Last week was another fast moving and significant week in politics.
We had the Autumn Financial Statement from the Chancellor on
Wednesday where he laid out the government’s spending plans for the coming
financial year. I was pleased to see that we will continue to provide
additional support for our public services, with more money announced for the
NHS, schools, local government and further investment in our transport
infrastructure.
Part of this announcement was the confirmation of development
funding for improving railway links within Cornwall through a new Cornish Metro
that would provide a direct connection between Newquay and Falmouth. The new
service would run from Newquay through Par, St Austell, Truro and onto
Falmouth. This would be an exciting opportunity to connect two of Cornwall’s
main tourist centres and provide an economic boost for all the communities
along the route as well as better connections for local residents.
There is still some way to go in order to make these
proposals a reality but the award of this funding is an important step. It
shows that the government recognises the potential of this route and the
funding will enable more details plans to now be produced to take it to the
next level.
As well as the spending review, the big news last week was
the announcement of the new tiered system for the next phase of our fight
against the Coronavirus. The new tiers had been well trialled but the big news
on Thursday was confirmation that Cornwall will be returning to the lowest
level of restrictions in Tier 1. Along with the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of
Wight, Cornwall will be one of only three areas of England in Tier 1 and the
only one on the mainland.
This is clearly very welcome news for us locally, and
particularly for local hospitality businesses who will be able to reopen under
the lowest level of restrictions in the important period running up to
Christmas.
As welcome as this news is, it really does need to be
understood by us all that there is no room for complacency. Before we entered
the national restrictions at the start of November Cornwall was in Tier 1. But
at that time we were seeing the number of cases increase. This has now been
brought back under control which does show that the restrictions worked and
this was the right action to take. However, the tier we are in will now be
reviewed regularly and if it is necessary this can be changed in order to keep
the spread of the virus under control. Therefore, it is vital that everyone
keeps to the rules, follows the guidance and behaves responsibly to ensure we
can remain in Tier one.
With Cornwall being the only place in mainland England in
Tier 1 I do understand the concerns many have raised with me concerning the
potential of people from other areas of the country coming to stay Cornwall in
the coming weeks. I appreciate the concern this may cause to some people.
I do think there are a number of key points that we need to
consider to keep this matter in context. Firstly the government has been clear
that people who are living in the very highest risk areas, Tier 3, should not
travel outside of their area. It is also clear that those living in Tier 2,
whilst they are permitted to travel, are legally required to keep to the Tier 2
rules whilst they are here.
It is also worth noting that despite having literally
millions of visitors in Cornwall since the lockdown was lifted in July, this
has not contributed to a rise in cases. In fact whilst the biggest number of
visitors were here in the summer, the number of cases continued to fall. The
increase we saw in the autumn was primarily linked to workplace setting,
including those travelling to places such as Plymouth for work. There is no
evidence that tourists have had an impact on the number of cases in our Duchy.
Providing those who may come stick to the rules, keep within
their household groups or bubbles and behave responsibly, which the vast
majority do, there is no real cause for concern.
I appreciate the coming weeks will continue to be
challenging for us all. But we can see the light at the end of all this as we
make further progress on seeing a vaccine that is safe and effective being
available. So my plea is, despite whatever our frustrations and concerns, let
us all continue to do our bit to keep ourselves, and those around us safe,
whilst enjoying the relaxation in the rules here in Cornwall.
