This week I am heading off to Birmingham for the
Conservative Party Conference.
Conferences are where each of the main political parties
holds a national event to discuss its policies for the years ahead.
At Conference I will be looking, as ever, to feedback my
experience as Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay onto the national
scene.
On Monday I was delighted to welcome the announcement by
Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling MP, at the conference, that the
Government is renewing the Public Service Obligation (PSO) for the Cornwall
Airport Newquay to London Gatwick route for another four years.
Public Service Obligation routes are used to subsidise
vital air connections and economic and social development in peripheral
regions, where a clear business case is put forward.
Cornwall Airport Newquay, continues to grow, with around
460,000 passengers using it in 2017, making it the airport’s best year ever and
the fastest growing airport outside of London.
If the PSO had been withdrawn and the service was lost, £50
million could be wiped from Cornwall’s economy with the potential loss of
airport and other jobs.
I have worked long and hard, together with senior officers
at Cornwall Council, who are also backing this route to make the case for
continuing the Government support for this vital route to Cornwall, meeting the
with the Secretary of State and his Ministerial team on numerous occasions at
Cornwall Airport Newquay, and am pleased to see they have made the right
decision for Cornwall.
The Cornwall Airport Newquay to London Gatwick service will
continue to be operated by Flybe and will see daily flights between the two
airports, with 3 return flights on weekdays and 2 per day at weekends.
Along with this year’s announcement of the spaceport, and
the confirmation that this PSO will include modern jet aircraft, this is all
brilliant news for Newquay and Cornwall as a whole.
This is a great endorsement of Cornwall Airport Newquay and
the transformative affect its continued growth and success has on Cornwall.
As well as the safeguarding current routes, I am also keen to
explore other opportunities.
As Chairman of the Regional Airports All Party
Parliamentary Group, one thing of particular interest to me, with around 15% of
the new runway capacity set to be used for domestic flights, is that Cornwall
will be among the regions with the opportunity to get direct links to Heathrow.
In fact that Prime Minister mentioned Newquay specifically when she made her
announcement on the third runway, and I will certainly continue to do all I can
to ensure we are kept in strong consideration for this additional route in the
future.
As well as continued investment in our roads and railway,
this is further evidence of this Government’s continued investment in transport
infrastructure in, and going to and from Cornwall.
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
