Tuesday, 30 January 2024

Newspaper Column 30th January 2024 - Social Care Funding in Cornwall and the St Mawes Pharmacy

Over the past couple of weeks along with Cornish MP colleagues and the Conservative administration at Cornwall Council, I have been lobbying the Government to provide more funding for our council in its annual funding settlement.

Last week I took part in a debate on why funding for public services in Cornwall is more expensive. Due to our rural nature and geography, as well as the huge numbers of people who come to visit at certain times of the year, there are unique pressures on the delivery of all sorts of services in Cornwall, from our police and social care, to the core and statutory services delivered by Cornwall Council.

I was pleased then, to see on Monday, the Secretary of State for Local Government listen to our concerns and commit to providing millions more for Cornwall Council, as part of a £500million addition to the annual funding settlement, as well as a substantial increase in the rural services delivery grant. All told this works out to around an additional £6million for Cornwall Council, money which it can invest into social care and the delivery of rural services.

I was pleased to be part of the successful campaign to secure this increase and will continue to work to ensure Cornwall gets our fair share of available monies from the Government.

Another really good news story from last week was the safeguarding of the community pharmacy in St Mawes. When I heard about the possible closure of the pharmacy in St Mawes, I was horrified. The pharmacy is an asset to the community, helping hundreds of people throughout the community during the pandemic, and beyond. This week I wrote to the Integrated Care Board (ICB) for Cornwall, and to the Secretary of State for health and Social Care to ask them for their timely intervention to keep the St Mawes pharmacy open. In return I was delighted to see the ICB recognise the importance of the pharmacy and work with the pharmacist to secure a revised and ongoing contract to keep this vital community service open. Another example of a really positive people power campaign on the Roseland, and one that I was really pleased to play a part in.

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.

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