I welcome increased spending on our NHS, Education and Social Housing in the Government’s Spending Review, but there are flaws in the Chancellor’s disjointed strategy.

The Chancellor was absolutely right to say the NHS is our most treasured public service.  

After fourteen years of neglect under the Conservatives, of course I am encouraged to see the Government announce a much needed and long overdue increase in funding.

But the NHS can’t work at its best for all of us for as long as the crisis remains in the social care sector. The Chancellor must understand that the NHS and social care are inextricably linked. Instead of waiting until 2028 for the findings of its review into social care, the Government must be more ambitious and push for the report by the end of this year.

For as long as social care isn’t functioning, much of today’s investment in the NHS will be wasted.  

Before the election, the Health Secretary said that £1.7bn a year goes to waste in the NHS because there is no care provision for patients who can be discharged.  

Local authorities need the resources to care for people in their own homes. And for patients who do need hospital care, a properly functioning social care system should be ready to step in when they’re ready to go home, instead of hospitals being unable to discharge patients who have nowhere to go to get the next stage of the care they need.

Inequality and lack of opportunity especially for our children and young people is for me one of the most shameful legacies of the last Conservative government.  

I am delighted to see new investment in schools, nurseries, breakfast clubs and also in apprenticeships and training for young people. Learning valuable skills will not only improve their self esteem, it’ll be a welcome boost to the economy.  

What I want to see now is the Government to act to make these new nurseries workable by exempting early years and nursery settings from their ill-advised Employers National Insurance Contributions hike.  

The Government must also set out its plans for the Apprenticeship Levy reform, which would allow employers to invest in the skills the economy of the future needs.

More than 1.3 million households are on social housing waiting lists so while I welcome the £39bn promised for affordable housing, we need a firm commitment from the Government on council and social rented homes. That’s why we are calling on them commit to backing the Lib Dems target of a 150,000 council and social homes per year.  

I was particularly disappointed amongst all their mentions of transport investment, none was mentioned for South East England. To enable our communities and businesses across Guildford to thrive, we need better public transport, in particular the long-awaited new stations.