tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88155528324871779212024-03-27T16:54:40.055-07:00Steve Double's BlogWelcome to my blog. I am honoured to have been elected to serve and represent the people of St Austell and Newquay. This blog includes my regular newspaper columns and replies to campaigns, and includes my contact details, should you need to get in touch.
Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comBlogger861125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-85049346224726433592024-03-27T09:31:00.000-07:002024-03-27T09:31:00.151-07:00Newspaper column 27 March 2024 - State Pension updates<p>The State Pension has been in the news a lot recently for
several reasons.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of the main things I have campaigned on over the years
is for the Government to retain the triple lock for the State Pension.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The triple lock is designed to ensure pensioners, especially
if they rely solely on the state pension, are able to afford rising prices, or
keep pace with the increases in the working population's wages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It means the state pension rises in line with
average earnings growth, inflation or 2.5% - whichever is highest.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was introduced by the coalition government in 2010, but
there has been debate over whether it can continue in the long-term future due
to its costs.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have been clear in conversations with colleagues in
Government that retention of the Triple Lock, particularly while we are experiencing
cost of living pressures, has never been more important.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Government has listened over the past couple of years
and kept the Triple Lock. Last year saw the largest ever increase of the State
Pension, with a 10.1% increase in April 2023, and next month will see another
significant increase, with a rise of 8.5% from April 2024. Combined this means
the state pension will have risen by around £1800 in this time. It is
absolutely right that we provide pensioners with these increases during these
difficult times. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But now we are looking to the future, with a General
Election due later this year, and I was delighted to see over the weekend that
the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has now publicly committed to retaining the State
Pension Triple Lock as a Manifesto commitment should the Conservatives win the
next election.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Chancellor said that although continuing the Triple Lock
will be an <i>"expensive commitment… You can only make that commitment if
you're confident that you're going to deliver the economic growth that is going
to pay for it."</i> As we have seen with the continuing fall in inflation
and economic growth indicators brought about by the Chancellor’s sensible management
of the economy, this is happening and therefore I am pleased that the
Government is doing the right thing and committing to the Triple Lock under a
future Conservative Government. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I do understand that some people are frustrated that the
Personal Allowance, the amount you can earn before paying tax, will not be
going up this year. This is a difficult but necessary decision to maintain
income tax thresholds until April 2028 to ensure the tax system supports strong
public finances. That being said, the Government has increased the Personal
Allowance by over 40 per cent in real terms since 2010, ensuring some of the
lowest earners do not pay income tax. Thanks to the PA, in 2021-22 around 30
per cent of earners did not pay tax.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Also in the news last week was the outcome of the
Ombudsman’s investigation into issues with the Department for Work and Pensions
communicating with women born in the 1950’s over State Pension changes. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Ombudsman’s report had previously concluded that
maladministration under the last Labour Government between 2005-07 has caused
injustice, and their report into the DWP’s communication of the changes is now
complete and will be put before Parliament. The Government will consider the
Ombudsman’s report and respond in due course, having cooperated fully
throughout the investigation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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<o:p></o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-19511371416431262162024-03-20T05:51:00.000-07:002024-03-20T05:51:00.246-07:00Newspaper column March 20 2024 - Pharmacy First<p>As we go through March, last week was another busy and
productive one for me in Parliament, which saw me hold a debate on the need for
the Government to do more to support our pollack fishermen on Monday, as well
as speaking in the Budget debate and the debate on the Bill currently going
through Parliament that will see National Insurance Contributions people pay
cut from April this year.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As well as this it was also good to take part in a number of
meetings, including with Heathrow Airport, one showcasing our Tri Service
Safety Officers, and one on fairness of fuel prices, as well an event to
promote the Pharmacy First initiative. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have always been a passionate champion for our community
pharmacies and the excellent health services they provide.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As former Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for
Pharmacies it was great to work with our brilliant pharmacies in Cornwall in
piloting the Pharmacy First initiative. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharmacy First enables pharmacists to utilise more of their
medical skills and training. Patients using the service can receive treatment
for seven common health conditions from their local pharmacy without the need
to visit a GP or have a prescription.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Their pharmacist helps with conditions include sinusitis,
sore throat, earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles, and
uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women. Following the assessment, the
pharmacist can then supply the prescription-only medicines, including
antibiotics and antivirals, to treat the problem<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Pharmacy First approach not only speeds up access to
essential care for patients, but also help to reduce pressure on local GP
services by directing people to more appropriate places to be treated. Backed
by up to £645 million, 95 per cent of pharmacies across England have opted-in
so far, meaning that patients will be able to receive care more quickly without
the need to wait for a GP appointment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Pharmacy First approach builds on the other measures
outlined in the Primary Care Recovery Plan last spring, including tackling the
8am rush by giving GPs new digital tools and providing more GP staff and more
appointments.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In combination, the Primary Care Recovery Plan aims to free
up 10 million GP appointments a year nationally by next winter, and give the
public more choice in where and how they access care.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As the Pharmacy First initiative has already been running in
Cornwall successfully for some time, it’s great to see that the rest of the
country will now be able to experience the exceptional service that we in
Cornwall already have, and it was good to again highlight this at the event in
Parliament last week. I will continue to work with the Government to support
our pharmacies and the excellent teams that work there, in order to ensure they
remain a pivotal part of our health care system.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With all my activity in Parliament it was nice to be
recognised last week as the MP who has contributed more to Parliamentary
debates in the first two months of the year than any other MP in the South
West, and in fact, showed that I made the seventh highest number of
contributions in January and February in Parliamentary debates among
Conservative backbenchers nationally, and was ranked 11th overall among
backbench MPs of all parties across the country.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Of course 2024 is only going to get busier, and I will
continue to work hard both in Parliament and in Cornwall to ensure the voices
of the people I represent are heard loud and clear.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-67443044909300796792024-03-13T07:49:00.000-07:002024-03-13T07:49:00.140-07:00Newspaper column 13 March 2024 - Looking back at the Budget<p>Last week saw the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt give his Budget
Statement, with a number of positive developments that will make things better
for people in St Austell and Newquay.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I think that most people will recognise the significant and
unprecedented challenges that our country has faced in recent years following
the COVID pandemic, and then the energy price spike as a result of the war in
Ukraine. The Government has spent hundreds of billions of pounds supporting
households and businesses through these tough times. Of course, this money has
to be found, and this was the backdrop to this year’s Budget. It is a credit to
the Chancellor that he has been able to navigate the challenging times and
deliver a Budget that addresses these issues while also continues to provide
support and relief where possible. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That the Chancellor has been able to take the positive steps
that he took in last week’s Budget is also testimony to his sensible management
of our country’s finances over the past year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to help guide our country and economy through
challenging times. Inflation is down from 11.1% to 4.0% and wages are growing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This has allowed the Chancellor, in his Budget, to cut taxes
for 27 million working people from April, by again cutting the main rate of
employee National Insurance Contributions from 10% to 8%. Combined with the cut
at the Autumn Statement, this gives the average earner the lowest effective
personal tax rate since 1975. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As well as this, the Chancellor has cut taxes for 2million
self-employed people, by cutting the main rate of Class 4 National Insurance
Contributions from 9% to 6%. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Chancellor has also announced support for half a million
families through reforms to the High Income Child Benefit Charge by raising the
threshold and halving the rate at which Child Benefit is withdrawn, benefiting
some parents by an average of £1,260. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Chancellor has also frozen alcohol duty, easing pressure
on the hospitality sector, as well as maintaining the five pence cut to fuel
duty and freeze rates for the fourteenth consecutive year, helping keep
motoring costs down – a £3.1 billion tax cut for drivers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is also good to see the Chancellor recognise times are
still tough, and in doing so, extend the Household Support Fund for another six
