4th January 2025 Newsletter - Happy New Year
Happy New Year!
Sending my best wishes to all, I hope 2025 brings you many blessings!
I believe this year is one full of opportunities for Guildford and our villages. As part of it, I’m looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible out and about in the constituency over the course of the year. More on that when I’m back in Westminster, today I wanted to share an end of year-round up.
Before I do, I see being MP as a partnership with local people and I’d love you to be part of the team working with me – you can find out how here and further down this email.
What I’ve been up to
I have been working hard to deliver the greener, fairer, more thriving Guildford constituency that I promised during my election campaign. Here is a flavour of what I have been up to in the final months of the year...
Greener
- Addressing the need for step-free train access - I recently spoke in Parliament to urge the government to use the nationalisation of the railways to end accessibility deserts and ensure that anyone who wants to use the train, can use the train. Too many people in our villages are prevented from doing so due to a lack of step-free access.
- Discussing need for new stations - I met with South Western Railway to discuss the prospect of two new railway stations in Guildford – Merrow and Guildford West
- Calling for government to keep bus travel affordable – called on the government to keep the bus fare cap at £2 rather than increasing it to £3 which will have big impact on anyone who has to get multiple buses in one day.
- Seeking action on the Tumbling Weir - I met the National Trust to get an update on their weir repairs – good news is coming.
Fairer
- Action to fix the crisis in Special Educational Needs (SEND) provision - a top issue in my inbox is the problems with SEND support across Surrey. In a speech on 19th December I shared the stories of some of the families I’ve spoken with and asked the Minister to meet me to discuss.
- Spoken about the challenges faced by Children’s Hospices – having visited our local children’s hospice a number of times I used a debate to highlight the challenging financial position hospices are facing, with only one third of their funding coming from the NHS and central government.
Thriving
- Called for Labour to scrap the rise in Employer’s National Insurance Contributions (NICs) - I’ve heard from residents made redundant because of the rise and business owners worried about their financial viability. Watch my speech here.
- Visited numerous local charities and businesses – we are fortunate to have a healthy economy locally, and this creates a positive environment for local organisations. It’s also encouraging new businesses to move to Guildford, such as the UK National Measurement Laboratory, which is moving to the Surrey Business Park later this year. There will always be challenges too and as MP I am working tirelessly to provide support and a voice.
4 ways you can get involved!
I would love you as part of my team making Guildford constituency a greener, fairer, more thriving place for everyone. Here are some ways you can do that:
- Sign up for my newsletter and stay up to date with my latest news, activities, campaigns and more. Why not share with friends, family and coworkers who live locally and encourage them to sign up too.
Yes, sign me up - Join my amazing team of volunteers – there's a role for everyone no matter your skills or time. From delivering to helping organising events, to speaking to people on the phone and office admin.
Yes, I can help - Make a donation - big or small, every donation goes towards helping me to do my work supporting local people and keeping them up-to-date with my work.
- Join the Liberal Democrats – we live in difficult times and we need Lib Dem values more than ever (have a read here)
And finally...
It is an honour and a privilege to serve our amazing communities across Guildford and our villages. I want to thank you for placing your trust in me and I look forward to serving you in the months and years ahead. Don’t forget, if you need my help, you can reach me at zoe.franklin.mp@parliament.uk.