Newspaper Column - Short-Term Holiday Lets

Now we are in the Summer Recess I have spent the previous week out and about meeting with local people and businesses regarding my work for you as your MP.

Last Thursday I attended a round table meeting on the Short-Term Accommodation Association, industry stakeholders and Malcolm Bell from Visit Cornwall, to discuss the current imbalance of short-term holiday lets in Cornwall.

This is an issue, that along with the housing crisis, is often raised with me and it was good to be able to go to the Falmouth Hotel and join with other local Conservative MPs, Cornwall Councillors, including Council Leader, Cllr Linda Taylor, to take the opportunity to express our concerns about the current state of short-term holiday lets across Cornwall.

Since Covid, we have seen a sharp rise in properties 'flipping' from long term let to short term holiday lets across Cornwall and Cornish Conservative MPs have been pushing the issue in Parliament. The Government is committed to tackling and solving the issue, without damaging our thriving tourist sector.

Among the topics discussed were changes to local planning laws, as well as the registration of short-term holiday lets which will enable better regulation of their use, prioritising the needs of local communities first. 

This was a really great opportunity to hear views directly from the Short-Term Accommodation Association and Visit Cornwall and get stuck in on what we need to do to resolve the problems caused by short-term holiday lets for so many here in our community.

As a team, Cornish Conservative MPs and councillors have worked hard with the Government to tackle the crisis of short-term holiday lets. It is essential that we find a solution to the crisis but one which is not at the expense of the tourism industry. So many here in Cornwall rely on leisure and tourism for work every summer and they cannot be forgotten during this conversation.

However, many communities are reluctant to support housing developments because there is currently nothing to stop properties being bought by investors and used as short-term holiday lets, rather than family homes.  Using the planning process, we hope that local communities can finally make a choice in how they wish to resolve this, and we are bringing people together to identify how we can make this work for all of us to be a real Cornish success.

Earlier this year I welcomed proposals announced by the Department for Levelling-Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) for a requirement for planning permission to be granted for short-term lets in tourist hot-spots like Cornwall. Pushing those interested in letting their second homes to use this process allows an element of control by local councillors and residents. In Truro & Falmouth this means that each application can be judged on its merit and value to the community. The Government is currently consulting on these proposals.

Since being elected as the MP for my community in Truro & Falmouth I have been resolute in my commitment to change the way housing works in Cornwall so that Cornish families can get on the housing ladder with an affordable home. After many conversations with Ministers by all Cornish MP’s we are finally making some progress that allows local people to take control of the number of holiday lets within our towns. I look forward to seeing the results of the consultation and will push for the Government to introduce these measures as quickly as possible.

As always, I am fully focused on the job at hand and if there is ever anything at all I   can do to help, then please do not hesitate to contact me. 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.

Campaign Reply - Please stand up for high street pubs

Thank you for contacting me about concerns set out by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) over the Government's consultation on high street rental auctions. 

Like you, I recognise how valuable our pubs are to the many people who enjoy them. Not only are they important parts of local economies, but they also bring people together and are often the very lifeblood of our communities.

It is always disheartening to see a pub forced to close its doors permanently. I completely understand that closures can be hard for owners and communities. I also recognise the wider and persistent issue of vacant high street units which the proposed new high street rental auction process is aiming to address. Shops and buildings being left vacant for prolonged periods of times is a blight to our high streets, has a direct and negative impact on footfall and risks businesses shutting down. 

The Government has carried out a consultation on the design of high street rental auctions, including a new permitted development right to allow buildings outside the Commercial, Business and Service Use Class (such as pubs) to change use as part of the new high street rental auctions process. I look forward to reading the Government’s response to the consultation in due course.

I want to assure you that the Government has been clear that the permitted development right, if introduced, would not allow for physical works to be carried out to the premises that amount to development. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has said that: “Where such building works are necessary, a planning application or listed building consent would be required. The premises will revert to its former use at the end of the period of the lease, unless otherwise agreed and planning permission obtained…”.

