Newspaper column 22 May 2024 - DWP and WorkWell

As I have written previously, our Department for Work and Pensions teams in St Austell and Newquay play an excellent and often overlooked role in supporting some of our most vulnerable people back into work, as well as ensuring people who are temporarily out of work for whatever reason are quickly able to access the skills and help needed to get another job.

Last week in Parliament, during questions to Department for Work and Pensions Ministers, I highlighted the fact that we have achieved an 80.2% employment rate locally, which is well above the national average. We also have got some great opportunities for the jobs of the future coming through in renewable energy, lithium extraction and the space sector and I asked about plans to help us capitalise on these sectors. The Minister in reply spoke about the DWP’s partnership team, which is working with local employers such as Naked Solar to design sector-based work programmes and fill potential vacancies. This is something I very much support and I hope the DWP’s partnership team will go on to work with all of the sectors I mentioned above, and more in order to ensure people living locally are able to benefit from the high-skilled well paid jobs that are going to be available as these industries continue to grow.

In other positive employment news for our constituency, it’s recently been good to see more details of the DWP’s WorkWell scheme, which will be piloted in Cornwall, along with 14 other areas from October of this year.

Someone’s disability or health condition should not define them and in particular, whether they remain in the workplace or not. However long-term sickness is the most common reason for economic inactivity in the UK and has grown in recent years, at the same time increasing the amount of public money that is spent on providing benefits.

The £64 million WorkWell pilot will connect people with a health condition or disability to local support services including physiotherapy and counselling to help them stay in or return to work. It will see our local DWP and NHS organisations working together to deliver positive outcomes for people with long term health conditions in order to help support them back into work.

For example, a GP could refer a patient with a bad back to WorkWell, where an adviser may contact their workplace to make adjustments such as flexible working or relocating their office to the ground floor, and help them access physiotherapy.

This is a new and exciting way of working and one that I am sure our local DWP teams and NHS will welcome. I look forward to seeing the WorkWell pilot begin and help those who need it, access the support necessary to improve their lives.

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

Newspaper column 15 May 2024 - Speaking out in Parliament

Following on from my column last week, where I wrote about some of the work I do as Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay while I am working in Cornwall, this week I thought I would highlight some of the times I have recently spoken in Parliament.

One of the main reasons I returned to the backbenches last November was to be able to once again take part in debates in Parliament and ask questions of Ministers, something which you are unable to do when you have a role in Government.

Speaking out in Parliament is certainly something I have successfully prioritised since then, with statistics released in March showing that I contributed more to Parliamentary debates in the first two months of the year than any other MP in the South West. I have continued to be very active in Parliament since, and just last week, spoke in Parliament several times.

One thing an MP can do in Parliament is ask questions of Ministers in order to highlight local issues and bring national attention to them in the hope of getting something done.  I was shocked to see the flooding in Mawgan Porth in March and sadly this is not an uncommon occurrence. In a question to the Floods Minister last week I was pleased to make the case that more needs to be done at Mawgan Porth to guard against flooding, and was pleased that in response to my question the Minister agreed to meet with me to discuss what can be done. I look forward to working with him and all involved to get a positive outcome for Mawgan Porth.

Another thing MPs can do when speaking in Parliament is push for updates on national schemes that affect the areas they represent. The Government’s replacement for the previous EU funding, the Shared Prosperity Fund, is one such example, and last week in Business Questions I highlighted some of the great investment in St Austell and Newquay this fund has made possible, and pressed for details on the next round of funding.

We can also highlight Cornwall’s importance in the national picture during debates, and last week I was pleased to do just this when I spoke in the debate on mining and mining communities, highlighting Cornwall's mining past and the role lithium will play in our future, in a debate that was otherwise dominated by MPs representing northern constituencies.

As a backbenchers there are always loads of opportunities to speak in or hold debates in Parliament. For this week I am holding a debate on the future support for the under ten metre fishing fleet, following my successful campaign to provide compensation for pollack fishermen earlier this year. I will continue to loudly speak up on behalf of our constituency as we go through the year.

