Newspaper column 11 October 2023 - Looking back at #CPC23

Last week at the Conservative Party Conference, the Prime Minister gave an excellent speech looking forward to the important work the Government needs to achieve moving forward.

The Prime Minister set out his plan to build a brighter future for our children and fundamentally change our country, focussing on better transport for everyone, building a world-class education system and creating a smokefree generation.

Firstly, I want to talk about the government’s new plans to deliver better transport for all by embarking on a full-scale national reinvestment in the infrastructure people use and want.

The government will be investing every pound that would have been spent on extending HS2, a total of £36 billion, on long-term transport improvements that will deliver better, faster journeys for more people across the country, including more funding for transport projects across the South West.

Living in a rural constituency I know how important it is to create stronger public transport networks and improve existing ones. I believe this will benefit all of us in St Austell and Newquay by redirecting this funding into delivering more buses, reopening railway stations and ensuring major funding for new and improved roads to drive economic growth and provide jobs.

Some of the projects in the South West that will benefit us include funding being set aside to complete the South West Resilience Programme in full, making the vital route between Exeter and Plymouth via Dawlish more resilient in the face of extreme weather.

This vital artery connects communities, businesses and visitors across the South West with the rest of the UK and so it is essential that we improve the resilience of the route to ensure we are no longer cut off from the rest of the country every time there is a storm. 

This rail investment is on top of the Mid Cornwall Metro project, which aims to create a coast-to-coast through-service connecting Newquay, Par, St Austell, Truro, Penryn and Falmouth allowing residents of those towns, as well those living along the route, to have a direct route to the main line and beyond. Improvements will be made to the county’s tracks and signalling system meaning more regular trains on those branch lines.

There is also funding for the opening of railway lines between Cullompton and Wellington, and Tavistock to Plymouth as well as £140 million to ensure the delivery of 12 road schemes across the South West.

The A39 Camelford bypass has also been included as one of the schemes that will benefit from an uplift in government contribution and this increased funding will help to ensure the delivery of this scheme.

This is a new plan for transport that will provide us with the transport network we really need in the long-term and ensure better connectivity with the rest of the country. 

The Prime Minister also set out the government’s plans to build a world-class education system with new qualifications, more teaching hours and a £600 million investment in teachers and standards, giving every child the best start in life.

It is important that we have an education system that will set our children up for the opportunities of the future and ensure no one is left behind. We must remember that a child starting school today will face a very different labour market to what we know now. They should be able to deliver the green skills, the life sciences advances, or the advanced manufacturing that will help the country to prosper and need STEM skills, as well as literacy.

Since 2010, the government has driven up standards in schools. Education reforms have led to over 88% of schools being good or outstanding, up from just 68% and school funding per pupil in 2024-25 will be the highest ever by any government.

While the results speak for themselves - our 9 and 10 year-olds are now the best in the West at reading, ranking 4th out of 43 countries that assessed children of the same age, ahead of other major developed economies like France, Germany and Spain – I and the government acknowledge that our 16-19 year-olds spend less time in classrooms than their international peers, and study a narrower set of subjects.

To address this, the Prime Minister has announced plans to create a new qualification that places equal value on technical and academic knowledge and skills by harnessing the best parts of both A levels and T levels. Under this qualification, known as the Advanced British Standard, students will be able to take a mix of technical and academic subjects, giving them a greater degree of flexibility over their future career options.

It is important that every young person in Mid-Cornwall is equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to reach their potential and I believe this is a step in the right direction to achieving this.  

Speaking of our children, the Prime Minister also announced plans to create a ‘smokefree generation’ to boost peoples’ health and ease pressure on the NHS.

I am regularly contacted by constituents who are concerned about the pressures facing our local NHS and asking what can be done to ease the demand. I share those concerns and so was pleased to see the government announce it will be tackling the single biggest entirely preventable cause of ill-health, disability, and death: smoking.

Smoking is the number one preventable cause of ill-health, causing 64,000 deaths a year in England and puts a huge burden on the NHS, also costing us £17 billion a year. And we also not forget that the vulnerable suffer most from smoking.