It will be for individual local authorities – who know their area best – to use their discretion when it comes to using the new powers for high street rental auctions. The aim is not to interfere with properties whose landlords are actively seeking to fill their premises, but rather to provide a tool to local authorities where vacancy rates are a significant issue and landlord cooperation is low.

Existing mechanisms to support community groups to step in where pubs are at risk of being lost without intervention include listing a pub as an Asset of Community Value which allows communities up to six months to bid to buy it if it has been put for sale. In addition, the Government’s £150 million Community Ownership Fund is helping community groups buy such assets as pubs so that they can continue to serve their local area.

I do hope that this response has provided you with some assurance. Please be assured that I will be carefully scrutinising the outcome of the Government’s consultation.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign Reply - Do you support changes to the State Pension age?

Thank you for contacting me about changes to the State Pension age.

The Government decided over 25 years ago that it would make the State Pension age the same for men and women as a long-overdue move towards gender equality. The relevant legislation for equalisation includes the Pensions Acts of 1995, 2007 and 2011. 

In light of increases in life expectancy since the 2007 Act, the Coalition Government decided to accelerate equalisation to ensure that the UK pensions system remained sustainable. As such, the 2011 Act brought forward equalisation but capped the maximum increase at 18 months. This meant that the State Pension age for women would still reach 65 in November 2018 but the increase from 65 to 66 would happen by October 2020 rather than April 2020 – at a cost of £1.1 billion to the Exchequer. 

Both the High Court and Court of Appeal have supported the actions of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and the Supreme Court refused the claimants’ permission to appeal. Importantly, the case brought before the High Court was dismissed on all grounds, including notice, in October 2019. The Court also ruled that there had been no discrimination on grounds of age or sex. 

Moreover, the Pensions Acts of 1995, 2007 and 2011 were all subject to public consultation and debate in Parliament and were all widely reported in the media. The changes in the 1995 legislation were communicated in leaflets, advertising campaigns and individual letters. The up-to-date State Pension age was also provided to those who requested a Pension Statement. More than 37 million personal State Pension statements were provided between April 2000 and September 2020.

I am aware that the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has concluded the first stage of its investigation into how the DWP communicated changes to the women's State Pension age and is currently reviewing the second stage following a legal challenge. However, the PHSO investigation is a multi-staged process, and it would not be appropriate for me to comment while the investigation is ongoing. Section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 makes clear that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”. 

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign Reply - The Illegal Migration Bill

Thank you for contacting me about the Illegal Migration Bill. 

The volume of illegal small boat arrivals has overwhelmed our asylum system. The asylum system currently costs the British taxpayer £3 billion a year, and since 2018, some 85,000 people have illegally entered the UK by small boat. This is why stopping the boats was one of the five promises the Prime Minister made to the public in January. The new Illegal Immigration Bill will fulfil this promise and means that someone who enters this country illegally will be swiftly detained and removed back to their home country if it is safe. This will help the break the business model of people-smuggling networks, and ultimately save lives. 

I can assure you that as we reduce illegal migration, the Government will do more to help the most vulnerable through safe and legal routes as it has done for Syria, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Ukraine.  Since 2015, the UK has offered safety to nearly 480,000 people from all over the world. While supporting the most vulnerable, the Bill will introduce an annual cap, to be determined by Parliament, on the number of refugees the UK will accept, once illegal migration is under control. In conjunction with local authorities, this will allow the Government to take into consideration local capacity for accommodation, public services and support. 

This Bill will ensure that we have a safe and fair immigration system, which will continue to help the most vulnerable. 

The new Bill will ensure that if someone enters the UK illegally: 

• The Home Secretary will be under a new duty to remove them.

• They will be detained, with no recourse to Immigration bail or judicial review within the first 28 days. The Government can maintain detention thereafter so long as it has a reasonable prospect of removal.

• The number of appeals and challenges available to suspend removal will be radically narrowed. Only those under 18, medically unfit to fly, or at real risk of serious and irreversible harm in the safe country they are being removed to, will be able to delay their removal.

