Last week ended with more good news for our constituency as the Hall for Cornwall was awarded a £2,000,000 Capital Kickstart grant as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund enabling organisations to push forward with capital projects despite the financial challenge caused by the Covid-19 crisis.
It's great to see the Hall for Cornwall again recognised
with funding from the Government to help it through its critical refurbishment
and keep it on track to reopen next year. I have worked hard with Julien Boast
and his excellent team to ensure all in Government are aware just how important
the Hall for Cornwall is, not just for Truro, but as a cultural centre for arts
for Cornwall.
On Friday, I visited the construction site of the dualling
of the A30 from Carland Cross to Chiverton Cross. I had a briefing from Highways
England on the progress of the project, which will ease congestion for Cornwall
on the critical route. This is such an exciting and much-needed improvement.
Something that has been needed for a long time and it’s brilliant to see
shovels in the ground.
Included in the project are will be 8.7 miles of high
quality dual carriageway, provision for pedestrian, cyclists and horse riders,
over 12 miles of wildlife proof fencing, 8 miles of new Cornish hedgerow, 29
new culverts and wildlife crossings and 10 new underpasses/underbridges.
This will be a major upgrade for our major road that will
not only will improve safety, reduce congestion and improve efficiency, but
will also unlock economic growth in this part of Cornwall. I look forward to
catching up with the team again in the New Year and continuing to work with
them to see this vital project through to its conclusion.
On Saturday I went back to the Knowledge Spa at RCH Treliske
to continue taking part in the COVID-19 vaccine trial I have been in since
November. I will continue to be monitored as part of this trial over the coming
year.
This week also sees the first of the approved Pfizer/Biontech
COVID-19 vaccine being distributed to GP’s for community vaccination. This
follows RCH Treliske starting vaccinations on site last week for NHS staff and
care home workers last night. This is another big step in our recovery from COVID-19,
but with the tiers up for review this week, we still need to be cautious and do
everything we can to protect ourselves and others from the virus.
Finally Brexit has again been making headlines as the
negotiations around our future Trade Deal with the EU look to conclude before
the transition period ends on 31 December.
While, at the time of writing, nothing has been concluded, I
am pleased to see our Prime Minister take a firm stance with Brussels, as concessions
regarding our fishing fleet and access to our waters, and over the sovereignty of
our country after we have left the EU should simply not be up for debate.
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