Newspaper column 30 December 2021 - Looking back

This is my final column of the year for 2021 and what a year it has been!

I hope you were all able to enjoy Christmas and take some time to mark this special day.

In my final column for 2021, which is written on before 23 December to fit in with the print deadlines of our local press, I wanted to look back through the year, on some of the big issues, locally and nationally that have been part of my work for you.

2021 has again been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with restrictions and changes to our lives that we would have not considered only years ago. However what separated 2021 from the previous year was the rollout of our vaccination programme, which we were able to accomplish far more quickly than our continental neighbours now we have left the EU, and get a greater percentage of our population vaccinated, quicker than virtually every other country in the world. This is a colossal achievement and thank you to everyone in our NHS, armed forces and volunteers who have done their bit in making the programme such a success.

Away from COVID-19 the UK hosted two major global conferences this year, the G7 and COP26. Cornwall was put in the world’s spotlight in the first of these major events, with the G7 Leaders Summit hosted at Carbis Bay, and in particular the world’s media was lucky enough to be based in Falmouth for the duration. This was an incredible opportunity for Cornwall to shine, and shine we did, putting our best foot forward on the world stage and showcasing everything we have to offer. I was delighted to meet several of the world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, and it was brilliant to talk to these VIP’s about what Cornwall has to offer, as well as some of the challenges we face.

Over the summer I was pleased to once again highlight the work of an important charity, this time Cornwall Wildlife Trust, with a coast to coast fundraising walk from the sunny south coast at Portholland to the equally sunny north coast at Perranporth. This was a fantastic day and it was great to walk through so many of our communities and meet local people along the way, dropping into the Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s HQ, and talking about their work, and raising over £1,000 from generous donors. I look forward to planning another effort for 2022.

Over the summer I also ran the first of my constituency village tours, using the summer break from Parliament to hold several well-attended constituency advice surgeries in villages around our constituency  - something which restrictions did not allow me to hold in 2020 but which I hope will become a regular occurrence in the future – part of my work to make myself as accessible as possible for the people I am there to serve and represent.

Throughout the year I have been pleased to continue to successfully work with the Government to bring more funding to Cornwall, in particular funding to keep the streets safer in Falmouth and Penryn, money to upgrade and create new facilities at Tresliske, funding to regenerate Truro through the Towns Fund, money to help keep some of our most beloved attractions and culture and heritage venues open with the Culture Recovery Fund, and in particular funding for the Hall for Cornwall, which has now reopened, and the continued dualling of the A30 which is now well under way. There will always be more to do, and I am committed to doing all I can to ensure Truro and Falmouth continues to get our fair share of Government money now and in the future.

Finally I have to give a big thanks to my Constituency Office and Parliamentary team who have worked incredibly hard to support me and our constituency over the past year. They have had another really busy year, often having to work in challenging circumstances, and have responded to  over 18,000 enquiries during this time. Thank you so much to all who have worked for during this time Jordan, James, Karen, Ruth, Huw, Jack and Toni, I could not do my job without you as my support.

For next week’s column I will be looking forward to 2022 and the work I hope to be doing for you next year. In the meantime, may I wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year.