Newspaper column 24 February 2022 - Storm Eunice and ASB update

 

From the middle of last week through the weekend saw Cornwall dominated by storms, particularly Storm Eunice, which came in over Friday morning, and led to a very rare Red Weather Warning being issued for the north parts of Cornwall. Despite the Red Weather Warning only covering part of Cornwall, in reality, we actually saw massive disruption and power cuts all across Cornwall right through the weekend.

Understandably there was a lot of travel and education disruption, but as ever in difficult times, Cornwall pulled through, and I would like to thank all of the emergency services, highways workers, Western Power, Red Cross and community volunteers who worked flat out to keep our roads clear and services going while the storms raised outside.

I would like to single out in particular two of our local councillors who made a big difference for their communities through the weekend. Karen Glasson, Cornwall Councillor for Probus and St Erme helped St Erme Parish to source a generator so they could set up a community hub to deliver hot water and food to vulnerable residents, as well as support from the Red Cross.

Meanwhile, Peter Williams, Cornwall Councillor for Mylor, Perranarworthal & Ponsanooth, liaised with my office on Saturday to get support and medical care for a vulnerable local resident who was dependant on having electricity to enable their adaptations to work, ensuring this person was looked after at a difficult time.

Just two examples, that I am sure were replicated across our constituency to ensure that we supported our communities through a difficult time.

Although my work plans were also disrupted towards the end of last week, I was able to get a lot done in our constituency in the first part of the week, as we were in February Recess, when Parliament does not sit and I can work around Truro and Falmouth.

Firstly on Monday, I had a really productive meeting with our local police and various agencies looking at the anti-social behaviour issue in Truro, particularly in the light of the disturbing incident from the previous weekend.

I can assure the people who live and work in Truro that there will be a targeted and robust approach to tackling with the spate in crime and anti-social behaviour.

Tackling anti-social behaviour in Truro has now been made a strategic priority for the police force and we will get additional resource to tackle this.

The biggest issue at the minute in Truro is a very small minority of youths.

As well as action from the police, there needs to be more youth provision in Truro to get the youths causing the issues off the street.

All our focus on now is on de-escalating the issues in Truro and making people feel safe and ensuring Truro remains a safe place to live, work and grow up in.

I also spent time last week visiting businesses and organisations in Falmouth.

On Tuesday I was fortunate enough to meet with the School Parliament at King Charles Primary School in Falmouth, answering questions from the pupils ranging from the environment to housing. It is one of the favorite parts of my job to speak to our young people about what matters to them, and is something I hope to be able to do much more of in the future as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

Last week I also met with several local businesses in Falmouth, including SouthPaw Dog Store in the middle of town. I was so pleased to learn that everything sold in the shop was made here in the UK, championing other small British businesses. If like me you have a canine friend, please do head down and take a peek at the wonderful products in stock.

It was also really useful to speak to a variety of businesses in Falmouth about their experiences of the pandemic, their future plans, and how I can support them as their Member of Parliament. If you would like me to visit your business, please get in touch.

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. My regular constituency advice surgeries are 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.

 

Newspaper column 17 February 2022 - Incident in Truro and an update on my work for you over the last week

 

Before I discuss my work for you in Parliament from last week, I must take a moment to address the horrific incident that took place in Truro over the weekend, with a homeless individual allegedly assaulted by a gang of young people, who filmed it and put it on social media. This was a disgusting and abhorrent crime.

I must pay tribute to our local police who ensured those identified from the video were all arrested on Monday.

I met with Truro’s police and various agencies dedicated to tackling ASB on Monday. I can assure the people who live and work in Truro that there will be a targeted and robust approach to tackling with the spate in crime and anti-social behaviour.

Tackling anti-social behaviour in Truro has now been made a strategic priority for the police force and we will get additional resource to tackle this. The biggest issue at the minute in Truro is a very small minority of youths. As well as action from the police, there needs to be more youth provision in Truro to get the youths causing the issues off the street.

All our focus on now is on de-escalating the issues in Truro and making people feel safe, and that Truro remains a safe place to live, work and grow up in.

Away from this incident, last week was a busy and varied one for me, with a lot going on in the time I was in Parliament, as well as in our constituency.

On Friday I held my first pop up surgery of the year, in St Agnes. Held in the parish council meeting rooms, it was great to be able to see so many people about a wide variety of topics, with housing issues, and the recent problems around the Saints Trail being the two raised most often.

I will be holding more of these in communities around the Truro and Falmouth constituency as the year goes on – part of my mission to be as accessible as possible to you as your Member of Parliament.