months, as well as assisting people who need to claim Universal Credit by giving
them more time to payback emergency budgeting advance loans.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As well as the headline announcements from the Budget I was
also pleased to see my campaign to reform the taxes paid by holiday let owners
pay off. This will encourage holiday let owners to instead let their properties
to local families, all year round. I look forward to working with the
Chancellor’s team on the detail of how this will be implemented to ensure it
does not penalise anyone unfairly. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is plenty more to do, but as we move into Spring, it
is good to be doing so with a positive Budget behind as a sound foundation for
the future. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-67195860679792923182024-03-06T04:39:00.000-08:002024-03-06T04:39:00.153-08:00Newspaper column 6 March 2024 - St Piran's Day and a busy week leading up to the Budget<p>On the week of St Piran’s Day, I hope you were all able to
spend some time on 5 March reflecting on what makes our Cornwall so special,
our unique culture, heritage and history.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On St Piran’s Day I was delighted in Parliament to host a
‘Taste of Cornwall’ event, to showcase some of the best food and drink
companies from Cornwall on a national stage. From St Ewe Eggs to St Austell
Brewery and Knightor Vineyard, there were a huge variety of Cornish businesses
represented and suffice to say, the event was very popular. Thank you to
everyone who made the journey and it is good to see ‘Brand Cornwall’ doing so
well. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was also good to see the Prime Minister wish the Cornish
people and everyone who lives in Cornwall a Happy St Piran’s Day. This was part
of his response to my question to him last Wednesday in Prime Minister’s
Questions. My question was about the future of the Government’s Shared
Prosperity Fund. The Shared Prosperity Fund is £132 million allocated to
Cornwall to replace EU funding. It has supported dozens of businesses and organisations
around Cornwall, as well as funded projects across the duchy, ranging from
plans to fix the harbour gates in Charlestown which were successful last year,
to an ambitious £2million Youth Employment Programme (Yep!) spearheaded by
Cornwall Council and Careers South West which launched last week. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Shared Prosperity Fund is confirmed for this spending
review period up to the end of March 2025 but, as with all Government funding,
decisions regarding the fund’s future are a matter for the next spending
review, hence my question. I was pleased in his reply to get assurances from
the Prime Minister that the Government remains committed to an ambitious
levelling-up agenda in Cornwall.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Last week I was also pleased to go to the launch of Keep
Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean campaign for 2024. The Great British
Spring Clean is the nation’s biggest mass-action environmental campaign and
this is its 9<sup>th</sup> year, as well as marking the 70<sup>th</sup>
anniversary of the formation of Keep Britain Tidy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Last year more than 400,000 bags of litter were pledged to
be collected during the duration of the campaign. That’s a huge amount of
rubbish removed from our environment! This year it is taking place from 15 - 31
March, and you can pledge to pick up a bag of litter – or more via their
website on the link below: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/">https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After Parliament rose for the weekend on Friday I was
delighted to visit Trenance Academy in Newquay, who have recently been
recognised as an Oracy Centre of Excellence.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop
understanding and engage with others through spoken language.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In school, oracy is a powerful tool for learning; by
teaching students to become more effective speakers and listeners they are
empowered to better understand themselves, each other and the world around
them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is also a route to social mobility, empowering all
students, not just some, to find their voice to succeed in school and life.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Trenance Academy have recently been accredited as an Oracy
Centre of Excellence in recognition of their commitment to developing their
students’ confidence and competence in spoken language, embedding it across
teaching and learning within the school. It was great to visit the school and
talk to the staff and pupils about this excellent achievement.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This week, the headlines will be dominated by the Chancellor’s
Spring Budget. I will go into this in more detail next week, as it will happen
after I have to send my column in, but in the run up to the Budget I have asked
the Chancellor to consider taking more measures to incentivise landlords to
rent properties to families all year round instead of using them as holiday
lets, as well as pushing for more support for our tourism and hospitality
businesses. International challenges still mean that we are facing a lot of
pressures around the costs of living, but I am sure the Chancellor will be
looking at all options available in order to deliver a Budget that works for
everyone. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-8154151473322353792024-02-28T07:23:00.000-08:002024-02-28T07:23:00.128-08:00Newspaper column 28 February 2024 - The Speaker and Lee Anderson<p>The conduct of the Speaker during the SNP’s Opposition Day
Motion on Gaza was very much in the spotlight last week, prompting a large
number of constituents to contact me expressing concerns about what they saw as
a worrying break from longstanding parliamentary convention.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #363636; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
was in the Commons on Wednesday evening when proceedings descended into chaos –
due to the </span><span style="color: #363636; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Speaker<span style="background: white;">’s mishandling of Labour’s amendment to the SNP’s
Opposition Day Motion, allowing Labour to hijack what should have been another
party’s motion. By convention and as confirmed by a letter to him from the
Clerk of the House of Commons, the </span>Speaker<span style="background: white;"> should have selected the SNP motion for a vote before proceeding
to allow a vote on any amendments.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #363636; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Instead,
the </span><span style="color: #363636; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Speaker<span style="background: white;"> unilaterally decided, against the clear advice
of his own officials, that MPs would first vote on Labour’s amendment to the
SNP motion – following reports of an imminent rebellion among Labour MPs and
alleged threats from Labour on the </span>Speaker<span style="background: white;"> to replace him after the general election unless he selected their
amendment for a vote.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Crucially, in his statement apologising to the House later
that evening, the Speaker said his decision was primarily motivated by violent
threats made against MPs.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This for me is the fundamental reason why I no longer have
confidence in his role as Speaker: He has given a very clear message that
threats of violence and abuse against MPs can change what happens in
Parliament.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As legislators, we need to be free and able to speak our
minds in Parliament without fear or favour. This is vital to our ability to
represent our constituents effectively. Instead, the Speaker told the baying
mob that you can threaten an MP and change how Parliament works. I am afraid
this simply is not acceptable in our democracy.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
I have therefore signed a motion expressing no confidence in the Speaker. Heeither
succumbed to pressure to assist the Labour Party or given into threats of
violence – indeed I believe it was likely a combination of the two – neither of
which represents a valid reason to alter longstanding parliamentary protocol in
such a drastic way to undermine our democracy.<br />
<br />
I also believe Sir Keir Starmer has much to answer for due to his alleged part
in influencing the Speaker, and I hope he will be giving a full account of his
actions to the House this week.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The withdrawal of the whip from Lee Anderson MP over the
weekend also captured the attention of some constituents. Lee was wrong to accuse
Sadiq Khan and the senior Labour leadership of being under the control of
Islamists without offering any evidence to support his claim.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In doing so he missed a far more important point, which is
the left’s apparent tolerance and in some cases encouragement of extreme
elements of all backgrounds taking to the streets to openly call for the abuse
and intimidation of our democracy while causing illegal disruption to the
public.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">These groups include Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion,
and a number of pro-Palestinian marches in London of late, some of which were hijacked
by militant Islamists expressing support for the actions of Hamas and calling
for the destruction of the state of Israel, including projecting the
antisemitic and arguably genocidal slogan “from the river to the sea” on to the
side of Big Ben. The Speaker cited security threats posed by these violent
extremists to MPs as the reason behind his decision to change Commons
procedures on Wednesday.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #363636; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">No
MP deserves to be intimated or harassed in the course of their work.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
recent days many of my colleagues from both sides of the House have spoken bravely
and openly about receiving death threats to them and their families as becoming
part of the norm of working in Parliament. Last week also saw several so-called
protestors affiliated with Greenpeace charged with criminal damage following
their attempt to illegally invade the Prime Minister’s home in North Yorkshire
in August.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let me be very clear, I support the right to peaceful
protest. <span style="background: white; color: #363636; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This
is why I supported legislation introducing by the Government enshrining the
right to peaceful protest in statute, while bringing forward measures to
protect the public from illegal and violent<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span class="outlook-search-highlight"><span style="color: #363636; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">protests.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="outlook-search-highlight"><span style="color: #363636; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Emotions often run high in politics and people rightly
want to have their say on important matters facing the country and the world.