• Other human rights claims, including the right to private or family life, or other forms of Judicial Review cannot suspend their removal. They will be heard remotely, after removal.

• They will be disqualified from using Modern Slavery rules to prevent removal. If someone is identified as a potential victim of modern slavery, the Government will ensure they are safely returned home from where they were removed against their will, or to another safe country. Removal from the UK may only be deferred where a person is co-operating with law enforcement agencies in an investigation into the circumstances of their trafficking. This will mean that genuine victims are protected, while preventing people from abusing the UK's modern slavery laws to thwart their removal from the UK.

• They will face a permanent bar on lawful re-entry to the UK and a permanent bar from securing settlement in the UK or from securing British citizenship through naturalisation or registration, subject only to very narrow exceptions.

The Home Secretary has said that the Rule 39 process that enabled the Strasbourg court to at the last minute block removal flights to Rwanda last year, was deeply flawed. As such, that is why the Government has already initiated discussions with Strasbourg, to ensure that Rule 39 orders meet a basic natural justice standard, and one which will prevent the abuse of Rule 39 to thwart removals. I understand that the Bill sets out the conditions for the UK's future compliance with such orders. 

The Home Secretary made a statement under Section 19 (1) (b) of the Human Rights Act 1998. I understand that this does not mean that the provisions in the Bill are incompatible within the Convention rights, only that there is a more than 50 per cent chance that they may not be. The Government has said that it is testing the limits, but the Home Secretary remains confident that this Bill is compatible with international law. Both Houses will have an opportunity to thoroughly scrutinise the Bill and once approved the measures in the Bill will have been expressly endorsed by Parliament, and the Government expects the courts to take this into account.

I am aware that New Clause 10 sought to establish a process to fast-track asylum claims from “specified countries”. I am aware that provisions set out in the Bill make it clear that the asylum or human rights claims of those who have entered the UK illegally and who have not come directly from a place where their life or liberty were threatened will be declared inadmissible and therefore will not be substantively considered. For this reason, the Government did not support New Clause 10 during the Bill’s Remaining Stages.

 

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign Reply - Do you support the transition to faux fur for the King’s Guard’s Caps in Party Manifesto?

Thank you for contacting me about the phasing out of experiments on animals and the use of fur for bearskin caps. I appreciate your feelings on the matter and understand how important animal welfare is.

I would like to reassure you that the UK's rigorous regulatory system ensures that no animal testing or research takes place if a non-animal alternative exists that would achieve the scientific outcomes sought. The National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs) is the UK’s leading scientific based organisation dedicated to replacing, refining, and reducing the use of animals in scientific research and testing. The NC3Rs supports the research community to use the latest science and technology to replace animal studies, providing new approaches for biomedical research, and avoiding the time and cost associated with animal models.

 

Without animal testing it is highly likely that a large number of potentially dangerous new medicines would be tested in healthy volunteers and patients in clinical trials. This would be completely unacceptable. That said, I welcome the Government's commitment to the development of non-animal technologies. Such technologies have the potential to reduce the reliance on the use of animals, improve the efficiency of drug research and development, and deliver safer, cheaper, and more effective medicines to patients. Ministers have also stressed that they continue to actively support and fund the development and dissemination of techniques that replace, reduce, and refine the use of animals in research. I understand how important this research is in reducing animal testing, and I will continue to follow this as it develops.

 

Regarding your concerns about the wearing of bearskin caps, I know that Guardsmen take great pride in wearing the bearskin cap, which is a celebrated image of Britain, and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is very sparing in the acquisitions that it makes. Individual soldiers do not possess their own hats, rather they are cared for and shared within the Household Division, and, despite their constant use, every effort is made to carefully prolong the longevity of each ceremonial cap. On account of this, they usually last for more than a decade, with some having been in use for as long as 60 years.

