Newspaper column 06 September 2023 - Back to Parliament and the Energy Bill

 We have now come to the end of another summer here in Mid-Cornwall and the schools are getting ready to go back this week. I also returned to Parliament this week after spending Summer Recess at home in the constituency where I had the opportunity to spend some time with my family and meet with constituents and local businesses. 

 

I am looking forward to getting back to Westminster and representing our constituency in Parliament as your MP. Over the coming months a number of important pieces of legislation will be coming forward in Parliament. This week the focus will be on the Energy Bill, which will reform the UK’s energy system by addressing energy production and security, and the regulation of the energy market.

 

Last week I wrote about Ofgem’s announcement of a further reduction in the energy price cap, meaning an annual energy bill for a typical household will fall to £1,923 in October – the first price cap under £2,000 since last year. Bills will be around £151 lower than current rates and £577 lower than last winter.

The government has stepped in with over £40 billion of support to help households with both short-term and long-term measures, including the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) scheme, Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS), a £150 council tax rebate for households and providing £9 million of additional support to the Household Support Fund. The government also continues to make cost of living payments to those who are most vulnerable and on certain benefits.

However, Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine last year has put the need for energy security in stark perspective. While the UK has little direct exposure to Russian gas, we faced significant indirect impacts through our links to European gas networks and global markets. Never again should we allow our energy security to be threatened, therefore it is crucial that we look at the UK’s energy independence and renewable energy sources, and move away from any reliance on Russia.

That is why the Prime Minister has tasked the new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero with improving the UK’s energy security, creating greater energy independence consistent with net zero and reducing the risk of higher bills.

 

We now have an opportunity to address the UK’s energy security and independence by reducing our dependence on oil and gas and moving towards low-carbon energy, including wind, solar and nuclear power generation alongside hydrogen production and carbon capture, usage and storage.

 

We want our energy to be cheap, clean and reliable to protect households and businesses and the best way to do this is by not only lowering the costs of the energy we consume, but reducing the amount we use.

 

We all have a part to play in this and the government continues to provide millions of pounds in grant funding for vital energy efficiency upgrades for homes, which will help many households in St Austell and Newquay decarbonise their homes.

The Energy Bill will also set out how homes will transition to greener heating systems in the years to come, including those with oil boilers and without having to install heat pumps, which I know are a cost many people would find difficult to cover.

I understand that many households in Mid-Cornwall would have been hit hard financially by the proposed ban on the installation of new oil boilers from 2026 and so was pleased to see the government publish an amendment that places a new obligation on liquid fuel providers to supply renewable products.

This is thanks to the work of my Cornish colleague and Conservative MP for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle, George Eustice, who has pushed for oil heated homes to be given the choice of switching to a renewable liquid fuel, rather than a heat pump.

It is right that the government continues to take decisive action to support households and businesses with rising energy bills, and while targeted support will still be offered to those who most need it, I do believe it is important that the government take steps to fix the broken energy retail markets for the long-term.

I am looking forward to working with Ministers as we move towards a future of clean and abundant energy, which will not only cut costs for households in Mid-Cornwall, but also boost the UK’s economy and attract future investment.

If I can be of assistance on this matter, or another, please get in touch with my office by calling 01726 829379 or email office@stevedouble.org.uk

Newspaper column 9 August 2023 - A visit from the Roads Minister

As we move into August, last week it was great to welcome Roads Minister Richard Holden to Mid-Cornwall to update him in some of the excellent work being done to improve our transport infrastructure and improve our connectivity.

First up the Minister went from Cornwall Airport Newquay to Newquay Bus Station, along with local councillors and Connor Donnithorne, the lead councillor at Cornwall Council responsible for Transport. This journey was carried out on the Atlantic Coaster, an open top double decker that travels between Newquay and Padstow. which was always an optimistic plan given the changeable weather we have been having so far this summer! Apart from being able to see some of our lovely Cornish sights and scenery, the purpose of this part of the Minister’s visit was to highlight the continued success we are having in Cornwall with the bus fare cap, as well as to get an update on some of the other amazing initiatives going on in Cornwall, such as the successful partnership with Operators and the Council to provide free bus passes for Care Leavers.

In June, the Government announced a further extension to the national bus fare cap of £2 for a single fare bus journey until the end of October 2023, and then £2.50 until November 2024.

