As
we move on from the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, one of the
things most raised with me is how Cornwall will be impacted by the eventual
cessation of funding formerly provided by the EU.
As
I recently said in Parliament, the funding we have received from the EU is not really
EU money. The EU does not actually have any money—there is no magic EU money tree.
It is our money, which we gave to the EU. It converted it into euros, then
converted that into sterling to give back to us, except that it gave it back
with a whole load of strings, bureaucracy and red tape attached about how we
can spend it.
The
money was meant to create 10,000 new jobs in Cornwall. In fact it has created
around a third of that number. The funding is not raising wages or the standard
of living and is essentially a failed endeavour. A major reason for this
failure is that we were not able to spend the aid on what we need to in Cornwall.
How we should spend it was dictated by the EU. The requirements were designed
for a Europe-wide programme that does not fit the Cornish economy.
In
fact, just last week the Department for Communities and Local Government
confirmed that out of the current £500m EU grant funding that has been made
available for Cornwall, only £36m has been spent. This is not a failure of
civil servants in Whitehall but rather the criteria and regulations imposed by
the EU are putting off the private sector from risking investing. The only
projects currently on the table are all public sector. This is not what we need
and I will be surprised if we manage to spend half the current funding
available. It is also highly unlikely that Cornwall would have qualified for
the next round of EU funding post 2020 anyway. With our economy growing far
quicker than most of the rest of the EU it is very likely we will be out of the
picture for the next round.
Now
the dust is settling, a major decision we now have to make is who to support in
the upcoming Conservative Party leadership contest, which ultimately also
decides who will be our next Prime Minister.
There
are five candidates and any one of them would make an excellent Prime Minister.
However, I have decided to give my support to the current Secretary of State
for Work and Pensions – Stephen Crabb. I have got to know Stephen well over the
past 14 months and believe he has the right qualities to lead our country. He
represents a rural coastal constituency that faces many of the same challenges
we face in Cornwall. He has also confirmed to me that should be become PM he
will continue to provide support for investment in our county’s infrastructure
and economic support when we lose the EU funding.
There
is a long road ahead but both myself and the Cornish MPs are committed to
getting the best deal for Cornwall whether the funding comes from the EU, as
was the case in the past, or solely from Westminster as will be the case in the
future.
As
always, my team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and work hard to
make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support. If there is an
issue you would like my assistance on then please contact me on either 01726
829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold
regular, appointment only, advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of
these can be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events
