This week I would like to look back at some of the achievements made by this Government following the proroguing of Parliament. Prorogation marks the end of the current parliamentary session immediately before the King’s speech and State Opening of Parliament that begins the next session.
King Charles will give his first King's Speech, which sets out the
government's programme of legislation and priorities for the next session of
Parliament, on November 7.
During the last parliamentary session, 67 Acts of Parliament were passed including the Mobile Homes (Pitch Fees) Act, Online Safety Act and Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act and introducing tough Minimum Safety Levels legislation to ensure our public services cannot be ground to a halt by political strike action. I think one of the big ones to highlight, and most relevant to us here in Mid-Cornwall, is the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.
Housing continues to remain one of the biggest problems
that people raise with me and one that I have highlighted to Ministers, so it
is reassuring to see the Government listening to those concerns and addressing
them with this Bill.
The Bill aims to tackle the
oversaturation of holiday lets and Airbnbs by giving communities the power to
redress the balance between holiday lets and homes for local people to live in
where it is an issue to protect our communities and support the tourism
industry to ensure they can both work together. This is being done by bringing forward new
powers for a tourist accommodation registration scheme as well as planning
to introduce a requirement for change of use planning permissions for
short-term lets.
This in addition to the measures being implemented which include closing tax
loopholes and permitting councils to apply higher council tax on second homes.
Cornwall Council will also have the powers to be able to double council tax on
unused second homes to boost funding for local services. This Bill is a
significant step towards managing the impact of short-term lets on our local
housing market.
Moving onto another Bill that
will also bring about significant reform is the government’s Energy
Bill, which addresses
energy production and security, and the regulation of the energy market.
As we know, Putin’s illegal
invasion of Ukraine highlighted the need for energy security. While the UK has
little direct exposure to Russian gas, we faced significant indirect impacts
through our links to European gas networks and global markets, therefore
it was crucial to look at the UK’s energy independence and renewable energy
sources and move away from any reliance on Russia.
The Prime Minister has tasked
the new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero with
improving the UK’s energy security, creating greater energy independence
consistent with net zero and reducing the risk of higher bills. I am looking forward to working with Ministers as
we move towards a future of clean
energy, which will cut costs for households in Mid-Cornwall.
I think it’s also important to
highlight that over the last year the
government has delivered over £40 billion of financial support to households to
help with the cost of living, paying half their energy bills and reduced
inflation as well as cutting NHS waiting lists.
The Prime Minister has also begun making a series of
long-term decisions, rather than short-term political decisions that do not fix
the underlying problems, including tackling the costs of Net Zero; reinvesting
HS2 funding in local transport projects; and implementing the NHS’s first ever long-term
workforce plan.
I know there is more to do but am reassured that this
Government will keep taking the long-term action needed so that we can change
the country for the better and ensure a better future for all households in St
Austell and Newquay. Parliament will recommence on November 7 with the King’s
speech, and I look forward to the Government setting out its programme of
legislation and priorities for the coming year.