But there is a growing sense that a small but significant minority are trying
to subvert the democratic process through violent means. This cannot be
condoned and I will continue to call for our hard-won democracy to be protected
in Parliament.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-46734674262137035562024-02-21T07:41:00.000-08:002024-02-21T07:41:00.128-08:00Newspaper column 21 February 2024 - New powers to control holiday lets<p>This Monday saw the announcement by Secretary of State for
Levelling Up Michael Gove of new regulations and powers for councils to better
control holiday lets.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The uncontrolled spread of holiday lets is a big issue in
Cornwall, and has undoubtedly contributed towards the significant housing
issues we are seeing in the Duchy, with many homes that could house local
families instead occupied for only weeks or even days per year by holiday
makers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While tourism and hospitality are vital parts of our economy
in Mid-Cornwall, both for those who work in tourism and hospitality businesses,
and also those who supply them, there has to be a balance to this, and in
recent years some communities have experienced this tipping too far in towards
second homes and short term holiday let accommodation, meaning local people who
would otherwise live and work in these towns and villages all year round are
finding it increasingly difficult to do so.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The figures on this are stark, and in a debate in Parliament
last year, I spoke about the numbers of short-term holiday let accommodation
listings on Airbnb and the like in Cornwall (18,989) compared to long term rent
listings on Rightmove (895), clear evidence of the scale of the problem we are
facing. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Better controlling the number of holiday lets and second
homes by regulation and addressing the imbalance of holiday lets in the
communities most impacted by them has been a goal of mine for many years, and
is something I have successfully campaigned on, leading the Government to include
measures in the Levelling Up Act, which became law last year. This includes
measure such as closing the business rates loophole, which allowed some holiday
let owners to get away with paying neither domestic rates or business rates,
and also charging double council tax to second home owners, something which
Cornwall Council will be able to do from 2025.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As well as this, the Government consulted on measures to set
up a register of holiday lets, and on introducing a requirement for property owners
who want to change their properties to holiday lets to have to apply for
planning permission under change of use. On Monday the Secretary of State
confirmed that the Government will be adopting both of these proposals. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Under the reforms councils like Cornwall Council will be
given greater power to control short-term lets by making them subject to the
planning process. This will support local people in areas where high numbers of
short-term lets are preventing them from finding housing they can afford to buy
or to rent. This will apply to many of our rural and coastal communities in
Cornwall.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile, a new mandatory national register will give local
authorities the information they need about short-term lets in their area. This
will help councils understand the extent of short-term lets in their area, the
effects on their communities, and underpin compliance with key health and
safety regulations.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is good to see the Government now taking decisive action
to make these changes, which will allow councils to see the scale of the
problem via the mandatory register, and then better manage the number of
holiday lets in tourist areas through the planning system . This will allow
councils to have the ultimate say on the numbers of holiday lets in the
communities most affected. I look forward to seeing these changes brought in by
Cornwall Council and used for the good of Cornish communities.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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<o:p></o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-7641753092378050072024-02-14T04:38:00.000-08:002024-02-14T04:38:00.134-08:00Newspaper column 14 February 2024 - Dental Plan!<p>Parliament has risen for February Recess which means that
this week I am working in Cornwall and look forward to being out and about
speaking to as many people as possible about my work and your priorities for me
as your MP.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am currently running a survey on your priorities for 2024,
which readers are very welcome to fill out – you can find this on my website
via the link below:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.stevedouble.org.uk/st-austell-and-newquay-constituency-2024-priorities-survey">https://www.stevedouble.org.uk/st-austell-and-newquay-constituency-2024-priorities-survey</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Last week was a really busy and varied one, and I was
pleased to welcome two Ministers and the Prime Minister to our constituency to
discuss a variety of issues, including apprenticeships, flooding, and, with the
Prime Minister the launch of the Government’s NHS Dental Recovery Plan. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Access to NHS dentist services continues to be one of the
issues raised with me most often by local people and this is something I have
spent considerable time collecting evidence on and lobbying the Government for
change.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Prime Minister has listened, and last week the
Government launched the NHS Dental Recovery Plan, which will create 2.5 million
more NHS dental appointments over the next year.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This will have a big impact on the delivery and availability
of NHS dental services in Cornwall. For example, the practice the Prime
Minister visited, Gentle Dental, does treat NHS patients, some of whom I met
last week, but is currently not taking new adult NHS patients, only children,
due to lack of capacity, hence making waiting lists much longer – an issue we
see throughout Cornwall. The changes and funding announced via the NHS Dental
Recovery Plan will enable dentists to take new NHS patients on, reducing the
waiting lists and making NHS dental treatments more widely available for all. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Backed by £200 million of new Government funding, the NHS
Dental Recovery Plan sets out a package of measures to deliver 2.5 million
additional NHS dental appointments over the next 12 months, ensuring they are
where they needed most, and expanding preventative care for younger children to
help reduce tooth decay.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To help improve access in the short term, new dental vans
are being launched to help reach more isolated communities, including in rural
and coastal areas. In the longer term, around 240 dentists will be offered
one-off payments of up to £20,000 for working in under-served areas for up to
three years, helping to attract new NHS dentists and improve provision of care
in areas with the highest demand.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Further measures include introducing a New Patient Premium
payment to incentivise dentists to treat around a million new patients who have
not seen an NHS dentist in two years or more. The scheme will be introduced
within weeks, ensuring that patients can benefit immediately. The minimum value
of activity will also increase from £23 to £28 and high-performing practices
will also be able to deliver extra work on top of their contracted activity,
ensuring that NHS work is more attractive to dental teams.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Trainee dental places will be expanded by 40 per cent as
part of the first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, as the Government looks to
target the expansion into areas of the country <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>such as Cornwall which are underserved by the
dental workforce.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Expanded prevention care is also being rolled out for
younger children to help reduce tooth decay and improve the nation’s oral
health. The Smile for Life programme will offer parents-to-be further advice
for baby gums and milk teeth with babies and toddlers in nurseries having tooth
brushing as part of the daily routine, so that every child in primary school
will see tooth brushing as a normal part of their day.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Government will consult on wider reforms to the dental
workforce and contract in 2024, taking the long-term decisions to ensure that
dental services can be there for families for the years to come.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is more to do and I will continue to push for further
reform in order to ensure residents of Cornwall are able to access NHS dentists
wherever they live, but in the meantime these steps will help in improving the
access we currently have, and as ever, as your MP it is good to be able to
highlight these concerns and push for the change that we need with the Prime
Minister when he visited Cornwall. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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<o:p></o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-72300063167895573982024-02-07T06:48:00.000-08:002024-02-07T06:48:00.144-08:00Newspaper column 7 February 2024 - National Apprenticeship Week<p>This week is National Apprenticeship Week, an opportunity
for the education and skills sector to celebrate the achievements of
apprentices around the country and the positive impact they make to
communities, businesses, and the wider economy.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Over 70 per cent of careers are now accessible via an
apprenticeship and the Government has delivered over 5.7 million
apprenticeships since 2010. I am a big supporter of the apprenticeship
qualification as a way to earn while you learn – getting the real and practical
skills that let people start their careers getting real experience in the field
they want to work in while getting paid. I have employed two apprentices myself
during my time as MP and have seen firsthand the positives this qualification
brings to those who take it. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Monday this week I was delighted to welcome Robert Halfon
MP Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education to the
Eden Project to celebrate the start of National Apprenticeship Week. The
Minister visited Eden to discuss their unique apprenticeship programme and meet
with Horticulture, Arboriculture and Sustainability apprentices. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was also good to meet with the Minister and the Head of
Cornwall College to discuss their plans for their new St Austell Campus, after
I worked with the college to secure the millions of pounds of funding required
to do so. Colleges throughout Cornwall offer excellent apprenticeship schemes,
particularly Cornwall College, which is specialising as a ‘Careers College’,
specialising in apprenticeships. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Cornwall College Group, which includes campuses in both
St Austell and Newquay, as well as elsewhere in the Duchy, is the top-performing
college for apprenticeships in the South West, 11.8% above the National
Average, and as such is one of the leading providers of apprenticeships in the
UK.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was great to discuss their current success and plans for
the future with the Minister and I hope that some of Cornwall College’s great
ideas for the future can be used to inspire best practice around the country. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You can find out more about apprenticeships available
through Cornwall College via their website: <a href="https://www.cornwall.ac.uk/apprenticeships/">https://www.cornwall.ac.uk/apprenticeships/</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Up in Parliament on Wednesday, at the time of writing, I am
scheduled to be speaking at the Hospitality Apprenticeship Showcase.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the former Chair
of the Hospitality and Tourism All Party Parliamentary Group I am particularly
keen to work with this sector, and given how important it is to Cornwall,
ensure that working in this area is a stable career prospect for people of all
ages and those within all social groups.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The hospitality sector is the country’s third biggest
employer, employing over 3.5million people and I am looking forward to bringing
a Cornish perspective to the event, and speaking to some of the 200 apprentices
from employers from across the country will be there showcasing their skills.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Over my time as MP the apprenticeship qualification and the
Government’s work to promote and expand it has been a real success story both
in Cornwall and nationally. I will continue to work to ensure apprentices,
employers and providers like Cornwall College are all given as much support as
possible to ensure this continues.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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<o:p></o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-12123551417399883202024-01-31T07:15:00.000-08:002024-01-31T07:15:00.142-08:00Newspaper column 31 January 2024 - A busy week in the life of an MP!<p>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.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.autism.org.uk/">https://www.autism.org.uk/</a> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">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<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-31122623804095088002024-01-24T08:20:00.000-08:002024-01-24T08:20:00.157-08:00Newspaper column 24 January 2024 - Funding for public services in Cornwall<p>As I have said previously, my return to the backbenches at
the end of last year has allowed me to once again speak up in Parliamentary
debates on behalf of St Austell and Newquay, something which you are unable to
do when you hold a position in Government. This is one of the things I most
enjoy about working in Parliament.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Last week, I had another opportunity to do just that as I
held an Adjournment Debate on the funding of public services for Cornwall. An
Adjournment Debate is a debate held at the end of business in the main chamber
of Parliament. It gives an MP the chance to raise a subject of their choice and
get a response from the relevant Government Minister. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the debate I made the argument that due to a number of
factors including our geography, rural nature and seasonal pressures, that the
funding we receive for our public services, particularly our health service,
education, local government and the police needs to change to reflect the true
cost of delivering those services in Cornwall.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Firstly on Geography, Cornwall’s position as a narrow
peninsula with only one neighbour in Devon impacts the delivery of services.