 

That said, I can assure you that the MOD would like to find an alternative material to bearskin should one prove acceptable. This is a commitment the MOD takes very seriously. The MOD have not to date seen evidence that a suitable faux fur product exists to be considered as an alternative. Until that material is sourced and proven, I can assure you that the UK goes to great lengths to ensure that the pelts that make the King's Guards caps are procured in the most responsible way possible.

Let me be clear, bears are never hunted to order for the MOD. Bear pelts used for the King’s Guards’ ceremonial caps are sourced exclusively from Canada precisely because it is a regulated market and a declared party to the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora.

 

I recognise how essential it is to ensure animal welfare standards are upheld and protected, I am pleased that since 2010, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has had a strong track record in reforms. This includes: a ban on the use of conventional battery cages for laying hens; mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses across England; a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses; the strongest ivory ban in the world; mandatory microchipping of dogs; and new regulations for minimum standards for meat chickens; and the modernisation of the licensing system for dog breeding and pet sales.

 

In Cornwall, we can see the work of the Environment Land Management Scheme (ELMS). ELMS works with farmers to protect and improve natural environments. ELMS aims to give subsidies to farmers for improving soil health, preventing water pollution, restoring habitats, reducing agricultural emissions, reducing inorganic fertiliser and pesticide use and improving animal welfare. This is incredibly important in ensuring farm animals and wildlife are protected in rural areas, whilst also making food production more resilient and efficient over the longer term while contributing towards the UK’s environmental goals on carbon, biodiversity, water quality and net zero.

 

Once again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance on this or any other issue, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Campaign Reply - Do you support changes to the International Health Regulations (IHR)?

Thank you for contacting me about the proposed changes to the International Health Regulations.

The International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) are a key part of the global health security system designed to prevent, protect against, control, and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease.

The original International Sanitary Regulations, which preceded the International Health Regulations, were adopted in 1969 and amended several times: in 1973, in 1981, and in 2005. The third edition (2005) has been amended twice – in 2014 and 2022. The revisions of the regulations illustrates their fluid nature, adapting to the health challenges that the world faces at that time. As medical knowledge changes, I believe it is only right that health regulations change too. 

Regarding the current amendments, the Government is eager to ensure that countries' obligations under the IHR remain fit for purpose and reflect the lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic. Measures that the Government wish to see include a stronger global commitment to effective disease surveillance, early reporting of potential health threats, and transparency in sharing information. I understand that the Government continues to formulate positions during ongoing textual negotiations and has engaged other World Health Organisation member states on the matter, including through the Working Group on Amendments to the IHR (2005).

Thank you again for taking the time to write to me about this important matter. If I may be of further help to you on this or any other matter please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Campaign Reply - The Illegal Migration Bill

Thank you for contacting me about the Illegal Migration Bill. 

The volume of illegal small boat arrivals has overwhelmed our asylum system. The asylum system currently costs the British taxpayer £3 billion a year, and since 2018, some 85,000 people have illegally entered the UK by small boat. This is why stopping the boats was one of the five promises the Prime Minister made to the public in January. The new Illegal Immigration Bill will fulfil this promise and means that someone who enters this country illegally will be swiftly detained and removed back to their home country if it is safe. This will help the break the business model of people-smuggling networks, and ultimately save lives. 

I can assure you that as we reduce illegal migration, the Government will do more to help the most vulnerable through safe and legal routes as it has done for Syria, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Ukraine.  Since 2015, the UK has offered safety to nearly 480,000 people from all over the world. While supporting the most vulnerable, the Bill will introduce an annual cap, to be determined by Parliament, on the number of refugees the UK will accept, once illegal migration is under control. In conjunction with local authorities, this will allow the Government to take into consideration local capacity for accommodation, public services and support. 

This Bill will ensure that we have a safe and fair immigration system, which will continue to help the most vulnerable. 

The new Bill will ensure that if someone enters the UK illegally: 

• The Home Secretary will be under a new duty to remove them.

• They will be detained, with no recourse to Immigration bail or judicial review within the first 28 days. The Government can maintain detention thereafter so long as it has a reasonable prospect of removal.