Meanwhile in Parliament along with the other Cornish and Devon MPs, I was pleased to meet with the Number Ten Downing Street Policy Unit to discuss our priorities for the areas we represent. These included social care, the NHS and housing, but also getting and maintaining the crucial infrastructure that we need and rely on, transport, broadband, schools and dentists. It is good to be working with a strong and united bunch of local colleagues to make the case to Government for what we need.

Going back to dentistry, one of the big issues we have in Cornwall is getting our children access to an NHS Dentist. This is so important in their formative years. When I was at school, the local dentist used to come into school and give the school children a check-up. This worked well.

I am pushing for Cornwall to be a pilot so that we have capacity for NHS Dentists in Cornwall to visit our local schools and give children the check-ups they need. Don’t forget to fill out my ongoing survey about dentistry on my website, which you can find at www.cherilynmackrory.org.uk

Also in Parliament,  I was pleased to join a cross-party group of colleagues as Vice Chair of the newly formed All-Party Parliamentary Group for Shellfish Aquaculture. Together we want to work to expose issues for the shellfish industry including water quality, classification and cumbersome paperwork. Water quality and shellfish are both very important to me and my constituents in and around the River Fal and this is something I look forward to working together with colleagues from across Parliament to make positive changes for in the future.

Finally, last week it was Children’s Mental Health Week, and I was pleased to be able to speak in Parliament on this subject, which means so much to me. I highlighted some of the challenges we face in Cornwall, looking at some of the work being done to support our young people, and thanking all of those who work in this critical area.

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. My regular constituency advice surgeries are 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.

 

 

 

Newspaper column 10 February 2022 - Levelling up and Energy Bills

 

The latter part of last week saw two significant announcements of Government policies that will benefit residents of Truro and Falmouth in the short and long term.

Firstly on Wednesday, Government’s White Paper on Levelling Up was released. This is a landmark part of the Government’s plan to increase prosperity across the UK, and I was delighted to see Cornwall featuring prominently in it.

As part of the announcement, the Secretary of State last week wrote to Leader of Cornwall Council Linda Taylor, inviting her to bid for an ‘ambitious and early County Deal’ which could see more powers devolved for Cornwall locally with the aim to agree it by Autumn of this year.

The announcement also saw confirmation that the Shared Prosperity Fund will be worth £2.6 billion, which exceeds the UK Government’s commitment to match EU Structural Fund receipts in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, while reducing levels of bureaucracy associated with the previous EU funds and allowing investments in local priority projects.

The announcement also

·         Formalises the £200 million from British Business Bank (BBB) Regional Investment Fund announced at the Spending Review 2021 to expand its Cornwall and Isles of Scilly investment fund.

·         Gives up to £7.35 million, as part of £20m UK Government and local government funding, to support launch from Spaceport Cornwall.

·         Includes detail on the new Superbus network, which will reduce fares by around 30%, and see all bus operators and the main train operator GWR will be brought together by a new Transport for Cornwall brand.

·         And confirms Cornwall has been identified as one of the 55 new Education Investment Areas (EIAs) to receive the most support in this decade.

Since my election, and since we got Brexit done, I was clear that as Member of Parliament for Truro and Falmouth, I would do everything I could to ensure that post-Brexit, Cornwall did not lose out, and indeed that historic inequalities that have existed with Cornwall’s funding compared to other parts of the country were addressed.

This announcement goes a long way towards making this happen. I am pleased to see the Prime Minister’s commitment that Cornwall would not be worse off with the replacement for EU funding not just matched but bettered, with Shared Prosperity Funding exceeding the previous levels received.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a three-part plan to help with household fuel bills immediately and protect people against half of this increase – worth £350 per household, in a total package of support worth £8.6 billion.

These are difficult times, and as the UK economy continues its recovery from the pandemic, we must confront the global inflationary pressures caused by the world economy coming swiftly back to life. Much of this inflation is being driven by the rising cost of energy due to increased demand worldwide – and that feeds through into pressures on the cost of living.

We must be honest that there are limited levers the government has to deal with these global problems. This Government has already taken steps: reducing the Universal Credit taper rate, increasing the National Living Wage, freezing fuel duty for the twelfth year in a row, and launching a £500 million Household Support Fund to help the lowest-income households with their bills.

But I am pleased that the Chancellor has recognised that we must go further to help families with pressures on the cost of living. We must also be honest that over time, households will need to adjust to higher energy costs – but our government can help ensure the adjustment to higher prices is smaller initially and spread over a longer period.

The Chancellor’s announcement on the Energy Bill Rebate is excellent news and will help all households with their fuel costs, as well as providing additional support for local authorities such as Cornwall Council to help those who need it the most.

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. My regular constituency advice surgeries are 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.