Home

Having just left the Wii Competition in Caterham I dashed over to Chaldon to join the residents of Glebe Care Home for a tea party to celebrate their 25th anniversary. To have served the community for 25 years is a credit to all those involved over that long period, and I was thrilled to have been able to join them for this well-earned celebration!

Wii Tennis Competition at Elizabeth Court

To tie in with Wimbledon, Elizabeth Court Residential home in Caterham hosted a Wii Tennis competition, involving four local Care homes on Friday afternoon. I went along to catch some of the action and present the prizes at the end.

Two Wii Consoles were placed in different units in the homes and connected through the internet connection to enable residents to compete against each other online. The games were tight but after much excitement the tournament was won by Oakleigh, with Barnfield as runners up. It's a great idea to find a new way for the residents to get together (albeit remotely!) and have some fun. My thanks also go to Sam Ndlovu, the Business Manager at Elizabeth Court, who organised the whole event, and even let me indulge my competitive side with a quick game myself.

Langshott Infant School in Horley

I was delighted to be invited back to see the youngsters at Langshott School compete in their Sports Day events and to open its new play area. It's a credit to the school and gives the children the space they need to have some well-earned fun after a hard day in the classroom!

Community dialogue with residents in Limpsfield

Was kindly invited to a house meeting of local residents of the Limpsfield area on Friday morning; it gave me a good sense of what their concerns are, and showed me just how much will there is here to support the community and for everyone to do their bit to make East Surrey a great place to live. All those present were keen to get more involved with the community, and it was great to get the chance to chat about this and think up ways of making it happen. Hopefully I can do more of this type of meeting over the coming months.

It also struck me that there are lots of people with good ideas willng to get involved.  My thinking is that it would be great to start to link up all the various groups and individuals wanting to get involved, and to carry on the conversation over the coming months.  Any suggestions on the most effective way to do this most welcome!