Counties in the middle of England are surrounded by other local authorities,
police forces, fire services and health services that they can share resources
with. If there is a particular challenge in one area, they can draw on services
from the surrounding counties to help it with that specific incident. We do not
have that in Cornwall. In most of Cornwall, we have to provide our own
resilience because there is no one else nearby to come and help.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Moving on to our rural nature, it is no secret that the
delivery and administration of rural services costs more. Nearly half of all
people who live in Cornwall live in communities of fewer than 3,000. That
rurality and sparsity presents real challenges for delivering services because
of the additional travelling that has to take place. Our police and fire
engines have to travel further to reach those communities, school travel is a very
big challenge, as well as for those working as in-home carers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I also spoke about the impact of seasonal pressures, with
around 5 million people a year coming to Cornwall on holiday, and putting
massive additional pressure on our NHS, ambulance service and police in doing
so. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Government has made moves to help with these issues,
introducing the rural services delivery grant, for example, and promising a
review on police funding, but more needs to be done and this is something I
will keep the pressure on the Government to come through with. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Of course in Parliament, there is much more that goes on than
just the debates, and in the past week alone, on this matter, I have also met
with the Minister for Local Government to discuss the provisional local government
finance settlement for 2024 to 2025 and its implications for Cornwall Council,
as well as writing to the Chancellor and Prime Minister in support of further
changes ahead of the Spring Budget. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Government already recognises Cornwall in a number of
ways as being special and having particular challenges, and this now needs to
be reflected in the way our public services are funded. We need the true cost
of delivering those services in Cornwall to be reflected in the amount of money
we receive. I hope that following my debate, the Minister will reflect on the
points I made and continue the conversations with myself and my Cornish MP
colleagues, to ensure that Cornwall gets the funding it needs, so that the
people of Cornwall can get the public services we deserve.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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<o:p></o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-51618990833602395192024-01-17T05:29:00.000-08:002024-01-17T05:29:00.135-08:00Newspaper column 17 January 2024 - Actions to defend our interests abroad<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Last week saw some significant developments internationally
with a number of steps taken to help safeguard our interests abroad, as well as
with the ongoing Ukraine conflict.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Over the past couple of years we have seen significant cost
of living pressures, and some of the main reasons for these have been due to
conflict abroad and the subsequent impact on supply chains and energy costs.
Decisions such as those made last week will help safeguard and futureproof the
UK against future issues such as this.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Ukraine conflict has been one of the biggest
international issues over the past two years, and the UK led the free world’s
response to Putin’s illegal invasion. At home we welcomed those Ukrainians who
needed refuge, while in Ukraine we provided equipment and training to their
forces to help them fight back.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2024 will be a critical year in the Ukraine conflict,
Putin’s forces have been pushed back and Ukrainian territory reclaimed, but it
has become a war of attrition and at this time Ukraine needs her allies more
than ever to prevent the tide turning and the positive progress that has been
made being lost. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With this in mind, on Friday the Prime Minister signed the
historic UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation. This is the start of a
100-year alliance that we are building with our Ukrainian friends.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It sees us increasing our military support to £2.5billion –
taking the total of UK military aid to more than £7billion. With even more
gifted directly from the UK’s equipment inventory, and £200million will be used
to produce and procure thousands of drones, manufactured in the UK, including
for surveillance and long-range strike drones.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As the Defence Secretary said on Monday, ‘there is no such
thing as an isolated conflict’, and if the war in Ukraine is lost, and Putin
gets his way, this would lead to increased prices at home in the UK and the
destabilisation of the entire region. Therefore the Government has my continued
full support in continuing to back our friends in Ukraine. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another area where we were forced to take decisive action
last week was as a critical part of the US-led international operation to
protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As an island nation we have always been dependent on the
sea, and globally 90% of all world trade is by sea. Of that 90% some 15 per
cent of the world’s shipping passes through these narrow shipping lanes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We have seen recently that the Houthi rebels from Yemen, a
Shia Islamist political and military organization, have, with the backing of
Iran, persistently violated the law by menacing commercial vessels in the
region. Again this disruption to shipping has a snowballing impact on the UK,
causing more and more increases in our costs of living. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And last week the Prime Minister and Defence Secretary
authorised air strikes in retaliation against the Houthis, along with the US,
dealing them a blow and reducing their capabilities to disrupt international
commercial shipping going forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In both Yemen and Ukraine, it is right that the Government
has taken action now. Although doing so does take funding, not doing anything
would result in far more costly problems later down the line, not just for the
Government, but for all of us. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-57668503794898125522024-01-10T08:37:00.000-08:002024-01-10T08:37:00.147-08:00Newspaper column 10 January 2024 - Positive news to start 2024!<p>Parliament has returned this week after the Christmas
Recess. Last week it was good to be working in Cornwall, including continuing
to deliver my annual update to properties, as well as my specific update to
park home owners about some of the work I have been doing on their behalf.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2023 was dominated by the cost of living pressures that we
have been experiencing due to Putin’s war in Ukraine. This and needing to pay
for the support the Government provided during the pandemic, as well as
reducing the backlog on NHS services caused by the pandemic, has meant the
Government has had to make difficult decisions on raising taxes during this
challenging time in order to balance the books. As we look ahead through 2024,
there are encouraging signs on the horizon when it comes easing these cost of
living pressures.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">November’s figures showed that the Chancellor’s shrewd and
careful management of the country’s finances over the past year has meant that
inflation has fallen to 3.9% meaning the Prime Minister met his target of
halving inflation in the course of 2023. This means that prices are rising more
slowly now than at any time in the past two years. We are actually seeing drops
in the prices of petrol, and lower inflation will enable the Bank of England to
reduce interest rates which will mean good news for mortgage payments. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This weekend, there was more good news, as 27 million people
will get a tax cut, as the main rate of employee National Insurance will be cut
by two percentage points, from 12% to 10%.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This reduces National Insurance by more than 15%, saving
£450 this year for the average salaried worker on £35,400.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Millions of people working different jobs across hundreds of
industries will now be better off. An average full-time nurse will save £520, a
typical junior doctor £750 and an average teacher £630.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Along with the increases in the state pension and benefits
as well as the rise in the national living wage and tax cuts for the self
employed, all due to come into effect in the coming months, just about everyone
will see more money in their bank accounts which I am sure will be very
welcome.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Chancellor has made it clear that this is only the start
of proposed tax cuts. In the next couple of months we will see the annual
Budget Statement and I will certainly be making the case for more tax cuts, to
help hard-working people, whilst also ensuring they are measured and balanced
with the need to keep on top of public spending.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It has undoubtedly been a very difficult time for households
and businesses across our constituency. But all the signs are that this coming
year will continue to see things improve. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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<o:p></o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-72853675196362938012024-01-03T03:51:00.000-08:002024-01-03T03:51:00.148-08:00Newspaper column 3 January 2024<p> </p><p style="margin: 0cm;">Firstly, I'd like to say I hope everyone had a good New
Year and are looking forward to 2024. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;">Next week I will be heading back to Parliament
as Christmas Recess ends after spending some time in the constituency with my
family and meeting with constituents and businesses. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;">I am looking forward to getting back to
Westminster and continuing to work with the government to ensure households in
mid-Cornwall are represented. I appreciate that the past few years have not
been easy. We have faced extremely difficult times with the cost of living and
energy increasing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Putin’s illegal war in
Ukraine. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;">It is only because of the long-term decisions
made by this government that I believe we are able to see many positive measures
for the people of Mid-Cornwall come into effect in 2024. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;">National Insurance will be cut for working
people this month as well as maintaining the triple lock for pensions in
Mid-Cornwall and increasing benefits in line with inflation from April. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;">We will also be increasing the National Living
Wage and helping businesses in the constituency with the biggest permanent tax
cut in modern British history as well as backing pubs, breweries and distillers
by freezing alcohol duty to August. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;">One issue that has been raised with me, both by
local parents and by childcare providers, has been the urgent need to reduce
the cost of childcare for working parents. The current model has often
been described as a hindrance to helping parents get back into and continue in
work.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;">That
is why I am glad to see the government will begin the rolling out of the
largest ever expansion of funded childcare this year. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;">From
April 2024, eligible working parents of two-year-olds will get a new offer of
15 government funded hours per week. From September 2024, eligible parents will
get 15 government funded hours from nine months until their children start
school, and from September 2025, this will rise to 30 hours. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;">This
will help more parents in Mid-Cornwall to increase their hours or return to
work, as part of wider government support for families as well as cut the cost
significantly for those already paying for childcare. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;">As we look ahead to 2024, I will also continue
to work on the number of exciting opportunities here in Mid-Cornwall to grow
our economy, attract investment and create the jobs for the future. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;">One of these is the development of lithium extraction
which will revive our local mining industry and put it in a great position for
decades to come. I have always said that mineral mining is in our DNA in this
part of Cornwall, we have been doing it continuously for centuries, and I
believe we will continue to lead the world in this sector for decades to
come. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;">I am excited to see what’s in store for
Cornwall’s lithium industry in 2024 as it is a key element in battery
production and will be one of the most sought-after natural resources into the
future. It is great to see us leading the way in the development of renewable
technologies and I look forward to seeing this industry grow and
develop. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;">This year will also see another general
election and while the speculation as to whether this will come in the spring
or autumn continues, my team and I will be ready whenever it is called. I am
pleased to confirm I will be standing again and seeking a fourth term as your
MP. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;">Please be assured that I will continue to stand
up for what I believe is right for our constituency, county and the country,
whatever the challenges. I have always sought to be a ever-plain-speaking
Cornishman who puts our constituency first and I hope to be able to continue to
do so in the future. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;">If you have any questions about my work or
think I can help you in any way, then please do get in touch and I will more
than happy to assist. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;">As ever, if I can be of assistance on any
matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or
guidance – tel: <a href="tel:01726%20829379">01726 829379</a> or email: <a href="mailto:office@stevedouble.org.uk">office@stevedouble.org.uk</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="box-sizing: content-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); margin: 0cm;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-10979574998544297882023-12-27T08:04:00.000-08:002023-12-27T08:04:00.146-08:00Newspaper column 27 December 2023 - Annual Update pt2<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and was able to
take some time to reflect and celebrate on this special day. </span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="elementtoproof"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. </span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="elementtoproof" style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. </span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">Cornwall Council agreed to
accept the £50million in funding from the Government for its
delivery. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">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.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">As you will know, I have supported this scheme
since its inception, and believe it will<i> </i>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.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">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.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. </span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">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. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I remain in contact with Cornwall Council and the
Marine Management Organisation (MMO</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">) and continue to monitor the
situation on this site.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have also continued to seek to address a number of the
longstanding issues that impact on our constituency.</span></p><p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">H<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">ousing 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 </span>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. </span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. </span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. </span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">My office is now closed and will reopen at 10am on January 2.