• The number of appeals and challenges available to suspend removal will be radically narrowed. Only those under 18, medically unfit to fly, or at real risk of serious and irreversible harm in the safe country they are being removed to, will be able to delay their removal.

• Other human rights claims, including the right to private or family life, or other forms of Judicial Review cannot suspend their removal. They will be heard remotely, after removal.

• They will be disqualified from using Modern Slavery rules to prevent removal. If someone is identified as a potential victim of modern slavery, the Government will ensure they are safely returned home from where they were removed against their will, or to another safe country. Removal from the UK may only be deferred where a person is co-operating with law enforcement agencies in an investigation into the circumstances of their trafficking. This will mean that genuine victims are protected, while preventing people from abusing the UK's modern slavery laws to thwart their removal from the UK.

• They will face a permanent bar on lawful re-entry to the UK and a permanent bar from securing settlement in the UK or from securing British citizenship through naturalisation or registration, subject only to very narrow exceptions.

The Home Secretary has said that the Rule 39 process that enabled the Strasbourg court to at the last-minute block removal flights to Rwanda last year, was deeply flawed. As such, that is why the Government has already initiated discussions with Strasbourg, to ensure that Rule 39 orders meet a basic natural justice standard, and one which will prevent the abuse of Rule 39 to thwart removals. I understand that the Bill sets out the conditions for the UK's future compliance with such orders. 

The Home Secretary made a statement under Section 19 (1) (b) of the Human Rights Act 1998. I understand that this does not mean that the provisions in the Bill are incompatible within the Convention rights, only that there is a more than 50 per cent chance that they may not be. The Government has said that it is testing the limits, but the Home Secretary remains confident that this Bill is compatible with international law. Both Houses will have an opportunity to thoroughly scrutinise the Bill and once approved the measures in the Bill will have been expressly endorsed by Parliament, and the Government expects the courts to take this into account.

I am aware that New Clause 10 sought to establish a process to fast-track asylum claims from “specified countries”. I am aware that provisions set out in the Bill make it clear that the asylum or human rights claims of those who have entered the UK illegally and who have not come directly from a place where their life or liberty were threatened will be declared inadmissible and therefore will not be substantively considered. For this reason, the Government did not support New Clause 10 during the Bill’s Remaining Stages.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign Reply - Will you support the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill?

Thank you for contacting me about the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill. 

The UK has long led the way on animal welfare. In 2021, the Government's Action Plan for Animal Welfare, set out reforms for this Parliament and beyond. Since then, the Government has passed the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act, recognising the sentience of vertebrate animals and some invertebrate animals. In addition, the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act introduced tougher sentences for cruelty, increasing maximum sentences. The Ivory Act came into force in 2022 and has recently been extended to cover five more endangered species. In April, the Government made cat microchipping compulsory.

The Kept Animals Bill, introduced in June 2021, was designed to implement several government ambitions for animal welfare, including banning the live exports of animals, seeking to prevent pet theft, and new measures to tackle livestock worrying. I am aware that the Bill’s multi-issue nature means that there has been considerable scope creep, and it risks going beyond the original commitments in the Conservative manifesto on which I was elected and those set out in the action plan. Therefore, the Government will now be taking forward measures in the Kept Animals Bill individually during the remainder of the Parliament.

I am assured that the Government remains fully committed to delivering its manifesto commitments on animal welfare. Having left the EU, the Government is able to and will ban live exports for fattening and slaughter. There have been no live exports from Great Britain since 2020, but legislation will ensure that this becomes permanent. Ministers remain committed to delivering it.

Regarding puppy smuggling, I know that the Government will ban the imports of young, heavily pregnant or mutilated dogs and this will be achieved quicker with a single-issue Bill than the secondary legislation required under the Kept Animals Bill. Further, the keeping of primates as pets will be banned and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will consult on primate-keeping standards.

