Last week was a particularly varied and busy week, both in Parliament and Cornwall. I am often asked what a ‘typical’ week for an MP is like. Although no two weeks are ever the same, I thought this week I would write about how I spent my time last week.
Firstly, in my column last week I wrote at length about the
work I have been doing to push for more funding for public services in
Cornwall.
I was therefore very pleased last week to get a phone call
from the Local Government Minister saying that more funding was going to be
allocated to Cornwall Council for this coming year. I was pleased to see the
Government listen and revise the local authority settlement figure, giving around
£5million more to Cornwall Council to help it in delivering essential services
such as adult social care, as well as an increase of around £1million via the
Rural Services Delivery Grant. This additional funding of over more than
£6million is welcome but I will continue to make the case to secure as much as
possible for Cornwall to reflect the challenges in delivering services to our rural
and coastal communities.
Another part of my role as MP is to champion the local
successes we have in Mid-Cornwall in Westminster, and I was pleased last week
to attend the All Party Parliamentary Group for Deep Geothermal Energy’s
meeting in the House of Lords to highlight the innovative work being done within
the green deep geothermal energy sector in Cornwall, particularly via the Eden
Geothermal Project. It was good to meet with Eden Project co-founder Sir Tim
Smit to promote this exciting sustainable energy solution where Cornwall is
leading the way,
Support for our young people remains a major part of my
role, and in the past week I was pleased to take part in a number of events to
do just that. I was pleased to attend the National Autistic Society’s
parliamentary reception where I heard inspiring and powerful stories of parents
who raise and care for children with autism. I am grateful to the many
constituents who wrote to me inviting me to this event as part of the NAS’s
campaign to engage with parliamentarians, and look forward to reading a copy of
their Let Every Autistic Child Learn report, which you can find on their
website https://www.autism.org.uk/
In the House of Commons I spoke in a debate on children who
are not in school. I spoke about the situation regarding school attendance
targets and how these targets, set by Ofsted and Department for Education are
driving what I believe is counterproductive behaviour by some schools.
In particular I spoke about a number of cases that
constituents have raised with me where some schools appear to be taking an overbearing,
heavy-handed approach to attendance targets, leaving little flexibility for
children who are facing particular challenges, and threatening parents with
fines for not bringing their children to school.
I have secured a meeting with the Minister following the
debate and look forward to discussing what more can be done to ensure policies
are applied sensibly and appropriately by schools in the future and parents
receive the support they need.
When I got back to Cornwall later in the week, it was great
to go out and spend some time in and around Bugle talking to local residents,
in particular popping into the recently opened Bugle Pharmacy to talk to the
owner Sarbjit Singh about the vital role the pharmacy plays in Bugle and the
surrounding area. I remain a passionate champion of community pharmacies and
the role they play in our healthcare system, and it was great to see this
recent addition thriving.
On Friday I spent most of the day in Newquay meeting with
businesses and residents and proving some feedback on the progress I had made
with issues that have been raised with me. It was particularly good to meet
with the CEO of Newquay Orchard and get an update on their latest plans and
offer my continued support for the amazing work they do.
Finally, on Saturday I met with Gabriella and Kaydon - two
of our local members of the Youth Parliament. We had a wide ranging discussion
about what it was like being an MP and working in Parliament, my work for our
constituency and how to get involved in politics. Encouraging local young people in politics is
always something I enjoy and happy to make time for, and it was great to see
Gabriella and Kaydon’s knowledge of and enthusiasm for their role.
As
ever, 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