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

Newspaper column 8 May 2024 - Constituency work

As the weather has improved and the evenings have drawn out, it has been good to spend more and more time out and about in our constituency, knocking on doors and speaking to local people about the issues that matter to you. One of the questions I am often asked is what my role as Member of Parliament encompasses when I am not in Parliament. For my column this week I thought I would give examples of some of my work in Cornwall over the past week or so.

Parking problems are an issue for elected representatives at every level of democracy and I recently spent some time in Newquay visiting businesses in Cliff Road to talk about their views on proposed changes to on-street parking. This was an interesting discussion and I will be feeding their concerns back to Cornwall Council in order to ensure their voices are heard before any changes are made.

Flooding is another big concern locally and I have worked over a number of years with Cornwall Council, the Environment Agency, Pentewan Valley Parish Council and the wider community to help deliver an important flood defence scheme for the village of Pentewan. I am pleased to have been able to help lead this project, securing the funding and ensured a timely competition, and recently attended an event with the project stakeholders to mark its completion.

Supporting businesses is another important part of my role, and I recently visited Naked Solar Ltd in Newquay, to see how this company has grown since I last visited a few years ago and discuss their exciting plans for the future. We particularly discussed the need to ensure local people are able to gain the skills to work in this sector, and I will work with local businesses, colleges and DWP to ensure we are able to provide the training needed to ensure this happens.

Our rural businesses are very important and I recently visited Boddingtons Berries strawberry farm near Mevagissey and met with a group of young farmers. We had a great tour and introduction to the business and I then took questions from the young farmers on a range of subjects.

Last week I went to Mount Edgcumbe Hospice to see their new garden and have a chat with CEO of Cornwall Hospice Care Paul Brinsley, following my highlighting of their work in the debate in Parliament earlier in the month. It was good to visit the hospice and talk about the incredible work they do in helping people when they are at their most vulnerable and I look forward to continuing to support them into the future.

And then last Thursday I spent most of the day campaigning to support the Conservative Candidate for Devon and Cornwall's Police and Crime Commissioner election Alison Hernandez on election day. Alison was successfully re-elected and I look forward to continuing to work with her in the future to deliver for the people of our Duchy in policing matters.

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

Newspaper column 1 May 2024 - Police and Crime Commissioner elections

This week will see local authority elections take place across much of the country, where people get the chance to vote for their elected representatives who will run the councils where they live. There are no local elections in Cornwall this year though, as our electoral cycle runs every four years, and in this case from 2021-2025.

What we do have this week, though, is an election to determine who the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall Constabulary will be.

From the conversations and meetings I regularly hold, I know how important policing is to many local people. We are fortunate to live in one of the lowest crime areas in the UK, but I know we all want to see effectively policing, keeping our streets safe and catching criminals and bringing them to justice. Police and Crime Commissioners play an important role in providing the democratic accountability for our police forces.

There are 39 police areas across England and Wales with a Police and Crime Commissioner. Our area is Devon and Cornwall.

Police and Crime Commissioners are there to make sure that the local police in their area are meeting the needs of the community. Police and Crime Commissioners aim to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient police service within their police force area. They are elected by the public to hold the police force to account on their behalf.

Police and Crime Commissioners:

·         make sure the police force budget is spent effectively

·         appoint the chief constables of the local police force

·         engage with the public and victims of crime to help set police and crime plans

·         work closely with the local council and other community organisations on these plans and projects

As you would probably expect, I will be voting for Alison Hernandez, the Conservative Candidate, on Thursday. Alison has been a formidable and effective Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall since she was first elected in 2016, and during that time has successfully brought about, amongst other things, the reopening of police station front desk in St Austell and Newquay’s police stations, as well as overseeing the successful recruitment of officers to a point where we now have more officers serving in Devon and Cornwall than at any other time in the past, and also joining me in championing the Tri Service Safety Officer role, which we are leading on in Cornwall.

The Police and Crime Commissioner role is an important one, and no matter how you vote, I would encourage people to vote in this election.

One thing you should be aware of when voting on Thursday are the new rules around Vote ID.

Voters at polling stations must show photo ID before they can vote. This also applies to a proxy voting on someone’s behalf. 

Voter ID is designed to prevent impersonation, the crime of pretending to be someone else when you vote. Voter ID will protect voters from having their vote stolen.

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