Here’s his message.
With the conclusion of the General Election comes the opportunity to reset some fraught relationships that have not served the best interests of residents and have widened the political divide and lack of trust.
Waverley Borough is a territory with 3 MPs (Jeremy Hunt, Greg Stafford and Chris Coghlan, as Ewhurst is under him). 70% of Godalming & Ash AND the Farnham & Bordon constituencies are within Waverley Borough.
There is no point sugarcoating this reality—in the last five years, there has been almost no positive relationship with the MPs covering Waverley (Jeremy Hunt and Angela Richardson), and there were no regularly scheduled meetings (despite many requests).
Much of the interaction between the Borough Council and the MPs has turned openly hostile regarding subjects where the Borough Council believes the MPs are choosing to misrepresent fundamental aspects of the council’s work, remit, and concerns.
It is my hope that with the election out of the way, we can try to reset and repair this relationship and move forward more constructively. I have written to all three MPs, setting out my position and requesting a formal schedule of meetings with them over this parliamentary term. That letter is attached in full below.
Our apologies for omitting one Election result for a local candidate. Waverley Borough Councillor Jane Austin, who stood for the Conservative Party in Liverpool Riverside, was unelected and lost her deposit.
Our “friend” Mr B is convinced Paul Follows is responsible for what is written on WW. He even called Paul out on social media instead of speaking to him face to face at the Cranleigh hustings.
WW Fell about laughing at the suggestion that Paul Follows is responsible for what is written on the Waverley Web. Nelson will get his eye back before we allow any politician to influence or work with our team.
I fell about laughing at the suggestions that Paul Follows isn’t responsible for what is written on the Waverley Web. Turns out Nelson’s been to Sightsavers.
If Paul Follows is responsible for what is written on the Waverley Web, why are there so many question marks hanging over the numerous queries and criticisms we have made in our posts over the years? Cllr Edmonds and former Cllr Edwards respond more often than any current councillor.
Perhaps Mr Follows should learn to be less confrontational, less inclined to misinformation and be more willing to engage with our local MPs on a professional level. Perhaps some more humility on his part and less hubris might help to reset his relationships.
And there’s me thinking that Jeremy Hunt tried blaming the Lib Dem’s for everything on the lead up to the election. One man and his dog was at every fete and local event trying to get votes instead of doing something useful. He lied about Waverley BC and Guildford BC becoming one council just because they are run by Lib Dem’s. If you get to know Paul Follows you would find he is the not in the least confrontational. At least he fights for what is right not like Hunt who is just an attention seeker and loves being in the limelight.
I agree with Andy. The record speaks for itself. If our MP has attended so few meetings with his Borough Council then evidently his priorities were elsewhere.