The extension of this national initiative complements the bus fares pilot scheme already in place here in Cornwall since April 2022, with bus passengers already saving hundreds of thousands of pounds. Between April and December 2022 over two million discounted tickets were sold through the bus fares pilot.

It was good to highlight to the Minister this success as well as the need to ensure as many people as possible know about the fare caps and are able to access the buses.

The Minister also had the chance to have a look around Newquay Bus Station and see how, under the Transport for Cornwall brand, bus users can have access to integrated information such as timetables, roadside information, networks guides and maps.

Finally, he also saw how Cornwall invests in active travel initiatives like Cornwall’s e-bike share scheme, Beryl bikes which are available at locations, including in the towns of St Austell and Newquay, all across Cornwall. The bay at Newquay Railway Station ranks in Beryl’s top ten most popular.

Following the visit to Newquay Bus Station, the Minister visited the construction site of the St Austell - A30 link road at Roche.

The new link road is receiving £78.5million of Government funding– the biggest single investment by any government in mid-Cornwall.

The 3.9 mile route will link the A391 at Carluddon with Victoria and provide an alternative route for traffic that currently goes through the villages of Bugle and Roche.

The scheme will generate almost £112million in wider economic benefits, reduce journey times and include a new shared pedestrian and cycle facility running alongside the whole length of the new road.

Local businesses and residents have wished for a better connection to the A30 for many years. Previous schemes had been cancelled and there had been little prospect of this road ever being built. When I began my first election campaign in 2014 I pledged to make delivering this road my top priority. 

It has been great to see the work on this vital road take place over the past year. This scheme will not only benefit St Austell and the surrounding area, relieving pressure on Roche, Bugle and Stenalees, but also provide huge economic benefits and a more direct route to the A30 and Cornwall Airport Newquay.

It is only under this Conservative Government, with me as your MP, that it has been delivered. It was great to update the Minister on the work done and I will continue to work with colleagues in Cornwall and in Westminster to ensure this important part of our infrastructure for Mid-Cornwall is completed as soon as possible.

If I can be of assistance or help on any matter, please get in touch with my office on 01726 829379 or email office@stevedouble.org.uk

Newspaper column 2 August 2023 - Second homes roundtable

With the summer holidays and tourism season here in Cornwall now very much underway, I thought it timely that I was invited to attend a roundtable with the UK Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA) along with a number of providers of holiday let accommodation, last week. 

This event was attended by many key figures who play an important part in our tourism industry, including Malcolm Bell from Visit Cornwall, Leader of Cornwall Council, Linda Taylor, as well as the CEO of UK Short Term Accommodation Association, Andy Fenner and a number of my fellow Cornish MPs. 

It was good to have an open and honest discussion about the tourism industry in the county, including the benefits and concerns about short-term holiday lets in Cornwall, and more importantly, how they should be regulated while also supporting tourism and the local economy.

As you will know, I have always been a strong supporter of the tourism industry, serving as Chair of the influential Hospitality and Tourism All Party Parliamentary Group for a number of years, and have seen its importance to the Cornish economy. 

Cornwall attracts millions of visitors every year, who spend billions of pounds and I am sure local hospitality and tourism businesses will be hoping for another great summer season this year. 

However, while Cornwall’s tourism industry has its many positives, I understand there is a flip side to this and know many residents have their concerns about its impact, and I understand why. I see its impact as I am regularly contacted by local people who have been priced out of homes, both to rent or to buy, and are unable to continue to work or live in the place they call home due to the number of short-term lets. 

This is an issue I have been working to address for a number of years, both during my time as MP for St Austell and Newquay and also when I was a Cornwall Councillor. The availability and affordability of housing has been an issue in Cornwall for a long time, but there is no denying that it has grown significantly worse over the last few years due to, in part, the huge increase in demand for people to both holiday in Cornwall and those wanting to move to live here. 

Housing continues to remain one of the biggest problems that people raise with me and that is why I am pleased the government has brought forward a number of proposed changes in its Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, which aim to tackle the oversaturation of Airbnbs and other short-term lets on our local communities. 

As an MP who represents a constituency that has one of highest number of these properties, I have been urging the government to do more to regulate the short-term let market. We need to give communities the power to redress the balance between holiday lets and homes for local people to live in where it is an issue.

I have been working with Ministers to ensure important measures to manage the number of short-term lets in Cornwall would be included in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill in order to protect our communities and support the tourism industry and ensure they can both work together, which is key. 

