As we enter 2018, I have been pleased to spend time with my
friends and family over the festive period in Mid-Cornwall. Parliament returns
next week and I have been thinking about what my priorities are and what I want
to accomplish over the next year.
Firstly the two big projects in terms of infrastructure and
potential economic expansion are the A30 link road to St Austell and the bid
for Cornwall Airport Newquay to become the UK’s first Spaceport.
With the announcement that the Government is committing £79m
of funding to the road I will be working with Cornwall Council and others to
ensure the commencement of the scheme moves forward, and aim for work to start
in 2019.
I am hoping to see a positive announcement regarding the
excellent bid put forward by Cornwall Airport Newquay, the Cornwall Local
Enterprise Partnership and Cornwall Council for the Spaceport. This has come a
long way since my election and is something I have championed at all levels of
Government. If successful it will unlock previously unseen levels of investment
and new hi-tech jobs for Mid-Cornwall and I hope to see good news on this in
2018.
Meanwhile I have been pleased to continue to work with
colleagues in Westminster and Cornwall Council to move forward the St Austell
Resilience Regeneration (STARR) project which will help combat long-running
flooding issues in the Par and St Blazey area. I recently met with the Minister
about this and have been making the strong case for more funding to allow the
project to reach its full potential.
We also have several new schools planned for St Austell and
Newquay and I look forward to seeing these start construction: once they are in
place they will ease the burden on existing schools.
In the light of the success we have had in getting funding
for the A30 link road to St Austell I will also be redoubling efforts to
attract funding for the much-needed Newquay Strategic Route, which is of such
importance with so many new houses being built on the edge of the town.
I also continue to follow the exciting news about the
discovery of Lithium, an important metal used in batteries for everything from
electric vehicles to mobile devices, in Cornwall and will certainly be working
with Cornish Lithium to ensure the potential of lithium in Mid-Cornwall, both
for extraction and processing, is fully explored, in order to bring mining in
Cornwall back to prominence.
There are other long term issues that need addressing. The
lack of affordable housing remains a concern. Announcements to make it easier
for our young people to buy their first home were a good step in the recent
Budget, but more needs to be done. I will continue to do all I can to ensure
the houses that we do get in Mid-Cornwall are appropriately located, with the
right infrastructure and jobs to go with them.
Anti-social behaviour is also still an issue that concerns
many people in our constituency and I will continue to work with Cornwall
Council and our police to ensure all appropriate steps are taken to deal with
both the offenders and to work to reduce the number of incidents.
Finally, on a national level, the Brexit process will
continue throughout 2018. In my role as Chair of the All Party Parliamentary
Group for Visitor Economy I will do all I can to ensure the tourism and
hospitality sectors, which are so important to us in Mid-Cornwall, get their
voice heard and are able to take full advantage of the benefits of our leaving
the EU. I will also continue to be your
strong Cornish voice in Westminster and push for Cornwall to get our fair share
of funding, with the Shared Prosperity Fund due to replace the EU funding and
that our important farming and fishing communities get a good deal and do not
lose out in a post-Brexit world.
2017 has certainly been a busy and exciting year, and I look
forward to continuing to work for you to make Mid-Cornwall a better place to
live, work and grow up in, for 2018 and beyond.
