2015 has been a very busy year. I would just like to say once more that it is an honour to have been re-elected as your Member of Parliament at the General Election. I would also like to wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Crossrail 2 Public Meeting
Thank you to everyone who came to my Crossrail 2 public meeting on Monday 7th December. Over 200 local residents attended the meeting on a cold December evening, which shows the strong interest many have in this issue. I think it is crucially important that residents get every opportunity to find out more about Crossrail and ask questions directly of the team.
Many residents were frustrated at the lack of detail from Crossrail 2 about some parts of their plans, and I share this frustration. I am also dismayed that only one option has been consulted upon. As the plans progress there will be further consultations, hopefully on other options, and I will do my part by organising further public meetings and sharing as much information as I can.
At the meeting there was concern that more detail was given in a previous meeting for local businesses. Love Wimbledon have helpfully published slides from that meeting here, which look broadly similar toMonday’s slides. I think the main difference was those presenting at each meeting and the questions asked.
Overall, it is vitally important that you feed into the current consultation with your views, as they will be taken into account for the future direction of the project. You can respond to the consultation online here, by emailing [email protected] or by writing to “Freepost Crossrail 2 Consultations” by Friday 8th January 2015.
My view is that when completed, Crossrail 2 could bring many benefits to Wimbledon. It will relieve pressure on services to Waterloo, reduce journey times into Central London and beyond, give more local people job opportunities within a 45 minute commute and attract more businesses and jobs to Wimbledon itself.
However, I do not believe Crossrail 2 should proceed unless the disruption to Wimbledon during its construction is minimised. I believe that TfL’s current route option does not look like the best solution for Wimbledon and will lead to the destruction of much of the Town Centre. That’s why I have been lobbying for a route that delivers real regeneration for Wimbledon and minimises disruption, possibly a tunnel under Wimbledon Station.
I will continue to keep you all updated regarding the plans for Crossrail 2 in the New Year.
St Helier Public Meeting
On Saturday 28th November I held a public meeting with Daniel Elkeles, the Chief Executive of St Helier Hospital so residents could hear about his plans for investing in the hospital’s future and ask him questions.
Mr Elkeles explained that St Helier Hospital had recently recruited many new doctors and nurses on a permanent basis, which has significantly increased care and cut agency bills.
Mr Elkeles also explained that the current hospital estate was very outdated, restricting the quality of care they can deliver, reducing the patient experience, and contributing to infection rates that are not as low as they should be. Because of this, St Helier has to spend more money and hire more people to maintain their premises and keep them safe.
Therefore, Mr Elkeles would like to see a new hospital built at St Helier. When asked if this would mean fewer services at St Helier, Mr Elkeles was very clear in saying the same services would be provided for at a new St Helier Hospital. Furthermore, given the size of the estate, the new hospital could be built while the old one remains in use.
I was delighted that residents could hear directly from the Chief Executive of St Helier Hospital about his plans for its future. What was clear to me is that his priority is to ensure that top quality hospital services continue to be offered at St Helier for years to come.
As part of this plan for the future, St Helier Hospital is conducting an estates review. You can find out more, and take part in the consultation which closes on 31st December here.
Wimbledon Business Breakfast
On Monday 30th November I held a business breakfast with special guest the Rt Hon Priti Patel MP, Minister of State for Employment.
The breakfast was well attended, with around 65 people from businesses in the area attending, to both network with each other and ask me and the Minister questions.
This event followed my survey of businesses across Wimbledon, Raynes Park, Morden and Motspur Park to find out what works and what does not work for local businesses.
An encouraging result from the businesses was that 71% reported they increased their staff numbers over the last year, and 92% expected their staff numbers to increase over the next year. However, some businesses had not taken advantage of Government schemes such as the Employment Allowance and Business Rates Relief. I will be writing to these businesses so they can benefit from these and you can also find out more on my website here.
At the breakfast, the Minister praised Wimbledon’s businesses for their contribution to Wimbledon’s very low unemployment rate and for having an enterprise growth rate double that of the national average.
One issue that was frequently raised in my survey was how businesses feel that their voices are not being heard by the local Council. When asked about this, Ms Patel urged businesses to kick back and work together to ensure their needs and concerns cannot be ignored.
Crossrail 2’s impact was also raised. I said that it could be a great opportunity to regenerate Wimbledon with extra office space and shops, but that the current proposals will damage retail in the area for 7 years.
I was delighted that so many local small businesses attended my business breakfast. We have a fantastic range of small businesses locally which contribute to the vibrancy of our High Streets and keep our unemployment rate low. Thank you to all who took part in my survey; hearing directly from businesses helps me continue to remain well informed and to work on your behalf, both locally and in the House of Commons. It also means I can fight to ensure Wimbledon remains a fantastic place to do business.
Christmas recycling, refuse and food waste collections
You can find details of Merton Council’s waste collection over the Christmas period on their website here.
Merton Council will also collect Christmas Trees for free between Monday 11th January and Sunday 24th January. They ask all residents wishing to use this service to place their tree outside ready for collection on Sunday 10th January in order to ensure the tree is collected.