I hope you all had a good Christmas. As we enter 2017 and
look forward to all that the New Year has in store, it is a good time to also
look back at 2016. There is no doubt that the past year has been a very
interesting and significant time in British politics as well as a busy time in
our constituency.
Dominating the national picture has been the result of the
June 23rd Referendum and the ensuing negotiations to bring about Brexit.
Holding a Referendum was a Manifesto commitment of the Conservative Government,
one that I was proud to stand on and one that we have delivered on after just
one year in government. I will be doing everything I can to ensure the best
possible outcome for this country, and Cornwall in particular over the coming
months.
This includes joining the European Scrutiny Committee in
Parliament. While we are negotiating our exit from the EU this committee will
continue to play a crucial role. Not only in keeping an eye on the EU
legislation that continues to come through but also in ensuring as smooth and
positive an exit as possible.
Turning to my specific work as Member of Parliament, along
with my team I am pleased to have assisted over 2,000 individual constituents
with their concerns in the last year and I have written to over 8,000 people
who have contacted me about policy matters. In Parliament I have spoken in the
main Chamber 53 times and voted in nearly 90% of all votes, both above average
for MPs. Here in Mid-Cornwall I have attended over 250 local events, visited
more than 30 schools and welcomed many Government Ministers, including the
Prime Minister and several members of her Cabinet, to the area so they can see
first-hand the issues we face here.
One area that I have been really pleased to have had success
was in securing an additional £3m funding for Cornwall Council at this year’s
Budget. The Secretary of State has also announced a comprehensive review of the
costs of delivering services in rural areas next year.
Turning to my pledge to fight for investment in our all-important
transport infrastructure, I am pleased to have worked to bring forward positive
developments across Mid- Cornwall in the last year. These included getting the
ball rolling on a link road between the A30 and the A391 – which will benefit St
Austell and the surrounding area, getting funding to upgrade 6.8km of the
dangerous A3058 road between St Austell and Newquay, and of course working closely
with the team at Cornwall Airport Newquay to grow and expand the airport on a
number of fronts.
Another part of keeping Cornwall connected is our vital rail
link. Working with my Cornish MP colleagues I have been pleased to have successfully
lobbied the Secretary of State for Transport to provide an additional £10
million funding to develop the Dawlish line.
In non-transport infrastructure, I have also had successes
with South West Water, particularly in upgrading and providing better
maintenance for their Menagwins Waste Water Treatment site, which serves St
Austell and most of the surrounding area, and also their work to repair and
bring up to scratch the Yellowsands Viewing Platform at Newquay, and ongoing
work to upgrade the sewage system in Fowey.
Finally, it would be right to mention my actions on the
controversial Parliamentary Boundary Changes review, which could see Cornwall
sharing a cross-border Parliamentary seat with Devon. I have always said that I
am a Cornishman first and a Conservative second. This is one of those occasions
when I believe that speaking up for Cornwall is the best thing to do even if it
means disagreeing with the Government and so that is what I did.
I look forward to continuing to serve the people of
Mid-Cornwall in 2017 and beyond to make this a better place to live, work and
grow up in.
