Newspaper Column 28th May 2024 - The General Election

It is a privilege to have been your Member of Parliament. It gave me the ability to fight for the issues that we, as Conservatives, care about here in Cornwall.

Locally, we’ve delivered on my promise to be approachable and hard-working. My office have helped nearly 50,000 constituents and counting. There are success stories all around, from the re-opening of the Hall for Cornwall with government funding, to UK Infrastructure Bank’s investment in Cornish Lithium to revive our mining industry, the near-complete A30 dualling and many smaller issues like the saving of St Mawes Pharmacy or successfully opposing the imposition of the Gerrans Bay Seaweed Farm.

I am so proud we are building our new Women & Children’s Hospital at Treliske, due to open in 2028. It will have maternity, paediatrics, obstetrics & gynaecology and neonatal facilities. This is Levelling-Up in action and a serious step to increasing the healthcare capacity for Cornwall.

Nationally, those successes are many. Those that I am most proud of include recruiting 20,000 new police officers since we pledged to do so in 2019. 600 of those new officers are on the streets of Devon & Cornwall right now. We have been there when people needed us, most memorably with the Furlough scheme which prevented destitution for many as the economy ground to a halt with Covid. People forget, because of the freedoms of Brexit and the decisive action of the Conservative government, Britain had the world’s first Covid vaccine programme which saved lives and returned us quickly to normal life.

We have supported Ukraine to fend off Russian aggression and we have increased our defence spending to 2.5% of GDP. We are responsibly handling the economy, with inflation down towards the 2% target, which allows us to make the tax cuts we all want starting with 4% off National Insurance. Vitally, we have finally passed the Safety of Rwanda Bill, in the teeth of fierce opposition from Labour and the other minor parties. We should see flights taking off in the near future, which should play a key part in stopping the boats.

On a personal note, part of the reason I came into politics was because of the grief of losing my daughter, Lily, whilst still unborn. I feel there is still a huge taboo around discussing baby loss and there simply isn’t enough support for families who lose children in the womb.

Given my own experiences, I was incredibly proud to champion the government’s 2024 Pregnancy Loss Review, which made 73 recommendations to help families losing children before 24-weeks gestation. Importantly, this included registration and issue of a “Baby Loss Certificate” for children lost before 24-weeks pregnancy as a recognition of a life lost, to give comfort to parents at their lowest point.

But there is much more to do and I am seeking to be re-elected on 4 July to continue my positive and proactive work for the good people of Truro and Falmouth locally, as well as part of part of a Conservative Government that has delivered for Cornwall time and time again.

Newspaper Column 20th May 2024 - Protecting our Environment

I hope everyone had a great weekend and was able to enjoy some of the sunshine.

Of particular note for me last weekend I had an amazing time at Gylly Beach in Falmouth on Saturday morning joining in the Surfers Against Sewage paddle out.

And where better than on our brilliant beach, which last week was awarded a blue flag for cleanliness, water quality, and safety. With pale sand and a blue sea on Saturday, it was easy to see why!

I joined Surfers Against Sewage in 2010 and am still a member today – back then under the last Labour Government only 7% of sewage outflows were monitored, they simply did not know the scale of the problem. Thanks to the Conservative Government and the world leading Environment Act we now have 100% of outflows monitored. There’s still a lot to do but through the Environment Act we have passed laws to allow water companies to be given unlimited fines if they don’t clean up their acts, and given Ofwat the powers they need to stop dividends for water companies unless they can prove they are actively working to improve water quality I also sit on the Environmental Audit Committee in Parliament where we are currently doing an investigation into water quality. There is always more to do, but this Government has taken more steps than any before to better understand the water pollution problems we face and then hold the water companies to account on it.

Massive thanks to Giles Bristow and Surfers Against Sewage for hosting this event, and to everyone who came along. The beach was packed, and it was a fantastic atmosphere!

Another highlight of my work for you in Parliament last week was speaking in the debate on support for the South West’s Under 10 metre fishing fleet.

In the debate I spoke about the recently welcomed pollack compensation scheme, which I campaigned hard for along with my Cornish MP colleagues and the need to recognise the importance of the livelihoods of our fishermen against the recreational angling sector. I also reiterated my call for the need for more apprenticeships for the sector to allow more young people to get into this career, and the importance of having local auction sites to sell the fish and ensure our fishermen get the best price for their quality catch.  They work ridiculously hard in often dangerous conditions and I believe they should be recognised for this effort.