It is reassuring to see the Government listening to the concerns I have raised on behalf of constituents and planning to introduce a requirement for change of use planning permissions for short-term lets.

The planning changes would see a planning use class created for short-term holiday lets not used as a sole or main home. I believe it is reasonable that if a property is built to be someone’s home and the owner wants to then change it to a holiday let, which is effectively a business use, that planning permission should be required because it is a fundamental change in the use of that property.

Creating a separate planning use category for short-term holiday lets will allow local authorities such as Cornwall Council to become decision-makers on how many of these types of business are in local communities, as well as giving town and parish councils, and the wider public a say in these matters through the planning process.

A new registration scheme for short-term lets is also being introduced through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.  This will ensure we know how many holiday let properties there are in a given area as well as enabling local councils to then ensure these properties have the required insurance and safety measures in place.

These new rules will ensure communities have greater control over short-term holiday lets and while we must recognise that there is no quick or easy fix for the housing situation in Cornwall, this is a significant step towards managing the impact of short-term lets on our local housing market. 

However, I do think we need to make it clear that both of these proposed measures are focussed on short-term lets, and therefore the planning changes and the register will not impact on hotels, hostels or B&Bs, which are already covers by current regulations.

The rules are also in addition to the Government measures to give local communities greater ability to manage the impact that second homes can have in some locations, including closing tax loopholes and permitting councils to apply higher council tax on second homes.

Cornwall Council will have the powers to be able to double council tax on unused second homes to boost funding for local services.

These issues are concerns I have raised many times with the Prime Minister and other senior members of government. I am pleased the government has listened to concerns raised by myself and other Cornish MPs and look forward to working with ministers to ensure these planned measures are implemented as soon as possible.

If I can be of assistance on this matter, or any other, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – call: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk

 

Newspaper column 26 July 2023 - A weekend with our emergency services

 

After a busy time in Westminster over the last few months, Parliament has now risen for the Summer Recess. This means I will be spending the rest of July and August working in our constituency. I look forward to being out and about meeting with local people, businesses and community groups in order to understand what matters to you and how I can best represent you as your Member of Parliament.

Towards the end of last week it was good to spend time with members of our emergency services. Firstly, I met with representatives from the police, fire service and ambulance service to discuss the Tri Service Support Officer (TSSO) role.

TSSOs are jointly funded by the police, fire service via Cornwall Council and the NHS, and work across Cornwall. They are embedded in local communities and are available to respond to urgent needs across all three services. This often means a quicker response to help save lives, treat people, solve incidents, and reduce demand on Cornwall’s three emergency services.

There are currently 13 TSSOs across Cornwall including in St Dennis and Fowey, with more planned for our constituency in the months ahead.

As well as responding to urgent incidents, they also visit homes, businesses, community venues and care homes to provide support and advice, gather intelligence and be a visible presence in the community.

TSSOs also attended 604 police logs, responded to 493 ambulance calls, conducted 486 home risk reduction visits, and spent nearly 4000 hours on safeguarding activity.

Their presence also enabled fire engines to be available to respond to emergencies 1207 hours more than if they weren’t in post.

The emergency services are looking to continue growing the service in Cornwall, by increasing the number of Tri-Service officers to 20, with recruitment starting subject to obtaining the necessary funding before the end of 2023 and I will be doing all I can to support them in this.

Later in the day I went out with St Austell Police as an observer on the late shift. Thanks to PC Jo Holmes for allowing me to accompany her on patrol and see a wide variety of the actions that the police carry out over the course of a shift.

It's always enlightening to spend time with the Police, and it is important to ensure the Government gives them the tools they need to get the job done.

In April of this year the Government fulfilled its commitment to provide an additional 20,000 police officers nationally since 2019.

This included 600 more police officers for Devon and Cornwall, making it easier for our police force to crack down on crimes and be pro-active in tackling issues such as anti-social behaviour that I am often contacted about.

Alongside this, the Government’s Beating Crime Plan will deliver a safer Britain alongside record funding for our police, with a £17.2 billion policing budget for 2023–2024. This is alongside the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Act which is giving the police and courts the powers they need to tackle serious crime head on. The Government is also delivering its Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, backed by £100 million in funding, making our streets and neighbourhoods safer for women and girls.

