Claire Coutinho News Update – June 2024

Here in East Surrey, we are blessed to have such beautiful countryside, and farmers who do a tremendous job keeping us all fed and maintaining the beautiful landscapes which make our part of the world such a wonderful place to live.

This love of nature is a driving force behind so much of my work as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. I know that many of you also care about protecting that countryside for future generations to enjoy, just as we have, and I know many of you are concerned by an increasing number of applications to build solar farms on prime farmland.

Our energy security must not come at the expense of our food security. A couple of weeks ago I made a statement to Parliament making clear that applications for solar farms should prioritise previously developed land, brownfield land, and industrial land. Where the proposed use of any agricultural land is shown to be necessary, higher quality ‘best and most versatile’ land should be avoided. Planners should also consider the cumulative impact of all applications in areas where several applications have come forward at the same time.

We do want to see more solar panels installed where it is most appropriate, so we have made it easier and cheaper to install solar on top of warehouses, farm buildings, factories and car parks. Solar is one of the cheapest forms of clean electricity and it will play an important role in our energy mix in the future, but we must get the balance right in a way that doesn’t compromise our food security.

In an entirely unrelated visit to a farm in Burstow, I was delighted to join the team of Sebnini Trading Ltd and the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey to celebrate their King’s Award for Enterprise.

The award has been a tremendous honour for Gert Schyberg, his wife Carina and their son Sebastian, who have built an enormously successful candle and diffuser company from the ground up. The company employs just under 30 people who churn out 600 new high-end home fragrance products each year – exporting them all around the world to global brands including Tesco and Aldi. Their exports have grown organically by over 500% in just three years, and this was a key factor in winning the King’s Award.

Britain punches well above its weight on trade, and we are well on our way to exporting a trillion pounds of goods and services every year by 2030. We recently became the fourth largest exporter in the entire world, helping to create more jobs, pay higher wages, and grow the economy.

On the subject of employment, you might have seen that the Government has spent a lot of time focusing on the number of people who are economically inactive – those who are not in work, but are also not actively seeking employment. We will all recognise that being in work gives us a sense of purpose and meaning, but too many people are falling out of work – harming their family finances, future prospects and their health.

We’ve launched a new service, WorkWell, to reverse this trend, and Surrey has been chosen as a lead partner for its pilot. Individuals in Surrey who are out of work, or at risk of falling out of work due to their health or disability, will be referred to WorkWell through their employer or GP. They will then receive a personalised plan to help them return to and remain in work, including with physical and mental health services and employment support.

And finally, Surrey County Council’s ‘Your Councillor Community Fund’ is now open for applications. The fund is designed to help local groups with costs that can range from purchasing sports equipment, to the creation of websites, providing financial support to community groups and projects that improve the quality of life in for residents in Surrey.

Each year, Surrey’s 81 councillors can allocate £5,000 of funding within their communities. With their understanding of the needs and priorities of their communities they can ensure that the funding is targeted to areas where it is most needed and where it can make the biggest impact. To apply, search ‘Surrey Your Councillor Community Fund’ or contact my office and we can talk you through the process.