However, you can still contact me by emailing <a data-linkindex="1" href="mailto:steve.double.mp@parliament.uk">steve.double.mp@parliament.uk</a> or
calling 01726 829379 and leaving a message. I will get back to anyone requiring
urgent help. </span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-80164529668519798712023-12-20T08:03:00.000-08:002023-12-20T08:03:00.248-08:00Newspaper column 20 December 2023 - Looking back at 2023<p><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This week I have been working in the constituency as parliament
has now risen for the Christmas Recess, and I was not required there this week,
so I have been making the most of this time by meeting with constituents and
businesses.</span></p><p class="elementtoproof"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have also had the pleasure of being invited to attend festive
events taking place in the constituency. A particular highlight so far has to
be St Dennis Band’s Christmas concert, which was good fun and certainly got us
in the Christmas spirit. A brilliant evening was had by all, so well done to
everyone involved. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am now looking forward to taking some time off with my family
later this week for Christmas and hope you will also be able to enjoy the
festive season with your friends and family and celebrate this special
day. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">However, I am aware that there will be many people who will be
working over the Christmas period and so would just like to take this opportunity
to thank all those in our NHS and care sectors, those who work in retail and
hospitality, our local police and other emergency services and our armed forces
who keep us, and others, safe all over the world, all year round. Thank you for
all you do and when you do get the chance to celebrate Christmas, I hope you
have a good one. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I appreciate that this year has been a challenging one for
constituents and also in Parliament and for the government as we seek to tackle
the many difficult issues we, as a country, face.</span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In January the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, promised to halve
inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut NHS waiting lists, and stop the
boats. I am pleased to see that the government is making good progress with
these priorities.</span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Inflation is down by more than 50 per cent, we continue to see
record levels of employment, the NHS waiting list has dropped and the numbers
of illegal immigrants coming via small boats across the channel is down by a
third. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">One of the issues that constituents continue to raise with me is
the challenges the NHS faces here in Cornwall and huge pressures and demand on
our services. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have continued to raise these concerns with Ministers and the
government has made record funding available for the NHS to improve elective,
urgent and emergency, and primary care performance to pre-pandemic levels.</span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">However, we know we must also have the workforce in place to
give people the treatment and care they need. That is why I am pleased to see
the government has delivered the additional 50,000 nurses promised in 2019 and
we have more doctors than ever to deliver extra appointments, speed up
diagnoses and tackle the COVID-19 backlog. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">But while the government has been making progress to cut waiting
times, we cannot forget the significant impact the NHS strikes have had on
patients, NHS staff and efforts to cut waiting lists. This has seen over one
million postponed appointments and procedures and is something the government
is currently looking to address. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We also reached our commitment to recruit an additional 20,000
police officers and we now have a record number in Devon and Cornwall Police.</span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">On a more personal note, this year also saw my resignation from
government. Over the summer recess I decided that I was going to be leaving
government at the time of the next reshuffle and last month resigned from my
role as lord commissioner of the Treasury in the government’s whips
office. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have now returned to the back benches where I have spoken out
on a range of issues which affect the constituency, including missed GP
appointments, housing in tourist destinations such as Mevagissey and Fowey, and
levelling-up.</span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I plan to continue to represent the people of Mid-Cornwall, who
have always been my priority, into next year. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">For now, I would like to take the opportunity to wish all
readers a very Merry Christmas. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">My office will be closed from 12:30pm on December 22 and reopen
at 10am on January 2. However, you can still contact me by emailing: </span><a href="mailto:steve.double.mp@parliament.uk" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">steve.double.mp@parliament.uk</a><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
or calling 01726 829379 and leaving a message. I will get back to anyone
requiring urgent help.</span></p><p style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-74970080258647380452023-12-13T08:37:00.000-08:002023-12-13T08:37:00.144-08:00Newspaper column 13 December 2023 - Immigration changes<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Last week saw developments in the Government’s approach to
handling both legal and illegal immigration.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Looking at the measures on illegal immigration first, the
Government has introduced a new Parliamentary Bill to conclusively deem Rwanda
a safe country, stopping lawyers and illegal immigrants from abusing the
system, as they have been able to under current law, and allowing the
Government to fulfil its manifesto commitment on taking definitive action on
stopping the boats.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This Bill will be voted on later this week, after the
deadline for submitting this column, but I can confirm I will be supporting the
Government and voting in favour of the Bill.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There will be some who say the measures do not go far
enough, but in response I would say that the measures proposed need to be
workable and need to be able to be voted through Parliament to become law.
Alternative stronger measures, that some would like to see, are unlikely to
achieve this as there would be many more who would vote against a stronger
bill.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The bill is the toughest immigration legislation ever
introduced to Parliament. It includes provisions to disapply relevant sections
of the Human Rights Act, unambiguously exclude the courts from challenging the
fact that Rwanda is safe, and confirm that ministers alone can decide whether
to comply with blocking orders from Strasbourg, like the one that grounded the
first Rwanda flight in 2022.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The legislation is a part of the plan that delivers on the
Prime Minister’s priority to stop the boats and ensure that people know that if
they come to the UK illegally, they will not be able to stay.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Once the bill receives Royal Assent, it will pave the way
for the UK to begin next steps in processing people for relocation and starting
removal flights to Rwanda. The government intends to fast-track the emergency
legislation through Parliament as soon as possible.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Turning to changes to legal migration, last week the Home
Secretary announced a plan to deliver the biggest ever reduction in net legal
migration. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The measures will end the high numbers of dependants coming
to the UK, increase the minimum salaries that overseas workers and British or
settled people sponsoring family members must earn, and tackle exploitation
across the immigration system. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The major part of this will see the tightening of the Health
and Care Worker visa, which has seen a significant number of visas granted to
care workers and their dependants, by preventing overseas care workers from
bringing their dependants to the UK.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the year ending September 2023, 101,000 Health and Care
Worker visas were issued to care workers and senior care workers, with an
estimated 120,000 visas granted to associated dependants, the majority of whom are
estimated don’t work, but still make use of public services. In addition, care
providers in England will now only be able to sponsor migrant workers if they
are undertaking activities regulated by the Care Quality Commission. From next
spring, the government will also increase the earning threshold for overseas
workers by nearly 50% from its current position of £26,200 to £38,700.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In Parliament last week I welcomed this, and questioned the Home
Secretary about it. I have seen through my work as MP when I have to assist
those people who have been affected that the current system has seen a number
of bogus care companies charging people tens of thousands of pounds to come to
this country, only to find that there is no job. These people are then
effectively stranded here with no job, accommodation or recourse to public
funds. I urged the Home Secretary to look at bringing these measures forward as
soon as possible so that we can end this practise, which is effectively people
trafficking under any other name. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With the end of the year now approaching I hope that as we
move into 2024, we will be able to see these big changes implemented and have a
positive impact on the issues they are trying to address. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As ever, my office is available for any constituents needing
help, advice or guidance. Please do get in touch if I can help – tel. 01726
829379, email – office@stevedouble.org.uk<o:p></o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-50341024191655693752023-12-06T07:51:00.000-08:002023-12-06T07:51:00.154-08:00Newspaper column 6 December 2023 - My debate on housing in tourist destinations<p>One of the things I have been looking forward to since I
returned to the backbenches in Parliament is being able to apply for a lead
debates on issues important to our constituency. Last week I was pleased to secure
and lead a debate in Parliament on housing provision in tourist destinations.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Housing issues in general are one of things raised most
often to me by local people, and these issues are particularly keenly felt in
tourist areas, such as Newquay, Fowey and Mevagissey, predominantly coastal
communities that are particularly attractive places to live in and visit. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the debate I made it clear that while tourism and hospitality
are vital parts of our economy in Mid-Cornwall, both for those who work in
tourism and hospitality businesses, and also those who supply them, there has
to be a balance to this, and in recent years in some communities this has tipped