Since 2010, crime excluding fraud has been cut by over 50 per cent – making our communities safer. Theft has been reduced by 20 per cent and domestic burglary by 30 per cent. The Government has also taken 90,000 knives off our streets through stop and search, surrender initiatives and targeted police action since 2019.

I will continue to work with our local police force to ensure they are fully represented, and with the Government as we give our police and court systems the powers and resources they need to fight crime and punish offenders appropriately.

If I can be of assistance or help on any matter, please get in touch with my office on 01726 829379 or email office@stevedouble.org.uk

Newspaper column 19 July 2023 - Cleaning up our waters

The poor weather last week and over the weekend saw numerous alerts across our beaches as storm discharges occurred from the wastewater network.

As ever this will lead to people criticising the Government over their perceived lack of action in this area, despite these claims being very far from the truth.

We have a very antiquated sewage infrastructure across much of the country. Apart from anything else, if the outlets don’t discharge, they would be backing up and the contents would end up in peoples houses and businesses. And the discharges themselves are not a new thing – they have been going on for many years. What is new is that this Government is the first to actually grasp the problem and try to do something about it. The first step to doing something about it is to establish the scale of the problem, in order to be able to understand and deal with it, which is what we have done with the alerts. This now shows the scope of the problem, and it is now for the Government to work with the water industry to take practical and sensible steps to resolve it.

Part of this work is done by the Environment Agency, the body responsible for regulating water pollution. The Environment Agency produces an annual assessment of the environmental performance of all nine water and sewerage companies in England which includes star ratings for each company. Last week they published the latest set of annual results, which showed that South West Water improved its performance slightly, moving up to a 2-star company (from 1-star in 2021). The Environment Agency states that they hope this shows the start of a positive shift in culture under new leadership within the company. Yesterday I met with Susan Davy, CEO of the Pennon Group, which owns South West Water, about these results, and was clear that the Government will continue to apply robust regulation and conduct thorough performance reviews to ensure this momentum is maintained.

There is still much work to be done and I hope that this year South West Water will reduce pollutions further via focussed investment in infrastructure, applied learning from past mistakes and an improved data driven approach driven by the additional alert system put in place by the Government via the Environment Act.

Of course, while the increased monitoring and assessment of water companies such as South West Water appears to be getting things to head in the right direction, we still need to be able to take strong action to punish offenders when things go wrong.

Currently, the maximum variable monetary penalty that can be imposed for a wide range of environmental offences is capped at £250,000. This is not an effective deterrent for very large operators, such as water companies, as it may be cheaper for them to pay the penalty, or several penalties, than to solve the underlying issue.

This week the Government is putting legislation through Parliament that will remove the cap entirely to make the penalty unlimited, meaning that penalties can be proportionate to the degree of environmental harm and culpability and can act as a powerful deterrent.

The Government is also introducing unlimited variable monetary penalties as a civil sanction for offences under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, so in future the Environment Agency has all the tools it needs to change the behaviour of organisations who break the law.

There is always more to do when it comes to tackling the pollution of our seas and waterways. This is something I know is so important to our constituency and I will continue working locally and in Westminster to ensure the views of local people are represented and that the Government continues to do all it can to tackle this issue.

If I can be of assistance or help on any matter, please get in touch with my office on 01726 829379 or email office@stevedouble.org.uk

 

Newspaper column 12 July 2023 - Childcare changes

One of the things raised most often with me, both by local parents and by childcare providers, has been the urgent need to reform the childcare system. The current model has often been described as a hindrance to helping parents get back into and continue in work, as well as difficult to deliver effectively by the many excellent local businesses and charities who do so.  

I was pleased to see the Chancellor recognise these issues earlier this year, with his Spring Budget Statement containing measures in this area which I have long campaigned for. These included reforms to childcare, in terms of additional government funded childcare for children under five, as well as increased hourly rates for nursery providers which will make it so much easier for parents to work, and also support the providers of this essential service.

Last week, I was pleased to see Cornwall given a key early role in the Government’s plans to deliver another priority announced in the Budget, its ambition for all parents of primary school aged children to access childcare in their local area between 8am and 6pm.

Cornwall Council is one of 16 local authorities from across England that has been selected to work with the government to develop plans for this universal provision, with some of these areas expected to be the first to rollout the wraparound care as early as summer 2024, with the provision expected to roll out to the rest of the country later in the year.

This is great news for Cornwall and I look forward to seeing Cornwall Council working with primary schools across our Duchy to deliver this provision early for the families and children that need it.

