57th Weekly Newsletter
After a long, noisy build-up, Labour’s Autumn Budget on 26 November has landed amid uncertainty and unease. Weeks of speculation, leaks, and last-minute changes have left households and savers wondering where they will be hit next. Promised tax commitments have been quietly shifted, pension and inheritance reforms threaten retirement planning, and council tax and property proposals risk hitting those who contribute most. From potential new charges for electric vehicles to speculation around savings and ISA allowances, this Budget raises more questions than it answers. What should have provided clarity has instead heightened anxiety for families across our constituency.
Greg
FEATURED THIS WEEK
CROOKSBURY RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
Meeting residents across the constituency is a vital part of my role. Crooksbury Road residents raised issues around fibre optic broadband, mobile connectivity, and speeding along Crooksbury Road, particularly highlighting concerns for child safety.
SEND SUPPORT IN MY CONSTITUENCY
Growing Hope, based in Weydon Christian Centre, offers free Speech and Language Therapy for children and young people with additional needs.
In addition to therapy, Growing Hope provides support for families through groups and courses for parents, carers, and siblings, ensuring that everyone receives the guidance and care they need.
WEEK OF PARLIAMENTARY DISCUSSIONS
This week, I met representatives from the Organic Growers Alliance and spoke about the vital role that community farms and small-scale growers play in strengthening the UK’s food security and supporting a resilient, sustainable food system. I also attended the Overlapping Illness Alliance drop-in session and heard directly from charities supporting people living with ME, CFS, Long Covid, EDS, PoTS, MCAS and related conditions.
CHURT ROAD, BEACON HILL BURST PIPE
I was notified yesterday by Thames Water of a burst on a pressurised foul main on Churt Road in Beacon Hill, and immediately responded to ask to be kept up-to-date on the situation. The site of the damage has been sectioned off and sewage is being diverted by tankers. I was concerned about any environmental damage and assured that there is no detrimental impact on them with regard to their water usage.
AUTUMN BUDGET 2025
Just as this Government insists its grand “Phase Two” is gathering pace, the Chancellor returned to the despatch box with exactly what she promised she would not do: another round of tax hikes. After all the assurances that working people would not be squeezed again, today’s Budget tells a very different story, and it is their wallets taking the hit.
Today’s Budget lands with a cold thud, one of the largest raids on working households in modern times, billions taken not to reward effort or enterprise but to paper over the cracks of a spiralling welfare bill.
This Budget does not reward the people who keep Britain moving, it penalises them.
If you save, you are squeezed. If you start something new, you are squeezed. If you graft, whether that is running a shop, a farm, a café or a van, you are squeezed. Ambition is treated like a liability and responsibility like something to be punished. Under this Government, we now face: a growth falling year after year, prices rising again, tax decisions hitting working families again and again, higher unemployment, higher borrowing and higher debt costs swallowing billions.
Ahead of the Budget I wrote an article covering Budget speculation, this can be found here
VISITING SCHOOLS FOR UK PARLIAMENT WEEK
For UK Parliament Week this week, I had the pleasure of visiting Farnham Heath End, Bohunt Sixth Form, and Barfield Eco Club to talk to students about my role as an MP. We discussed how Parliament works, the responsibilities I carry in representing our community, and how decisions made in Westminster affect people’s daily lives.
It was fantastic to hear their questions and ideas, from local issues to national policy, and to see their curiosity and enthusiasm for civic engagement. I also shared some of the challenges and rewards of public service, and encouraged them to get involved in their communities, make their voices heard, and explore opportunities to shape the future.
Events like these are a reminder of how important it is for young people to understand our democracy and feel empowered to participate in it. I’m grateful to the staff and students at each school and club for welcoming me so warmly and for the insightful discussions we had.
CASEWORK ROUNDUP
As ever, this week has been very busy involving a variety of issues, but two cases have been particularly challenging – one involving a terminally ill lady who needs urgent adaptations to her home to take into account her needs but has been told by Waverley Borough Council that she has to wait until the new funding in April and even then, it is not certain that she will get the go ahead. I have made urgent enquiries on her behalf and am hoping that WBC will respond favourably to help this lady in her hour of need.
Another case, involving a lady with dementia who has received unsolicited approaches and, without her understanding, was sold a new mobile phone contract. The lady in question has a sister who has championed her case with O2 and brought the case to me but how many other vulnerable people out there who are being targeted by these phone companies and sold products that they have no idea about. I have tabled an urgent Written Parliamentary Question and shall be keeping a very close eye on this subject.
Meanwhile, I am delighted that I was able to successfully intervene on behalf of a lady who had been waiting for months for her DBS certificate, and she is now able to commence her employment.