too far in favour of second homes and short term holiday let accommodation,
meaning local people who would otherwise live and work in these towns and
villages all year round are finding it increasingly difficult to do so.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the debate I highlighted examples of this, instances of
local businesses and public services—ranging from hotels to our schools and
hospitals—being unable to recruit key staff, with the lack of available housing
given as the main reason why they cannot recruit or why people cannot move to
start work. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I also highlighted the percentage of second homes and
holiday lets in these communities, in comparison, to the significant numbers of
people we currently have on the housing register in Cornwall, and the numbers
of short-term holiday let accommodation listings on Airbnb and the like (18,989)
compared to long term rent listings on Rightmove (895).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With that being said, the Government has taken more steps to
address the situation than any other Government, and I highlighted some of
these in my debate. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Government has closed
the business rate loophole, which allowed second homeowners to claim that their
properties were holiday lets and therefore qualify for small business rate
relief, paying neither council tax nor business rates and contributing nothing
to local services.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, which became law
earlier this year makes provision for local authorities like Cornwall Council
to charge double council tax on second homes. People who own second homes and
do not rent them out to local people should rightly pay more to make up for the
fact that those properties have been removed from primary occupancy. That was
the right thing to do, and the Government did it. Cornwall Council is keen to
apply the provision as soon as possible because it will bring in an anticipated
extra £20 million income a year, which can go back into the provision of
services for taxpayers in our Duchy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It will also allow Cornwall Council the power to compile a full
register of holiday lets for the first time, which will give them a full and
accurate picture of exactly how many properties in the communities they serve
are being used as holiday lets. Knowing how many holiday lets there are is the
first step towards being able to better manage their number in our communities<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Government have consulted on giving powers to local
councils to require a change of planning permission when homes are taken out of
residential use and converted to holiday lets. If planning permission was
granted to build a house to be somebody’s home and the new owner wishes to
change its use to a holiday let, which is essentially a business use, a change
of use should be required. We insist on that for all sorts of other businesses,
and I believe the same should apply to holiday lets.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">These measures will improve the situation significantly. In
the debate I asked that the Minister ensure that these consultations are
replied to as soon as possible, to allow local authorities to register of
holiday lets and the planning change of use requirements to be implemented.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We need to work together to ensure that it improves as soon
as possible and I will continue working in Parliament and in Cornwall to make
this happen.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As ever, my office is available for any constituents needing
help, advice or guidance. Please do get in touch if I can help – tel. 01726
829379, email – office@stevedouble.org.uk<o:p></o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-44643852319963574722023-11-29T07:40:00.000-08:002023-11-29T07:40:00.134-08:00Newspaper column 29 November 2023 - Looking back at the Autumn Statement<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Last week</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: .3pt;"> the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced his Autumn Statement
<span style="background: white; color: black;">with a range of measures to</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> reward hard work and
grow the economy while reducing debt and inflation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: .3pt;">We have faced extremely difficult times with
the cost of living and energy crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Putin’s
illegal war in Ukraine, so I was pleased to see the Chancellor’s statement
include many positive announcements for people in Mid-Cornwall. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">One of the announcements I was glad to see was the commitment from
government to honour the Triple Lock. As you will know, <span style="background: white;">I have continually made it very clear to the government that we should
honour our promise to keep the Triple Lock as it has been a lifeline for many
pensioners. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">From April next year, the government will be increasing <span style="background: white;">the basic and new State Pensions by 8.5%, which is one
of the biggest cash increases in the State Pension ever.</span> <span style="background: white;">This now means millions of pensioners will now
see an up to £900 rise in their state pension payments and are guaranteed a
rise every year.</span> This </span><span style="background: white; color: #0b0c0c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">government will always back our pensioners.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I, and the government, are also aware that many
households are continuing to struggle with the cost of living pressures and
that is why I was pleased to see the Chancellor agree to increase </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">working-age benefits by 6.7%
in 2024-25 in line with <span style="background: white;">September’s inflation
figure. This will mean an average increase of £470 for 5.5m households next
year and vital support to those on the very lowest incomes in St Austell and
Newquay.</span> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">We will also be supporting families by increasing the Local
Housing Allowance, so 1.6 million low-income households will be better off by
an average of £800 in 2024-25. This is in addition to the support we are
already providing to help with the cost of living with further Cost of Living
Payments this year. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement also showed that the government
is committed to ensuring work pays and that we reward hard work with the
largest ever cut to National Insurance tax from 12% to 10% for 27 million
working people from January, ensuring workers in Mid-Cornwall keep more of
their earnings. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">It is good to see taxes cut and will mean for the average worker
in Mid-Cornwall a £350 tax cut, as well as the self-employed who will also save
on average £350. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The government is also boosting the National Living Wage by 9.8%
from April 2024 to £11.44 with the age threshold lowered from 23 to 21 years
old. This record rise represents an increase of over £1,800 of the annual
earnings of a full-time worker on the National Living Wage and is expected to
benefit over 2.7 million low paid workers.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I was also glad to see the government continuing to support our
high streets and pubs by cutting business tax by extending the 75% business
rate reduction for another year. This is worth a total of £11 billion and the biggest
business tax cut in modern British history, ensuring the most vulnerable
businesses continue to be supported. I know it is very welcome by so many
hospitality businesses in Cornwall. The government is also backing British
pubs, breweries and distillers by freezing alcohol duty to August. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Earlier this year, the Prime Minister set out five priorities for
government, which included halving inflation, growing the economy, and reducing
debt. Since then, the economy has recovered more quickly from the pandemic than
first thought, and debt is on track to fall.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">It is only because of the long-term difficult decisions this
government has made following the pandemic and war in Ukraine that we have been
able to make these announcements. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I want to be clear
though, this is just a start in reducing tax as we address the impact of the
measures brought in to support households and businesses through covid and
energy cost rises. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It is easy to have
short memories and forget all the support the government has provided that does
have to be paid for. The government’s<span style="background: white; color: black;">
total commitment to easing </span><strong><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">cost
of living</span></strong> pressures so far is <strong><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">£104 billion</span></strong>, which
includes paying around half the cost of the average energy bill since last
October and amounts to an average of £3,700 per household.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> As always,
political opponents are quick to criticise, but let's remember Labour
constantly called for longer lockdowns and even more support, which would have
meant a longer recovery and higher taxes to recover. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I now look forward to working with the government to ensure we
continue to deliver positive change for the people of Mid-Cornwall.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As ever, my office is available for any constituents needing help,
advice or guidance. Please do get in touch if I can help – tel. 01726 829379,
email – </span><a href="mailto:office@stevedouble.org.uk" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">office@stevedouble.org.uk</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-65030103873045940532023-11-22T08:33:00.000-08:002023-11-22T08:33:00.139-08:00Newspaper column 22 November 2023 - A week is a long time in politics...<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The saying goes that a week is a long time in politics and that is
certainly true of the last week when we saw the reshuffle of the Prime
Minister’s Cabinet and my resignation from government.</span></p><p class="elementtoproof"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Over
the summer recess I decided that I was going to be leaving government at the
time of the next reshuffle, which the Prime Minister carried out last week. I
wanted to ensure that I stepped down at the most appropriate time and so last
week I informed the Prime Minister that I would be resigning from my role as
lord commissioner of the Treasury in the government’s whips office and
returning to the back benches.</span></p><p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As
I told the Prime Minister, it has been a huge honour to serve as a member of
government under his leadership and previously Boris Johnson’s. From
being the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Health Secretary throughout
the COVID pandemic, an Assistant Whip through 2021/22, a Minister in DEFRA and
most recently a Lords Commissioner in the Whips Office, I have witnessed, close
up, some of the most challenging and turbulent times any government has faced.
