As I wrote in the Farnham Herald this week, our area truly shines in weeks like these, and I hope you and your family have had the opportunity to make use of some of the beautiful countryside in our part of Surrey and Hampshire. With Parliament in recess, I expect Keir Starmer is making the most of time away from heavy scrutiny - though I can’t imagine he’ll be spotted near Makerfield any time soon…
Greg
FEATURED NEWS
Meeting SEND parents and teachers
My ongoing work on supporting families and schools with children of special educational needs and disabilities brought me back to The Ridgeway for a discussion hosted by Headteacher Tom Byrne. I’ll be taking the stories of local experiences back to Parliament, be it in debates or meetings with Ministers - the most effective way I can argue for change.
Latest advice surgery in Farnham
On Friday, I held another constituents’ advice surgery, meeting people in a private setting to go through their concerns or issues in detail. Topics included local planning policy, congestion in Liphook, and suicide prevention. I regularly hold these surgeries in all four of our largest towns and my office in Hindhead. Do get in touch if you would like to book an appointment.
National Trust comes to Passfield
When I visited Jason at Passfield Stores earlier this year, along with Cllr Debbie Curnow-Ford, he spoke about persistent issues with flooding outside his business. As the local landowner, I brought the National Trust back to the shop to see what needs to be done, and I’m pleased that a plan has been agreed and is now being taken up with the County Council.
Armed Forces delegation to Romania
I visited the RAF Typhoon squadron supporting NATO air policing operations on the Alliance’s eastern flank. I saw how airspace incursions are deterred, particularly drones - a threat brought into focus by the Russian drone strike which hit a Romanian apartment block last night. I also met senior Romanian military and political leaders to discuss defence cooperation and the UK’s role in strengthening European security.
MORE HOMES SET FOR GIGABIT BROADBAND
There has been encouraging progress on broadband rollout across the constituency, with Openreach now expected to connect nearly 3,000 additional homes to gigabit-capable broadband. This builds on improvements already seen in areas such as Passfield, where coverage now exceeds 84% - a level that should become the baseline across our communities. Fast, reliable broadband is no longer a luxury but essential infrastructure, and it is vital that rural and semi-rural areas are not left behind.
However, there are also growing concerns. The cancellation of the remaining Project Gigabit rollout across Hampshire and West Sussex, alongside the indefinite pause to Openreach’s plans for the Frensham exchange, risks leaving some communities with persistently poor connectivity. I have raised this directly with the Minister for Digital Economy and requested an urgent meeting with Government, Openreach and CityFibre to review the situation. While the Government remains committed to 99% nationwide coverage, my focus is ensuring our area is not overlooked and receives the investment it needs.
SPEAKING AT THE HUNTER CENTRE
I was very pleased to spend time at the Hunter Centre during Dementia Action Week, where I joined staff, volunteers and families both as Patron of the charity and the local MP. What always strikes me on visits like this is the atmosphere - it is warm, reassuring and quietly transformative. The conversations I have with families stay with me in particular, with many speaking about the comfort of knowing their loved ones are somewhere they are genuinely understood. As I said in my speech on the evening, it is not always that things become easier, but that for a time, people feel less alone - and that matters enormously.
It also reinforced something I reflected on in my remarks: that good care is not just about formal services, but about connection and community. The Hunter Centre shows how local, person-centred support can make a real difference, helping people stay independent while easing pressure on families and the wider system. As we look to the future of health and social care, this is exactly the kind of model we should be building around, not treating as an add-on.
THIS WEEK’S CASEWORK 'WINS’
I have now secured a dedicated virtual briefing next Tuesday morning with Capita, the administrators of civil service pensions, following a deeply unsatisfactory MP briefing in the House of Commons with where many were unable even to speak to an operative. This will focus specifically on the cases raised with me by constituents, particularly in Farnham, Haslemere and Liphook, and I have been assured that a fuller, more substantive update will be provided. I will report back on this next week.
In the meantime, I was extremely concerned to hear from an elderly constituent who had fallen victim to identity fraud, resulting in his driving licence being revoked and a series of distressing driving offence accusations being wrongly attributed to him. I am very pleased to have been able to support him in resolving the issue, clearing his name, and ensuring his licence was reinstated.
