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.
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