I have always given my best to be a supportive and constructive part of
government and have thoroughly enjoyed the past few years.</span></p><p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This
is a personal decision I have made which I know is right for me, my family and
constituents and believe now is the right time for me to return to the back
benches.</span></p><p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
do want to reassure people though that I remain committed to supporting the
Prime Minister and government as we work towards the general election next year
and speaking up for and representing the people of Mid-Cornwall, who have
always been my priority, from the back benches.</span></p><p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Of
course, as with my own circumstances changing, the reshuffle also saw a number
of other significant changes within the Prime Minister’s Cabinet.</span></p><p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Most
notably, former Prime Minister, David Cameron, who was in office when I was first
elected in 2015, has been appointed as Foreign Secretary. </span><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I respected and admired his leadership then and I am
pleased to see him make a return to frontline politics in a role well suited to
him.</span></p><p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As Prime Minister, he demonstrated good judgement at home and
abroad</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and as we face two of the biggest foreign policy crises, I do
believe that the foreign support and respect he has earned from the
international community and strong relationships he has forged with world
leaders after six years as Prime Minister make him a good fit for the role.</span></p><p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Former
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was also appointed as Home Secretary following
the departure of Suella Braverman from the role and he has taken no time at all
to assure the public that he hopes to build on the work done by his predecessor
to stop the boats, equip the police with proper powers to stop disruptive
illegal protests, and to keep people safe. </span></p><p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">He
has my full backing in pursuing these policies which will help us deliver on
the pledges made by the Prime Minister and in our election manifesto.</span></p><p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">While
I have now returned to the back benches, I look forward to continuing to
represent and work hard for the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">people of
Mid-Cornwall, who will always come first.</span></p><p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
have always said that being the Member of Parliament for my home constituency
was the greatest honour and I now look forward to continuing to be the strong
Cornish voice in Westminster we need.</span></p><p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As ever, my office is available for any constituents needing
help, advice or guidance. Please do get in touch if I can help – tel. 01726
829379, email – </span><a data-linkindex="1" href="mailto:office@stevedouble.org.uk" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">office@stevedouble.org.uk</span></a></p><p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-86701721237266675832023-11-15T08:01:00.000-08:002023-11-15T08:01:00.136-08:00Newspaper column 15 November 2023- The King's Speech<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
want to start this week’s column by thanking everyone who helped to organise
this year’s Remembrance Day parades and events in the constituency.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many
local communities marked Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday and I had the
honour of joining in with services in St Austell and Newquay and laid a wreath
to commemorate those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for King and Country.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
would just like to say that both events were well organised, as always, by the
Royal British Legion, who I’d like to thank, and they were also well attended
by veterans, service personnel and representatives from many parts of our
communities.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
also had the opportunity to honour the fallen in St Blazey for the two minutes
silence on Armistice Day and laid a wreath in memory of those who lost their
lives.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
is always a privilege to play a small part in these events each year and as
those who served in the last world war who are still with us become fewer, I
feel it is more important than ever to remember the price that was paid for our
freedom.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
was also great to see so many residents come out to watch the parades and
events in memory of all those who died in service of our country during times
of conflict. We will remember them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
do also want to touch briefly on the protests we saw in London on Remembrance
Day. I was concerned to see people on both sides expressing racist views and
attacking the police. Whatever your views are on the situation in Israel and
Palestine, I am sure we can all agree that this behaviour is not the way to
express them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">People
should be able to express their views peacefully, without descending to racial
slurs and aggressive language. Some of what was witnessed was clearly illegal
and I am pleased to see the police taking action.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Speaking
of the law, last week we saw the State Opening of Parliament when King Charles
III delivered his first King’s Speech, setting out the Government’s legislative
agenda for the coming Parliamentary session.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
King’s Speech outlined the Government’s proposed policies and legislation for
the coming parliamentary session. This focused on continuing to take action to
bring down inflation to ease the cost of living for households in St Austell
and Newquay and help businesses fund new jobs and investment.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
event marks the formal start of the parliamentary session and among the Bills
announced for 2023-24 was the Renters Reform Bill. This aims to deliver on the
Conservative’s manifesto promise to ban "no-fault" evictions while
also providing certainly to landlords, through reforms, that they can regain
their properties when needed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This
is something I was very pleased to see as I believe it will address many of the
issues and concerns constituents, both renters and landlords, have raised with
me.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
government also set out legislation to strengthen the UK’s energy security and
reduce reliance on volatile international energy markets. Putin’s illegal
invasion of Ukraine last year has put the need for energy security in stark
perspective. That is why I am glad that the government is helping the country
to transition to net zero by 2050, while ensuring costs do not increase for
households in Mid-Cornwall and also boosting the UK’s economy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Further
bills announced in the King’s Speech included the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which
will restrict the sale of tobacco so that children currently aged 14 or younger
can never be sold and the Sentencing Bill which is being brought forward to
ensure tougher sentences for the most serious offenders. The Criminal Justice
Bill will also prevent new or complex crimes, such as digital-enabled crime and
child sexual abuse, including grooming.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
am pleased to see such a wide range of new Bills coming forward which address
many of the issues constituents have been in touch with me about and show the
government is listening.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
cannot forget the impact of Covid and the war in Ukraine and the significant
long-term challenges they have created for the country. However, the King’s
Speech gave reassurances that the government is making the long-term decisions
needed to support and benefit future generations as well as tackling inflation
to help ease the cost of living for people in the constituency.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
understand there is more to be done and want to assure people that I and the
Government will keep taking the long-term action needed so that we can ensure a
better future for all households in St Austell and Newquay.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
I can be of any further assistance, my office is available for any constituents
needing help, advice or guidance – tel. 01726 829379, email – </span><a href="mailto:office@stevedouble.org.uk"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">office@stevedouble.org.uk</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-64920209124997964732023-11-08T07:35:00.001-08:002023-11-08T07:35:00.144-08:00Newspaper column 8 November 2023 - Remembrance Sunday 2023<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This week is a time for contemplation
and reflection as the country comes together to mark Armistice Day on November
11 and Remembrance Sunday this coming weekend.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Every year in
November the nation remembers and honours </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">all of our fallen heroes who
sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">It was
on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 that
hostilities ceased, marking the end of the First World War. The Armistice
had been signed that morning, and the order went out immediately for all
fighting to cease by 11am. One hundred and five years later, we continue
to mark that moment.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The first
formal </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Remembrance</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Day took place in November
1919 years, at the request of King George V. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The
impact of World War I, the vast conflict that led to these events being marked
annually, cannot be under-stated.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The
total number of military and civilian casualties in the First World War, was
around 40 million. There were 20 million deaths and 21 million
wounded. The total number of deaths includes 9.7 million military personnel and
about 10 million civilians.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">In Mid-Cornwall the impact of the war
was felt by all communities as a generation of young men were called away to
fight, with many never returning home. The Duke of Cornwall’s light infantry
lost 4,510 men alone during the war. Those losses would have been felt heavily
in their communities. We must also remember that we lost our own serving Member
of Parliament Thomas ‘Tommy’ Agar-Robartes, who along with 23 MP’s died in
service during the war. He will be in my thoughts as always at this time of
year. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Great War, as it was known at the
time was also called the ‘War to end all wars’. However, this was sadly not the
case and in subsequent Remembrance Sundays, we </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">now </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">honour those who have fallen in the Second World War and more recent
conflicts.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">My grandfather served in Navy in the
Second World War and my thoughts will be drawn to him on Remembrance Day as I
recall the few occasions he told us about his experiences. This weekend I will
also be sure to remember our own unforgettable Harry Billinge MBE, a D-Day
Veteran who tirelessly fundraised for the British Normandy Memorial, for
everything he has done.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">We must also give thanks to the
surviving veterans of past conflict, and as the numbers of those who served in
the Second World War inevitably fall, it is important that we honour those we
have left. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">As
always, many local communities will be marking Armistice Day and Remembrance
Sunday and I will be joining in with services in St Austell and Newquay to
commemorate those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for King and Country so that
we may live.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
year, however, I am disappointed to see reports of planned protests. The Prime
Minister has condemned these protests on Armistice Day as <i>‘provocative and
disrespectful’</i> and I agree. Attempts to disrupt Remembrance Sunday events
are totally unacceptable and would be an affront to the British people and the
values we stand for. The right to remember, in peace and dignity, those who
have paid the ultimate sacrifice for those freedoms must be protected.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That
is why I am pleased the Prime Minister has confirmed the government will be
supporting the police in doing everything necessary to protect the sanctity of
Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Whatever
your views on the protests currently happening in London and elsewhere, in my
view it would be unacceptable for them to in any way disrupt or distract from
our nation coming together to honour those who sacrificed their lives for our
freedom. Without that freedom, which was secured at a heavy price, these
protests wouldn't even be possible, and I trust all those thinking of
protesting will consider this and, at least for this weekend, refrain from
taking to the streets. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">This Armistice Day, and on Remembrance Sunday, let
us remember the men and women who gave their lives for us in the past and
honour those who continue to risk their lives today.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If I can
be of assistance with any matter, please get in touch with my office who will
be happy to help - email: </span><a href="mailto:office@stevedouble.org.uk"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">office@stevedouble.org.uk</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> or call 01726 829379.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-87132555358372908492023-11-01T06:59:00.001-07:002023-11-01T06:59:00.153-07:00Newspaper column 1 November 2023 - Looking back at the last Parliament<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. </span></p>
<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-paragraph" style="background: white; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; padding: 0cm;">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.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-paragraph" style="background: white; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-paragraph" style="background: white; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">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</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> think one of the big ones to highlight, and most relevant to us here in
Mid-Cornwall, is the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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<span style="background: white; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;"> bringing forward new
powers for a tourist accommodation registration scheme as well as p</span>lanning
to introduce a requirement for change of use planning permissions for
short-term lets. <br />
<br />
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. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-language: ZH-TW;">Moving onto another Bill that
will also bring about significant reform is the government’s </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Energy
