I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and was able to take some time to reflect and celebrate on this special day.
As we reflect, I want to take this opportunity to look back at the year we have had as the end of 2023 approaches and provide you with a brief summary of my work as your Member of Parliament through the year.
While much has been happening nationally, there has also been lots going on in the constituency. I have continued to focus on infrastructure projects, which keep moving forward.
The St Austell to A30 link road is well under way and on course to open in 2025. We have also seen great progress being made with the Mid-Cornwall Metro, which will upgrade the Newquay branch line and provide direct trains to Falmouth, after Cornwall Council agreed to accept the £50million in funding from the Government for its delivery.
The project, which aims to create a coast to coast through-service connecting Newquay, Par, St Austell, Truro, Penryn and Falmouth will reduce journey times and ease road congestion for people living along the route.
As you will know, I have supported this scheme since its inception, and believe it will not only transform rail travel between Newquay and Falmouth, but benefit all of the communities with stops along the way and opening up regular services to the main line and beyond.
Having access to regular rail services will also open up new opportunities for education, training and employment for everyone living along this route and will be particularly welcomed in the clay country. I now look forward to continuing to work with all involved in this project to ensure it remains on track to benefit all the communities it will serve.
Progress is also being made to redevelop and upgrade St Austell College. This is something I have also supported from the start as the upgrading of further education facilities at the St Austell campus will ensure students receive a high-quality education, wherever they live, and enable them to gain the skills they need to secure the jobs and help the economy.
I am also working to see significant investment in our local NHS services and hope to be able to share more information about this in the new year.
One of the main concerns raised with me this year was the proposed closure of the ticket office at St Austell railway station. That is why I was pleased to see the government listen to residents’ concerns, which I shared, and confirm that the ticket office would not be closing.
I will always stand up and represent the views of the people of Mid-Cornwall and this decision would have been devastating for not only staff but travellers, particularly those who are elderly, vulnerable or disabled. That is why I was pleased to play my part in ensuring that the town got to keep its ticket office.
One issue that a lot of people have also contacted me on this year is around the works that are being done on Whipsiderry Beach and the cliffs above it near Newquay.
I have been aware of concerns
around development on this site since 2016. While the developer has legal
permission to carry out the work, now that it has started I have raised the
various concerns that have been brought to me about how it is being carried out
with Cornwall Council to ensure it is within the permission granted.
I remain in contact with Cornwall Council and the
Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and continue to monitor the
situation on this site.
I have also continued to seek to address a number of the longstanding issues that impact on our constituency.
Housing remains one of the biggest and most difficult problems that constituents raise with me. That is why I continue to highlight concerns to Ministers and am pleased to have been able to secure government support for a number of measures that will enable Cornwall Council to better manage our housing stock, including managing the number of holiday lets and charging double council tax on second homes.
I have also worked to support our local farmers and fishermen, meeting with them regularly to ensure I am informed of their concerns to represent them in meetings with Ministers. I have been working recently especially to ensure the government provide more support to our local fishermen who will affected by the cut in quota for pollock.
I also want to say a huge thank you to my team who support me to assist constituents with a wide range of issues. This year my team and I have received and replied to nearly 18,000 emails, dealt with more than 8,000 individual pieces of casework on behalf of local residents and businesses, ranging from housing and benefit enquiries to visa applications and NHS matters.
I now look forward to continuing to serve our constituency and Cornwall through 2023 and beyond and would like to wish you a Happy New Year.
My office is now closed and will reopen at 10am on January 2. However, you can still contact me by emailing steve.double.mp@parliament.uk or calling 01726 829379 and leaving a message. I will get back to anyone requiring urgent help.
