Last Wednesday
I was in the House of Commons for the Spending Review and Autumn Statement,
delivered by George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
In the months
since the Summer Budget I have been working on your behalf behind the scenes at
Westminster to lobby on the issues that directly impact our constituency. So, I was extremely pleased to hear many of
the measures that the Chancellor announced.
I was not a lone voice, the strength of feeling came from across the
backbenches and I am pleased that our voices were heard.
Many of you
contacted me with concerns about the reforms to Tax Credits announced in the
summer. I met with the Chancellor personally
to push the case for reconsideration.
The Tax Credits will now be replaced by Universal Credit during this
Parliament and the immediate impact at the reduction in Tax Credits will be
delayed until the benefit of the rises in the new National Living Wage are
felt.
In my view the
housing market in Cornwall has long been skewed unfairly against local
people. House prices are driven up by
second home owners from more affluent parts of the UK, and this combined with
the relatively low average wage in the County, has put home ownership out of
reach for many working families. At the
same time buy-to-let landlords, many of them using pension lump sums to buy
property in the county, are also pushing prices up. The additional 3% Stamp Duty on second homes
is a good first step to controlling that market. I recognise that work in this
area is by no means finished. The Chancellor also stated that much of the money
raised nationally will be spent on providing homes for local people in
Cornwall.
I was particularly
pleased to listen to the announcement on the fairer funding for schools. Cornish schools have had the raw end of this
deal for many years and it is time that local children receive funding
commensurate with the more wealthy areas of the country.
Despite the
rumours and scaremongering by some leading up to the Autumn Statement, the
Chancellor did not cut funding to our police force. With international tensions growing and the
threat of terror strikes on the increase, it is important that we continue to
focus on the security of our country and its citizens.
I was also
pleased to hear that the £50 rebate on South West Water bills will
continue. This Government has recognised
that the South West faces specific issues and is willing to help support us in
tackling those issues.
The session
before the Chancellor spoke was the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions and I was
given my first opportunity to question the PM in the House. I took this opportunity to ask about the
timetable for the Spaceport decision, and was told that this will unfold during
the course of next year.
I was therefore
delighted to hear that the application for the extension of the Newquay Aerohub
Enterprise Zone has been successful. With Goonhilly Earth Station and Newquay
Aerohub working closely together, Cornwall has the opportunity to cement its
reputation in the aerospace and space industries. These will help provide the higher-paying
jobs we so desperately need.
The Autumn
Statement represented the logical next steps in building our economy, ensuring
our security and protecting the vulnerable in our society.