It was great to see a good cross party debate on what more can be done to support this important fishing fleet made up of small boats which support so many businesses around Cornwall and further afield.

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 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 13th May 2024 - Improving Water Quality and protecting our Environment

This Government is taking more steps than any other to improve our environment and boost water quality. Last week, to go along with the many measures already announced and at work, the Government announced 180 new projects with £11.5m extra funding to boost tree planting, habitat restoration and flood management across England through the Water Environment Improvement Fund.

The funding, which includes money from the Nature for Climate Fund, will also unlock up to an extra £11.5 million from organisations including the National Lottery, local rivers and wildlife trusts or from private investment, bringing the total possible investment to £23 million.

Overall, the additional funding is expected to lead to an additional 300km of English rivers being protected and improved. It will also support the creation and restoration of around 160 hectares of inland and coastal waters.

Catchment partnerships take a collaborative approach to improving river quality and enhancing biodiversity at a catchment level, using local knowledge and expertise.

They bring together government, local authorities, landowners, local eNGOs, regulators, farmers, academia, local businesses and water companies.

This announcement includes four projects in Cornwall and builds on recent measures to clean up our rivers including consulting on a ban on water company bonuses, launching a new Water Restoration Fund to reinvest water company fines and penalties back into the water environment, and a fourfold increase in Environment Agency inspections.

Last week’s announcement follows recent measures delivered to improve the water environment, including:

• A new £11m Water Restoration Fund to reinvest water company fines and penalties back into the water environment.
• Requiring companies to monitor 100% of storm overflows in England - providing a complete picture of when and where sewage spills happen.
• Removing the cap on civil penalties for water companies and broadening their scope so swifter action can be taken against those who pollute our waterways.
• Requiring the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £60 billion over 25 years – to revamp ageing assets and reduce the number of sewage spills by hundreds of thousands every year.
• Increasing protections for coastal and estuarine waters by expanding the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan, prioritising bathing waters, sites of special scientific interest and shellfish waters.
• A targeted plan to better preserve and protect the River Wye, including £35m in funding.
• Speeding up the process of building key water supply infrastructure, including more reservoirs and water transfer schemes.

I will continue to do all I can to ensure Cornwall gets its fair share of funding announced in schemes like this, as well as working with my Cornish MP colleagues to continue to hold South West Water to account.

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 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 7th May 2024 - Welfare Reform in Truro and Falmouth

I would like to thank our Jobcentre teams in Truro and Penryn and their associated charities for the time and commitment they give to people, who are looking for work. I know that, in some cases, it can take months of careful one to one coaching to get someone to the point of an interview. When that person succeeds, it’s all worth it.

Recently the Government announced reforms to the benefit system, which will see support targeted to those who need it most, while ensuring people who abuse the system do not get away with it.

Last week, the first step to these reforms took place as The Modernising Support Green Paper was published, which explores how our welfare system could be redesigned to ensure people with disabilities and long-term health conditions get the support they need to achieve the best outcomes, with an approach that focuses support on those with the greatest needs and extra costs.

The caseload and costs for the benefit are now spiralling. There are now 2.6 million people of working age claiming PIP and DLA – with 33,000 new awards for PIP each month which is more than double the rate before the pandemic. This is expected to cost the taxpayer £28 billion a year by 2028/29 – a 110% increase in spending since 2019.

The Green Paper sets out proposals across three key priorities to fundamentally reform the system:

• Providing the right support to the people who need it most.
• Targeting our resources most effectively.
•   Supporting disabled people and people with long-term health conditions to live independently and reach their full potential.

You can access the Green Paper and read the proposals in depth by searching for ‘Modernising support for independent living: the health and disability green paper’. I would be interested in hearing the views of the people of Truro and Falmouth on these proposals as they proceed.

The Green Paper is the latest of the government’s welfare reforms to ensure disabled people and people with long-term health conditions can live full and independent lives. It builds on last year’s Health and Disability White Paper and the £2.5 billion Back to Work Plan which will break down barriers to work for over one million people. 

 

The Government is also delivering the largest expansion in mental health services in a generation, with almost £5 billion of extra funding over the past five years, and a near doubling of mental health training places

 

Finally I couldn’t pass this past week without congratulating the re-elected Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall Alison Hernandez for her superb election result last Thursday. Alison and I have worked together on numerous issues around Truro and Falmouth, including the reopening of police station front desks and in particular accessing more funding to combat violence against women and girls in Penryn and Falmouth, and I was delighted to see this result. I look forward to working with Alison for the good of our communities in the future.

 

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 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.