On top of this, the Government also confirmed last week that nurseries are set to receive a £204 million cash boost as part of the Government’s promise to deliver the largest ever investment in childcare.

Every area across the country is getting a share of the government funding which childcare providers can use to ease cost pressures such as staffing costs, training and other running costs.

The increase in funding will support the early years sector to deliver the biggest investment in childcare ever, and I am sure will have been welcomed by the early years settings across Mid Cornwall that I have met with about the changes that were needed in the past.

From April 2024, eligible working parents of two-year-olds will get a new offer of 15 government funded hours per week. From September 2024, eligible parents will get 15 government funded hours from nine months until their children start school, and from September 2025, they will get 30 government funded hours from nine months until the start of school.

Altogether, these reforms to childcare, along with additional changes to how childcare is taken into account for people in receipt of Universal Credit, and additional changes to the operation of childcare settings, will help with overall operation of the childcare system, removing significant barriers to support parents to return to work and help to grow the economy by making childcare more accessible to all.

Aside from this, I also wanted to touch upon the changes to ticket office provision proposed at various stations, including St Austell, by GWR last week. GWR have announced that as part of a national exercise, they are looking at potentially closing a number of ticket offices at railway stations around their rail network.

Under these proposals the ticket office staff at St Austell Station would be redeployed to different roles at the station, and the ticket office closed, within a year. GWR say that their plan is to redeploy ticket office staff to be more visible and accessible in the wider station and on platforms, to provide help, advice and information to all passengers.

GWR say this is because on average less than 15% of tickets are purchased from ticket offices at their stations. However their own figures show that in St Austell the numbers of people buying tickets from the ticket offices are more than double that.

GWR are consulting on their proposals for the next two weeks.

I am running my own survey on this issue, so you can let me know how often you use the ticket office at St Austell Station and what you think about these proposals, so I can feedback to GWR as the Member of Parliament on behalf of local people.

You can fill out my survey on the proposed changes at St Austell Station via the link on my website below:

https://www.stevedouble.org.uk/st-austell-station-survey

If I can be of assistance or help on any matter, please get in touch with my office on 01726 829379 or email office@stevedouble.org.uk

Newspaper column 5 July 2023 - good news for lithium extraction in Cornwall!

Over recent years, Cornwall has increasingly become a leader in the UK in delivering sustainable energy and green industries.

Just recently we have seen, for example, the switching on of the Eden Geothermal plant, which harnesses the geothermal energy beneath our feet to power both the Eden Project and other associated infrastructure in a green and sustainable way.

Last week saw even more progress in Cornwall’s sustainable ambitions, with the announcement of a new joint venture partnership between Imerys Minerals and British Lithium to extract and process commercial battery grade lithium right here in Mid-Cornwall.

Cornwall of course, has a long history of mining. In the 19^th Century we were the silicon valley of the UK, leading the way in the extraction and production of materials needed to drive industry and the economy at the time.

In the 21^st century we are looking more than ever to a green and sustainable future – it is a necessity, and something that the Government takes very seriously, looking to end sales of new petrol and diesel cars to end in the UK by 2030.

Lithium is a major component in electric vehicle batteries, and as such is a highly sought out mineral, one of the most coveted in the world. Having a supply of it and the means to extract and process it in Cornwall, is a major boost, not just for our Duchy but for the UK, for which having one of the only available sources of lithium in this part of the world will be a strategic advantage, decreasing our dependence on other sources. As well as the implications nationally, there will of course be a significant benefit to our local economy, in terms of hundreds of well paid, highly skilled jobs, a real boost to our existing mining operations in this area, and just the sort of investment that we need.

One thing that has been raised with me in the past is around the potential environmental impact that lithium extract will have on our area, based on the significant works we have seen for the extraction of china clay and the similar way in which lithium is extracted in other places internationally. I am pleased to see that British Lithium have again innovated and have pioneered an extraction method for lithium which will keep environmental impact to a minimum, as well as typically operating at the bottom of existing china clay pits. This is really good news as it means that there should not be any major changes to the landscape beyond what we already have, and additional work to extract lithium will be taking place on brownfield sites that are already in use.

I look forward to seeing the partnership between British Lithium and Imerys evolve and develop and their operations to extract and process lithium start in Cornwall over the coming years.

If I can be of assistance or help on any matter, please get in touch with my office on 01726 829379 or email office@stevedouble.org.uk