A lot of headlines recently were generated by the
Conservative Party Conference, which was held in Manchester over the first part
of last week.
The assumption is that all Conservative Members of
Parliament go to Conference, but actually many don’t and this year I was one of
them. Whilst the party conferences serve a purpose, I prefer getting on with my
job as MP and working for the good of the people of Mid-Cornwall locally.
Of course, the highlight of the Conference was the Prime
Minister’s speech. While most of the headlines generated by it seemed to focus
on the fact that the PM had a cold, if you look further there were also some
great policy announcements which have been overlooked by much of the media.
The Prime Minister announced ‘a new generation of council houses’. This
will be done by increasing the government’s affordable housing budget by £2
billion to more than £9 billion, encouraging councils as well as housing
associations to bid for this money and, in those parts of the country where the
need is greatest, allowing homes to be built for social rent well below market
levels. This should be of particular benefit to Cornwall where we have an acute
need for genuine affordable housing for local people.
The Prime Minister also announced a £10 billion extension to the Help to Buy scheme. This scheme is aimed
at helping first time buyers get on the property ladder with as little as a 5%
deposit. The previous scheme was very successful and I have been lobbying the
Government to introduce a new scheme which I am pleased we are now doing.
I was particularly pleased
to see the PM launch an
independent review of the 30 year old Mental Health Act. This is badly
needed and should tackle many longstanding injustices of discrimination in our
mental health system. This is an important step in our struggle to get better
recognition and support for those who suffer with mental health conditions.
It
was also good to see the Prime Minister announce a major review of university
funding and student financing. This will include scrapping the increase in fees
that was due next year, and freezing the maximum rate while the review takes
place. The Government will also increase the amount graduates can earn before
they start repaying their fees to £25,000.
In other notable announcements from the Conference, I was
pleased to see Secretary of
State for the Environment, Michael Gove, confirm the Government will be
consulting on bringing in a plastic bottle deposit return scheme, something I
have long campaigned for. I was also delighted to see the announcement of the
ban of sales of all ivory in the UK – a positive and long-needed step to help
to save the elephants.
Away from the media
hysteria and storms in a teacup generated by those with nothing better to do,
it was good to see positive progress from the Conference. As ever with policy
announcements, the devil is in the detail. Over the coming months I will study
the legislation as it comes forward and do all I can to make sure that Mid-Cornwall
sees maximum benefit from them.
