Wednesday 12 July 2017

Newspaper column 12 July - The end of EU funding?

Last week I was interested to read information released by the European Union that throws a new light on the funding we have received from them in Cornwall over the past twenty years.

I have been vocal in the past about the appropriateness of how this EU funding has been allocated and whether or not it has been effective due to poor targeting and a lack of results.

Under the new formula, the EU says that Cornwall would no longer receive any further funding from it, and indeed would never have qualified for any in previous years under this criteria.

Obviously with the UK soon due to leave the EU following the result of last year’s Referendum on our membership, the funding was due to stop anyway.

And while the EU may say that Cornwall is no longer one of the poorest areas of its union, Cornwall does still remain one of the poorest areas of the UK.

Regardless of what the EU thinks, it is clear that additional funding into Cornwall, if correctly targeted and without making potential applicants have to jump through too many hoops in order to access it, should make a positive impact here.

Once Brexit happens, we will be able to take back control and allocate the money we had been sending to the EU to funding streams and schemes that will be able to directly affect families and businesses that really need it. It won’t matter what unelected mandarins in Brussels think – members of our own Parliament will instead be able to use our own local knowledge to ensure funding is used effectively and efficiently where it will have the best possible outcome.

While the Government has already been investing more into Cornwall, correcting historic underfunding issues that we have endured under previous governments, including in transport infrastructure, schools and the NHS, there is still more to do to ensure that we in Cornwall get the best deal to put us on equal footing with the rest of the country.

I will certainly do all I can, along with my Cornish MP colleagues, to ensure the voice of Cornwall is heard loudly in Westminster and that when the EU funding stops we get a new replacement from the Government that is better targeted, fit for purpose and will accomplish what it sets out to achieve, helping those who need it the most.


As always, my team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support. If there is an issue you would like my assistance on then please contact me on either 01726 829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only, advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events