My ministerial colleagues in Defra are committed to animal welfare and to delivering continued improvements, both in this Parliament and beyond.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

 

Newspaper Column 24th July - Support for the Homeless

 Parliament has now risen for summer recess after a busy session with a lot of important legislation going through. I am looking forward to spending the rest of July and August here in Cornwall, hard at work on behalf of local people and businesses. Please do get in touch if you would like me to visit your business or organisation and my team will be happy to arrange a visit.

Last week, on Friday it was great to welcome the Minister for Homelessness, Felicity Buchan MP, to Truro & Falmouth for a visit to Chough House and then the Bunkabins in place in Truro.

Chough House is a newly renovated property with 9 individual en-suite rooms where people can feel safe and supported. It is aimed at over 18s who are new to rough sleeping and can stay for approximately 72 hours, before moving on. Help is on hand to progress them through a pathway to independence. It is an amazing, bright and light building while feeling welcoming and cosy. Importantly, the building has self contained areas, so vulnerable people can lock the door and feel secure.

The staff we met were incredibly proud and passionate about their job and I am confident this will be very successful. The second visit was to the cabins in place in Truro. Again, this is a site of independent pods where clients can feel secure and safe while receiving help and support to keep them from returning to the streets.

The Minister was delighted to have met such enthusiastic and knowledgeable people and I will work with her to provide more accommodation as this is such an important area to succeed in as it reduces strain on blue light services.

While temporary accommodation is a last resort, it is a vital lifeline for those at risk of homelessness. I will continue to work with Cornwall Council and all of the other excellent local partners to tackle the housing crisis in Cornwall.

I also remain focused on ensuring the Government continues to provide Councils with the funding and support they need to tackle homelessness and deliver more affordable housing across Cornwall.

As well as providing modular homes for temporary and emergency accommodation, Cornwall Council is also continuing work to:  

· Buy existing homes to use as social housing     

· Build more Council houses for local people to rent or buy 

· Support the provision of affordable homes by housing associations for local people to rent or buy     

· Ensure sites deliver affordable housing through the planning process    

· Unlock the potential for town centres to be regenerated to provide more housing    

· Support community-led organisations that want to deliver their own homes    

· Offer loans to bring empty homes back into use

· Enable communities to stop new builds being snapped up by would be second homeowners

As always, I am fully focused on the job at hand and if there is ever anything at all I can do to help, then please do not hesitate to contact me. 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.

Campaign reply - Will you support the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill?

Thank you for contacting me about boycotts by public institutions.

The Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill will stop public bodies pursuing their own foreign policy agenda, including with public money, through divisive boycotts, divestment and sanctions campaigns.

I believe that the United Kingdom must speak with one voice internationally, and public bodies running their own foreign policies risks undermining our foreign diplomacy. It is not right for local authorities and public bodies to waste time and resources when they have key responsibilities to prioritise. I am also concerned that local level boycotts can pit communities against one another and damage community cohesion. In particular, in the case of boycotts against businesses and organisations affiliated with Israel, there has been a horrific rise in antisemitic rhetoric and abuse which I believe must be stamped out.

I want to be clear that the proposed legislation would not restrict individuals’ right to freedom of speech. Nor will it apply to private organisations, where they are not carrying out public functions. The Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill will extend to public institutions (as defined in the Human Rights Act 1998) only.

The UK has a well-established sanctions policy which remains in place. Ministers have been clear that organisations with links to Russia and Belarus will still be prevented from benefitting from taxpayers’ money with councils able to terminate existing contracts with those linked to Putin’s war machine.

Foreign policy is rightly the reserve of national government. I believe it cannot be right for public institutions to have the power to make divisive decisions which set different parts of the community against each other.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign reply - Will you support Net Zero?

Thank you for contacting me about the Energy Bill.

As energy prices have hit unprecedented levels, Driven by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Government acted swiftly this winter to help families and businesses across the country, covering around half a typical household’s energy bill and around half of wholesale energy costs for some businesses. The Government has also recently published 'Powering Up Britain’ which brings together our Energy Security Plan and Net Zero Growth Plan to set out how it will transform our energy system, achieve net zero by 2050 and boost economic growth. It sets out a pathway to greater energy independence through the deployment of low carbon technologies.

