Claire Coutinho News Update – October 2023
It is the honour of a lifetime to be appointed to serve in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
My job will be to ensure our energy supply is secure and protected from the whim of hostile tyrants like Vladimir Putin, alongside leading our transition to clean energy and working with our international partners to tackle climate change.
As always, I’m committed to making sure that I’m in touch with what matters to you here in East Surrey, and my constituency meetings, surgeries and visits will be going ahead as usual. Please do get in touch with me on claire.coutinho.mp@parliament.uk if you would like to arrange a visit or meeting.
We have had some fantastic news since I last wrote to you, including extra funding to boost capacity at East Surrey Hospital and extra money to pay for Surrey County Council’s home adaptations programme.
Royal Surrey and East Surrey Hospitals will be receiving £8.8 million to expand capacity this winter. At East Surrey, this will build two new modular wards with space for 64 beds, while at Royal Surrey, there will be 4 new cubicles in A&E, 8 new same-day emergency care assessment spaces and 8 new spaces in the acute medical unit. The Prime Minister also announced an extra £200 million of funding for extra ambulances, beds, and virtual wards, alongside an extra £40 million to improve social care capacity, strengthen admissions avoidance services and boost discharge.
Surrey is also set to receive an extra £886,000 from the Government for home adaptations such as wheelchair ramps, hoists, and stairlifts, helping elderly and disabled residents live safely and independently in their own homes. Since 2010 there have been almost half a million home adaptions across the country through the Disabled Facilities Grant, backed by £4.8 billion of funding. Making sure homes are properly adapted means we can discharge patients from hospital more quickly – freeing up beds in hospitals and cutting NHS waiting times. Together, all these changes will help support the NHS during its busiest period. If you or someone you know might benefit from a Disabled Facilities Grant, you can call Tandridge District Council on 01883 722000.
September also saw the launch of our new, flexible, on-demand bus service, which means that you are now able to book buses that will go anywhere in Tandridge without having to follow a fixed route. The buses also serve two bus stops in Redhill, on the High Street and on Queensway. You can book a journey using the Surrey Connect app or by calling 01883701278 and those with free bus passes can use the service free of charge.
Tandridge also launched their latest round of the Household Support Fund towards the end of September, offering support for families on low incomes as we approach the winter. This is part of the £2.5 billion fund set up by the Government to support families struggling with the costs of inflation, offering lump-sum payments of between £150 and £350. You can apply on the Tandridge District Council website or by calling 01883 722000.
Finally, the winter COVID and flu vaccination programme is now well underway, and you can book your vaccination through the NHS website, the NHS app or by calling 119. If you need guiding through the process for any of the schemes above, please get in touch with me via email or on 02072195972 and I will be more than happy to help.