Bill, <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">which addresses</span><span style="background: white;">
energy production and security, and the regulation of the energy market.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">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, </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">therefore
it was crucial to look at the UK’s energy independence and renewable energy
sources and move away from any reliance on Russia. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Prime Minister has tasked
the new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">with
improving the UK’s energy security, creating greater energy independence
consistent with net zero and reducing the risk of higher bills. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I am looking forward to working with Ministers as
we move towards </span><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">a future of clean
energy, which will cut costs for households in Mid-Cornwall.</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I think it’s also important to
highlight that over the last year the</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-language: ZH-TW;">
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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">If I can be of
assistance, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or
guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="mailto:office@stevedouble.org.uk"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">office@stevedouble.org.uk</span></a></span>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-84344057441957454532023-10-11T07:50:00.001-07:002023-10-11T07:50:00.141-07:00Newspaper column 11 October 2023 - Looking back at #CPC23<p><span style="background-color: white;">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The Prime Minister set out his
plan to build a brighter future for our children and fundamentally change our
country, focussing on <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">better transport for
everyone, building a world-class education system and creating a smokefree
generation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">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.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">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.</p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; letter-spacing: -.45pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">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. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; letter-spacing: -.45pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a name="_Hlk147757505"><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: -.45pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Some of the projects in the
South West that will benefit us include </span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk147757505;"><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: -.45pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">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. </span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk147757505;"><span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk147757505;"></span>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. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk147757505;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent;">This rail
investment is on top of the Mid Cornwall Metro project, which </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk147757505;"><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: -.45pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">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.</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk147757505;"><span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk147757505;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent;">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.</span></p>
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk147757505;"></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">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.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">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. <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">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.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="background: white;">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.</span></span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">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: </span><a href="mailto:office@stevedouble.org.uk" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">office@stevedouble.org.uk</span></a><o:p></o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-17125451757761541712023-10-04T05:29:00.000-07:002023-10-04T05:29:00.142-07:00Newspaper column 4 October 2023 - Keeping the economy rising while supporting those who need it<p>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.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That means the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the
National Living Wage will be over £20,000 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– and meaning that those workers are over
£9,000 a year better off than in 2010. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Details about the third cost of living payment will be
announced in due course.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815552832487177921.post-21186792525321358632023-09-27T04:06:00.001-07:002023-09-27T04:06:00.151-07:00Newspaper column 27 September 2023 - The new plan to deliver Net Zero<p><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">Last week the Prime Minister announced
a new approach to the tackling one of the biggest long-term challenges we face:
climate change. </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">I am aware from the emails I
receive from constituents that the debate about climate change is stuck between
two extremes. There are those who want to deny climate change or abandoned Net
Zero because they worry that the costs are too high. </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">On the other hand, we have
those who want us to go further and faster with no consideration for the impact
this will have on the cost to people’s lives or how much we have already
achieved compared to other countries. </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">Since the Government published
its original targets, we have already achieved much in being greener and more
sustainable than ever before. Our track record speaks for itself. Over the last
decade we have over-delivered on our climate change targets </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">and done more than other countries</span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">We have had the fastest
reduction in </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">greenhouse gas emissions </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">in the G7; down
almost 50 per cent compared to 1990, <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">compared
to just 22 per cent for France, no change for the US, and an increase for China
of 300 per cent,</span> as well as higher than forecast adoption of clean
technologies like electric vehicles. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">However, we
cannot deny that the world we live in has seen significant changes and
upheavals since we became the first major economy in the world to pass Net Zero
emissions legislation back in 2019. </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">Since the Government set its targets, the COVID-19 pandemic and
Putin’s war on Ukraine in particular have caused a </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">sharp rise in the cost of living</span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">. <u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></span></p><p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">I am aware
that not every family in Mid-Cornwall can afford to make the changes. </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">I regularly have people contacting me worried about meeting their
day-to-day living costs and concerned at the increased costs of some of our
green policies will bring.</span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">It is clear that there are significant
concerns that the original measures, if left in place, would have greatly
impacted upon many ordinary families who simply would not have been able to
afford to make the required changes, particularly around electric vehicles and
household energy, within the required timescales.</span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">There were also proposals to
implement the original measures within the original timescales, which I have
been contacted about. Measures like rules on carpooling, the creation of new
taxes to discourage flying, and potentially harming our farmers by taxing meat
or dairy. Measures that could significantly damage our economy by continuing to
race to Net Zero without considering the wider implications.</span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">The Prime Minister’s new plan
to deliver Net Zero will not only allow us as a country to continue to be a
world leader in tackling climate change, but shows the Government can take into
account other issues and circumstances that have arisen since we published our
original plans.</span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">I am pleased to see the Prime
Minister confirm that none of these will proceed, giving people the stability
and security that they need at this difficult time, and a</span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">significant number of constituents have written to me in the light of
the Prime Minister’s speech to welcome the measures set out, which will see us
take a more pragmatic, proportionate, and realistic approach to meeting Net
Zero that eases the burdens on working people. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">However, I am
also aware that there are a number of people who are disappointed by the new
approach, and I believe it’s important to </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">make it clear that even with these changes, we are still on track
to meet Net Zero by 2050. Our approach keeps us on track to meet Net Zero in
2050 and is compatible with our obligations under the Paris Agreement to limit
global warming to 1.5 degrees.</span></span></p><p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">Our targets are also still more
ambitious than other countries. Our 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution
delivers 68 per cent reduction by 2030 compared to 1990 levels – more than the
US at 40 per cent, Australia and 45 per cent and the EU at 55 per cent, and
reduces per capita emissions to 3.8 tonnes, lower than the US, Australia,
Canada and the EU.</span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <u1:p class="ContentPasted2"></u1:p></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">We have met all
of our carbon budgets to date and are committed to meeting those we have set
for the future.</span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;"> But if public support for
Net Zero is not maintained, none of these targets can be met.<u1:p class="ContentPasted2"></u1:p></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The policy changes
that have been announced will help families and businesses adapt to Net Zero,
giving them more time to adjust, which will only encourage more to make the
switch to heat pumps or electric cars. <u1:p class="ContentPasted2"></u1:p></span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">Speaking of
electric cars, I want to be clear that the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate
will continue as planned. By 2030, we expect that the vast majority of cars
sold will be electric – because costs are falling, the range is improving, and
the charging infrastructure is growing. </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <u1:p class="ContentPasted2"></u1:p></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">But we must
remember that the upfront costs are still high for families struggling with the
cost of living and I believe it should be the consumer, not government, making
that choice. </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <u1:p class="ContentPasted2"></u1:p></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">More time will
also allow our charging infrastructure to grow and create new jobs and
opportunities for us here in Mid-Cornwall. We have some of the largest deposits
of lithium in Western Europe, which is a key ingredient for EV batteries.
Already we are seeing local companies like British and Cornish Lithium
attracting significant international investment as well as UK government
support while creating highly skilled, highly paid jobs for local people.</span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Consumers will
still be able to buy new petrol and diesel cars and vans until 2035, which
brings us in line with countries like Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden,
Australia, Canada and US states such as California, New York and Massachusetts.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">There were </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">many positive measures announced by the Prime
Minister, including greater investment in our energy infrastructure, and faster
upgrading of the national grid. </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">While </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">the government is investing billions in new energy projects, we
don’t yet have the grid infrastructure to bring power to households and
businesses. This investment<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> will make a real
difference in delivering greener and cheaper energy for us all</span>.<u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We are also
increasing grants for boiler upgrades to £7,500 to support households with that
transition.</span><u1:p class="ContentPasted2" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></u1:p></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">We remain on
track to meet Net Zero in 2050 and Britain remains world-leading in our efforts
to combat climate change. </span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I believe
the Prime Minister’s announcement on his new plan to deliver Net Zero is
sensible and pragmatic, and should be welcomed.<u1:p class="ContentPasted2"></u1:p></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #242424; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">As always, I am interested to
hear what you think about the Prime Minister’s announcement, so I have launched
a survey. You can find it here: </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/5mCXCRO3xsvBvrL4IN-MSc?domain=stevedouble.org.uk" target="_blank"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">https://www.stevedouble.org.uk/new-plan-deliver-net-zero-survey</span></a></span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;"><u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #242424; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Please do take 5 minutes to complete
and let me know your view on this important subject.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">I</span></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">f you require my assistance on any matter,
please get in touch with my office by calling 01726 829379 or email </span></span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;"><a data-linkindex="0" href="mailto:office@stevedouble.org.uk"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.3pt; text-decoration-line: none;">office@stevedouble.org.uk</span></a></span><span class="contentpasted2"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><u1:p class="ContentPasted2"> </u1:p></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Steve Doublehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12774315502612901741noreply@blogger.com