Last week I was able to speak in Parliament every day that I
was in Westminster, speaking in the debate on UK action in Syria on Monday, the
anti-semitism debate on Tuesday and questioning the Prime Minister at PMQs on
Wednesday.
Then it was back to Cornwall for an interesting visit with
the Transport Select Committee to the Falmouth Coastguard Station, which
oversees the vital work carried out by the coastguard across Cornwall. It was
good to gain a better understand of the work the coastguards do and how the
recent modernisation of their service has improved the cover they are able to
provide for our maritime vessels.
After a busy Friday meeting with Cornwall Council and NHS
leaders, and participating in the Cornwall Leadership Board meeting, at County
Hall I was able to spend Saturday, with its glorious weather, getting out and
about meeting with residents and delivering my Annual Update report for 2018.
It was good to talk to so many people and hear about the
issues, local and national that matter to you. One thing that came up again and
again, and was particularly noticeable while walking around residential roads,
was the problems people have had with potholes, both the number of them and
also how they can go about reporting them.
Potholes are always an issue as they can damage our vehicles
and disrupt traffic. Filling and repairing them should be a top priority of
Cornwall Council. With the current state of our roads following the recent
harsh winter, potholes are certainly a problem at the moment.
The good news is that the Government provides ring-fenced
money that it gives to Cornwall Council specifically to deal with potholes.
This money, part of a £100m national Pothole Fund to deal
with potholes, is given out every year, and every year that I have been MP, the
amount Cornwall gets has increased. For example, for this year, we got,
£2,572,746 of funding, which will help repair around 50,000 potholes in
Cornwall.
Cornwall Council has a tool on their website that allows you
to report potholes and other highway defects and receive progress updates on
how they are correcting them.
I have included a link to this tool below:
You can also call them on 0300 1234222 to report them over
the telephone.
If you experience difficulties in getting a response or
final outcome from Cornwall Council on highway issues, then do get in touch
with me and I will then be able to make representations on your behalf.
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.
The office is open to the public Monday – Friday 10.00am – 4.00pm (no
appointment necessary). If there is an issue you would like my assistance on
then please, either visit the office or 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