While I was campaigning
before the last General Election I made it clear that I am a Cornishman first
and a Conservative second, and that I will always stand up for our beautiful
constituency and the people that live here to ensure we get the fair deal we
deserve. I promised to fight to ensure that mid-Cornwall has a strong voice in
Westminster.
I was glad to be able to
deliver on this promise last week over the issue of funding for rural
areas. Before Christmas the government
proposed a package that would have been detrimental to Cornwall and so I was
determined to fight our corner.
Along with a number of
other rural and West Country MPs I lobbied hard with Greg Clarke, the Secretary
of State for Local Communities and Government.
I was therefore delighted with the announcement early last week that
fairer transitional arrangements were to be put in place, with Cornwall Council
receiving an additional £3m in funding next year.
The House of Commons
debated the issue on Wednesday and I participated in the debate as follows.
“It is a well-established
fact that rural areas have had the raw end of the deal from central Government
for decades, despite having some of the highest levels of deprivation in the
country and a growing ageing population, with all the increased pressure that
that places on the delivery of services and the increased demand that it
creates, not to mention the additional challenges and costs of delivering those
services in a rural setting. Yet places such as Cornwall have had to accept
lower levels of funding for many years, not just for our local government,
but for things such as our schools and police. I am proud that this Government…
has started to address that issue—it has been going on too long. We have
started to see extra money put into our schools and, through the rural services
delivery grant, we have begun to close the gap in local authority funding.”
“When I looked at what was
being proposed in the settlement, I was therefore disappointed to find that it
would have widened that gap and started to undo much of the good work the
Government have already begun. I could not have supported a financial
settlement that was going to make an unfair system even more unfair to rural
areas. If I had gone through the No Lobby tonight, it would have been my first
rebellion against the Government. As someone who has a slightly inherent
rebellious streak in their nature, I am slightly disappointed that my rebellion
will have to wait for another occasion. I am delighted to say that the
Secretary of State has listened to the many voices from across the House from
rural areas who highlighted that what was being proposed was simply unacceptable
to rural areas.”
“I am delighted that not
only have funds been made available through this transitional grant to make
sure that that gap does not get any wider, but, probably more importantly, we
have the promise of a comprehensive review of the cost of delivering services.
That gives us the opportunity to establish that it costs more to deliver
services in rural areas than in urban areas.”
There is clearly more work
to be done and this is a small victory in a larger battle. I will continue to work for a fair deal for
mid-Cornwall.
My team and I are here to serve the whole
constituency and seek to make a real difference to the lives of everyone who
needs help and support in any way. If
there is any issue that we can help you with then please contact us on either
01726 829379 or on office@stevedouble.org.uk.