The Government’s landmark Energy Bill is essential to this transformation. The aim of the Bill is to help increase the resilience and reliability of energy systems across the UK, support the delivery of the UK’s climate change commitments and reform the UK’s energy system while minimising costs to consumers and protecting them from unfair pricing. To enable this, the Bill is structured around three key pillars: liberating investment in clean technologies, reforming the UK’s energy system so it is fit for the future, and maintain the safety, security and resilience of the UK’s energy system

I would like to assure you that getting to net zero is a top priority for the UK, especially given that this will reduce dependency on Russian energy. I am confident that the UK will continue to invest in renewable technologies and methods of reducing house carbon dioxide emissions to increase energy efficiency. 

Thank you once again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign Reply - Will you help protect literary landscapes?

Thank you for contacting me about protections for our historic landscapes.

Like you, I believe that the landscapes that inspired some of country’s most treasured works of literature should be protected for future generations to enjoy. I agree that our planning system should protect important natural landscapes and heritage assets, and I would like to assure you that my ministerial colleagues are committed to ensuring it does just that.

Already, the National Planning Policy Framework – which sets out planning guidance for local authorities in England – makes clear that local planning authorities’ planning policies should conserve and enhance the natural, built and historic environment, including landscapes. The framework also states that planning policies should recognise the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside.

The Government is introducing changes to the planning system to incentivise more local authorities to adopt and update local plans. Local plans provide a framework for local authorities to set out their vision for their area and a platform for local people to shape their surroundings. Crucially, local plans can protect the important landscapes communities cherish and direct homes to the places local people prefer.

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will increase the weight given to local plans when making decisions on applications, so that there must be strong reasons to override the plan. The legislation will also help to foster better environmental outcomes, with a new requirement to prepare Environmental Outcomes Reports to assess the potential environmental effects of relevant plans and major projects.

Further, I understand that the Government is working on a review of protections for ancient woodlands and ancient and veteran trees in national planning policy. This will consider the options for further protecting these important habitats through the planning system.

I understand that Ministers intend to undertake a fuller review of the National Planning Policy Framework later this year to ensure the reformed planning system can effectively mitigate and adapt to climate change and maximise environmental benefits. I would encourage you to share your views when this consultation launches.

I believe that, together, these measures will help protect our beautiful countryside and landscapes for decades to come.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Newspaper Column 10th July 2023 - The Cost of Childcare

 

As a working mum both before and since becoming Member of Parliament for Truro and Falmouth, I know all about the pressures that needing to find childcare can put on mums, both those currently working and those looking to return to work.

The childcare system has been one that has long needed reform, and during my time as MP this is something I have called for in Parliament, as well as welcoming the Government’s early years champion Andrea Leadsom MP down to Truro and Falmouth on several occasions so she could see first-hand some of the issues we face in Cornwall.

It was great news then, in the Chancellor’s Spring Budget earlier this year, to see that hundreds of thousands more working parents will be supported through an extension of the free childcare on offer, more than doubling the current support in place. This will help mums in particular, to stay in work and keep the economy growing.

The Government knows that childcare is one of the biggest costs facing working households, which is why we want to make it cheaper and more accessible, to reduce the barriers preventing some parents from going back to work.

Currently, parents who work more than 16 hours a week and earn less than £100,000 are entitled to 30 hours free childcare a week for children aged three to four.

The Chancellor in his Budget Statement confirmed that the Government will be expanding the scheme so that working parents of all children over the age of nine months are also entitled to free 30 hours of childcare. This is a transformational change that will make a difference to families across the country.

Since the Budget I have been pushing behind the scenes to ensure that Cornwall benefits from these changes as soon as possible, and I was delighted on Friday last week the Government confirmed that Cornwall Council is among 16 selected from across the country to develop additional plans also announced in the Budget, for wraparound childcare for parents of primary school aged children in England.

