I couldn’t start this week’s column without reflecting on St Austell’s D-Day veteran Harry Billinge. I was incredibly sad to hear of the passing of Harry last week. He became very well-known to me and my office and would always say, “I’m no hero, I was just one of the lucky ones.” But the truth is Harry was the absolute definition of a hero. Not only for his actions on D-Day and the service he gave to his country, but also for his tireless fundraising work to honour his fallen comrades and raising awareness.
Come rain or shine, you could find Harry sat in Fore Street, and later Par
Market, always with a story to tell and a smile, fundraising for the Normandy
Memorial. Harry raised thousands and thousands of pounds to help the memorial
become a reality and I am so happy that he was able to visit it last year. I
know how much the memorial meant to him. It was fitting to see Harry recognised
for his work in his lifetime with, amongst other things, his MBE and a train
named after him. He was a humble man and I know both of these meant such a lot
to him.
My thoughts are
with Harry’s family and all the people whose lives he touched in such a
positive way. Harry was adored and loved by so many, he will be a great loss
to the town and his legacy will live on.
Speaking of legacies, I am pleased to see that the Government is currently helping Cornwall Council to create one of its own. This is through the launch of a pioneering trial which means residents will pay significantly less to travel by bus from this week. It also aims to cut Cornwall’s carbon emissions.
The reduced bus fares pilot scheme is a first for a local authority and sets
out to encourage more people to leave their cars at home and travel by bus.
Thanks to £23.5m funding from the Government it means adult bus passengers
will, on average, pay one-third less for their fares now that the new summer
timetables have been introduced. It is hoped that the pilot, which will run for
the next four years, will cut car emissions as road transport currently
accounts for around a quarter of all of Cornwall’s carbon emissions.
I am pleased to see the Government working with the Conservative-led Cornwall
Council to ensure that public transport is an option for everyone in Cornwall
and also to make a difference to the environment.
I agree with the leader of Cornwall Council, Linda Taylor, when she says:
“Making our buses better value and easier to use will give our residents a much
more attractive, sustainable travel option and is instrumental in our journey to
helping Cornwall become carbon neutral.”
Following a government Devolution Deal in 2016, which gave Cornwall Council greater power to work with bus operators to transform Cornwall’s public transport network, most of Cornwall’s buses are among the newest in the country, stops have been upgraded and many now feature Real Time Passenger Information displays to give passengers up to the minute information about their journeys.
It is great to see Cornwall leading the way once again and this Conservation
council deserves praise for leading this initiative which I am sure will have a
substantial and long-term positive impact throughout the county.
As always, if I can be of any further assistance, my office is available for
any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel. 01726 829379, email – office@stevedouble.org.uk
