Column 15 July 2021 - July update

I’ve had a busy week over the past week and that’s not taking into account the emotional rollercoaster that saw England narrowly lose to Italy in the finals of the European Championship on Sunday. A bitterly disappointing result to be sure, but our team did us proud through an excellent tournament and Gareth Southgate and all of the players deserve our respect for getting us through to our first major football final in 55 years, lifting our nation’s mood and playing some excellent matches along the way.

Last week both in Parliament and in Cornwall I took part in a number of meetings and visits to advance local plans, highlight issues in Cornwall to the government, and continue to work to bring about national policy changes for the better.

In my continued work with the Environment Audit Committee in Parliament, I visited the River Windrush, a tributary of the River Thames  to see first-hand some of the steps that can be taken to help improve the quality of river water by a dedicated group of volunteers,  Windrush Against Sewage Pollution. We took interesting information on data analysis of sewage spills and microplastic pollution in rivers, as well having a tour of a local sewage treatment works, to look at their monitoring system for sewage spills and a natural solution reed bed, which provides a sustainable way of filtering any sewage from the works that does get in the river. There were lots of good ideas on what has and hasn’t worked on display, that myself and my Parliamentary colleagues can use to feedback and inform our work both here in Cornwall but also as we continue to look at developing national policy to make our waterways cleaner and more sustainable for all.

In Parliament I also took part in a debate on future support for our regional airports. Cornwall Airport Newquay is one such airport, a vital transport link not just for passengers but for cargo and business. We would not have been able to have hosted the recent G7 Leaders Summit in Cornwall without our airport, and it also continues to be one of the hubs, along with Falmouth and Penryn, for the emerging high tech industries in Cornwall, not least Spaceport Cornwall. But our regional airports have suffered greatly during the recent pandemic and this debate was our chance to call on the Government to help support these critical assets through this difficult time and on the road to recovery.

The culmination of my week last week was on Friday when I met with the Newham Business Improvement District (BID) team and had a tour of Newham and the Port of Truro. It was great to meet with a wide range of innovative businesses that thriving here, in a place which is home to over 100 of Cornwall’s most successful companies, from Macsalvors to Skinner’s Brewery and many others, and talk about what I can do to help support them as their MP.

As ever, if you need my assistance with anything then my team and I are here to help. Please get in touch with me by email at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk, or by telephone on 01872 229698. I have now restarted my regular constituency advice surgeries, held in a covid-safe environment at my office, so please do get in touch should you wish to meet me about any matters that I can be of assistance with.