In addition to the plans mentioned above for pre-school children, this scheme will see all parents of children in this age group able to access childcare in their local area between the hours of 08:00 and 18:00.

This means that Cornwall Council will be expected to be among the first to rollout the wraparound care from next summer, before the scheme is expanded to further councils from September 2024, a real boost for parents who work or want to return to work, in Cornwall.

I look forward to working with Cornwall Council to ensure these plans are brought forward and used as soon as possible, and also await the additional free childcare hours for younger children in 2024 and beyond.

As always, I am fully focused on the job at hand and if there is ever anything at all I can do to help, then please do not hesitate to contact me. 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 3rd July - Our NHS

 One of the most important issues we face nationally is ensuring that our NHS works for everyone, both the people it is there to serve, and those who work for it, to deliver these vital services every day. 

With the Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske such a major part of not just our constituency but as a service for Cornwall, as well as the many other crucial NHS services delivered across Truro and Falmouth, this is an area I am doing a lot of work in. 

We recently saw the confirmation by the Government of funding for the new women and children’s hospital at the Treliske site, and the Government continues to invest record levels of funding into the NHS, both in Cornwall and nationally. 

Alongside that, we also need to make sure the NHS has the people it needs and they get the support they need, to be as good as it can be for now and for the future.  

Last week we saw the release of the 15 year long term workforce plan, developed by the NHS and backed by the Government. 

The Government has already invested significantly in education and training – NHS spending this year is at a record high, around 16% higher in real terms than in 2019/20. 

There are more staff working in the NHS than at any point in its history, including a record number of doctors and nurses. Overall, the NHS in England employs around 1.6 million people, one of the world’s largest employers and the largest in the UK. 

However, Covid has imposed significant burdens on the NHS, and NHS staff are working hard to recover services and cut waiting lists. 

Since the NHS was founded, it has struggled with staffing shortages and a lack of long-term workforce planning - this is a challenged faced by healthcare systems across the world. 

Pressures on the workforce will grow if we don’t solve the workforce shortage. Over the next 15 years, the number of people aged over 85 will grow by 55%. The NHS estimate that in this time, without action, the workforce gap could grow to up to 360,000 

Patient needs are also changing, becoming ever more complex as people are living longer, and living with multiple long-term conditions, like diabetes, asthma and mental health issues 

In a nutshell the plan announced last week commits to: 

Train more staff:  

• We will fund the largest ever expansion in domestic education and training places, significantly increasing the number of training places across the NHS workforce. By 2031 we will; 

• Double the number of medical school training places, with more places in areas of the country with the greatest shortages. 

• Increase the number of GP training places by 50%. 

• Almost double the number of adult nurse training places, with 24,000 more nurse and midwife training places a year. 

• Expand dental training places by 40%. 

Retain staff: 

• A renewed focus on retention should mean that up to 130,000 staff stay working in NHS settings longer. We will take action to improve culture, leadership and wellbeing of NHS staff, including: 

• Modernising the NHS pension scheme through new retirement flexibilities to help retain our most experienced staff, whilst making it easier and attractive for retired staff to return. 

• Support for continuing professional development; 

• Occupational health services for NHS staff; and 

• Additional childcare – as announced at the Spring Budget 

Reform the way staff work:

 

• The Plan sets out actions to modernise how people work and train: 

• Expanding the training of new roles, such as nursing associates, physician associates and anaesthesia associates, which will support and free up other clinical colleagues. 

• Growing the number of staff in advanced, and enhanced clinical and consultant practice roles. 

• Increasing the number of degree-level apprenticeship routes to enter the nursing, medical and other professions. 

• Streamlining training to get professionals from the classroom to the clinic more quickly. 

• Harnessing the use of new technologies including artificial intelligence and remote monitoring to free up clinical time. 

There is always more to do, but this plan demonstrates a real and significant commitment from the NHS, supported by the Government to providing the real and long-term reform to its workforce, both for now and the future, that we need.   

As always, I am fully focused on the job at hand and if there is ever anything at all I can do to help, then please do not hesitate to contact me. 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.