As a parent myself I know that no parent wants their child to smoke and so am pleased to see the government aiming to create the first smokefree generation, meaning children turning 14 this year or younger can never buy cigarettes.

We will also be supporting current smokers to quit by doubling the funding of local ‘stop smoking services’, cracking down on youth vaping, strengthening enforcement activity, through new funding and new powers to fine rogue retailers.

I also want to be clear that the government will not criminalise smoking and nor will anyone who can legally be sold cigarettes today be prevented from doing so in the future. However, if the government does not act now, nearly half a million more people will die from smoking by 2030.

Creating a smoke-free generation will be one of the most significant public health measures in a generation, saving thousands of lives and billions of pounds for our NHS and the economy, as well as levelling up the UK by tackling one of the most important preventable drivers of inequality in health outcomes.

I welcome these measures and am looking forward to working the government as it makes these long-term decisions to ensure a better future for everyone in St Austell and Newquay.

Lastly, I want to say how shocked I was to hear about the attacks in Israel at the weekend and condemn these assaults against Israeli civilians. The conflict between Israel and Palestine is a longstanding and complex issue. I believe all parties need to work towards a lasting peace whereby Jews and Arabs, Israel, and Palestine, along with the other nations in the Middle East, can exist peaceably and respect each other.

Sadly, it often appears to be one step forward, one step back. But we should not give up. We should continue to do all we can to bring about lasting peace.

If I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk

Newspaper column 4 October 2023 - Keeping the economy rising while supporting those who need it

Much of the causes of the current rise in the cost of living are a result of the war in Ukraine and the impact of the pandemic. However, it is right that we support those households most vulnerable to the sharp rise in prices as we see inflation come down and prices stabilise.

As we head into October as a country we are in a different place to where we were last year. Inflation is down, hopefully interest rates have peaked, and the prices of energy are falling. Last week we also saw the Office of National Statistics revise it growth figures for the economy for earlier in the year. It is now clear that the UK economy performed significantly better than first reported. Our economy is now bigger than it was before the COVID pandemic and is among the strongest in Europe.

With this in mind, it is right that the Government continues to do all it can to ensure the economy continues to recover from the issues that have caused problems previously, and remains buoyant going forward.

The long-term decisions we have taken means we are now growing the economy and are on track to halve inflation this year – allowing the Government to deliver on our manifesto commitment to end low pay by raising the National Living Wage to two thirds of median income.

I was pleased then to see on Monday that the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, announced that the National Living Wage will increase to at least £11 an hour, boosting the incomes of the lowest-paid by more than £1,000 a year.

That means the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the National Living Wage will be over £20,000  – and meaning that those workers are over £9,000 a year better off than in 2010.

To ensure work always pays the Chancellor also confirmed we will work with the Department for Work and Pensions to look again at the benefit sanctions regime to make it harder for people to claim benefits while refusing to take active steps to move into work.

As well as making sure that you will always be better off in work, it is also crucial that we continue to support those who need it most. Last week it was good to see confirmation that the next cost of living payment, worth £300 for 13,500 vulnerable and low-income households in St Austell and Newquay will be made between 31 October and 19 November 2023.

This is the second of three payments totalling up to £900 for those eligible and on means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, or tax credits, in 2023-24, and will help families affected by global inflation caused by Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Details about the third cost of living payment will be announced in due course.

These payments build on the Cost of Living Payments made last year worth up to £1,200, and form part of the Government’s record financial support for the most vulnerable, worth an average of £3,300 per household.

The £300 Cost of Living Payment will be sent out automatically and directly to eligible households, so there is no need to apply. Eligible pensioner households will also receive a further £300 payment later this year as an addition to the Winter Fuel Payment.

I will continue to do all I can to work with the Government to ensure people are always better off in work, as well as making sure those who need additional support get it.

If you require my assistance on any matter, please get in touch with my office by calling 01726 829379 or email office@stevedouble.org.uk