Newspaper column 25 May 2016 - The EU referendum

With the deadline for registering to vote in the upcoming EU referendum fast approaching, I wish to take this opportunity to clearly set out my position on the matter, as well as clarify some confusion surrounding the issue. 

Firstly, following a number of enquiries from constituents, I wish to make it absolutely clear that if you are already registered to vote for regular elections – you will be registered to vote in the Referendum. You do not need to take any further action. If not, you have until June 7 to register.

If you wish to vote by post, you have until 5pm on June 8 to complete, sign and return your application form to your local electoral registration office. If you are one of those many people who choose to vote in this way, please make sure you exercise your democratic right and return your ballot paper. This is your chance to be part of one of the most important choices to face the UK in a generation.

I have always made my Eurosceptic views clear; I believe our relationship with the EU is no longer working in Britain’s best interests and on June 23, I will be voting to leave the European Union.

One of the key issues for me is Parliamentary sovereignty; who decides how our country is being run. I strongly believe we should be able to make our own laws and run our own society and the UK would be a better place free from restrictive EU rules and regulations.

Another area of concern for me are the costs involved in being a member state. We send around £19 billion a year to Brussels, but only get around £9 billion back. Far from EU funding being an extra pot of money that we would be detaching ourselves from upon a Brexit, it’s just a small proportion of our money being handed back to us with strict conditions attached on how we can spend it. While I recognise Cornwall has benefited from EU financial support, if we voted to leave, the Government would be able to better manage and target areas, such as St Austell and Newquay, which need support, without being constrained by EU rules.

However, by far the biggest risk in my opinion is staying in an EU which is increasingly having to deal with crisis after crisis. In recent times we have seen the Eurozone meltdown and a migration crisis. I have genuine concerns that if the EU cannot cope with these issues now, how is it going to tackle even bigger issues in the future and for me, there remains a very big risk that the EU will pull us and our great country down with it.

It is important to remember however that the ultimate decision does not lie with politicians. This will be an opportunity for the people of this country to have their say on our future relationship with the EU for the first time in 40 years and I strongly believe voting to leave is the best way forward for our nation.

Cornwall Council run elections in Cornwall and for more information on registering to vote or to vote by post or proxy, call them on 0300 123 1115 or see their website https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/

As always, my team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support. If there is an issue you would like my assistance on then please contact me on either 01726 829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only, advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events

Newspaper column 18th May 2016 - Holidays during term time

Last week I was delighted to see Jon Platt, a father from the Isle of Wight win a High Court battle against the Government over refusing to pay a fine he was ordered to pay for taking his daughter on holiday during term time.

I believe that fining parents for taking their children on holiday during term time is one area in which the Government is wrong. I have consistently spoken out and campaigned against this policy, both before and since my election and led a debate on a petition against the policy in Parliament last year.

I have been contacted by and spoken with hundreds of parents, tourism businesses and organisations, charities and campaign organisations about this issue.

This policy is blatantly unfair to a number of groups of people. It effectively means that people who cannot take holiday during the holiday season due to their work, of which there are a great deal of in Cornwall, cannot have a family holiday.

It is also unfair to those who cannot afford the high prices of holidays during the peak season. Far from helping lower paid families, this policy is actually making the issue worse. It is making taking a holiday during the school holidays even more out of reach for hard working families who have earned the right to be able to take a holiday if they choose.

From another angle. I was also disturbed to learn that no economic impact assessment was made of this policy before it was introduced. The impact of this policy on the Cornish tourist industry has been significant, as I am sure has it been in other areas reliant on tourism elsewhere in the country.

As a matter of principle I simply do not believe it is the role of the state to tell parents when they can take their children on holiday.

Mr Platt’s victory is a real milestone in the fight against this unfair legislation and to me fully establishes the essential right of the parent to have control over when their child takes a holiday.

I have heard that the Government may now look to get the law changed to further enforce the existing legislation. I hope that they take a step back, look at the bigger picture and change the system to one that is fair to all parents and does not effectively discriminate against areas such as Cornwall that are heavily reliant on the tourism industry.

If they do not then I will take this to the highest level and do all that I can to ensure the voices of parents working and the tourist industry are heard and that these changes are made.

As always, my team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support. If there is an issue you would like my assistance on then please contact me on either 01726 829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only, advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events

Newspaper column 11 May 2016 - Cornish language funding

In recent weeks there has been a lot of rumour and conjecture about the decision to cut funding for the Cornish language by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

As a Cornishman born and bred I am very appreciative of our rich history, culture and heritage all of which combine to make our Cornish identity so special and unique in England.

The decision to not provide funding for the Cornish language from central government was a ministerial decision made by the DCLG in response to a bid made by Cornwall Council.

My own position is that I was not involved in the bid, neither supporting nor objecting to it. As far as I am aware, only two Cornish MPs were involved. Nor was there a vote in Parliament on this decision, which was made by the Minister and their department.

It is my understanding that the main reason behind the decision to turn down Cornwall Council’s bid for £150,000 to support the Cornish language was that the DCLG believes Cornwall Council should make a decision as to whether they should make it a priority to fund it from the £1.7 billion core spending power Cornwall Council has available, in part due to the Government’s Cornish devolution deal, over the next four years.

Following the Ministerial decision, I have been considering my position as to whether to make representations on the failed bid back to the DCLG or not. In order to inform my thinking on this I have contacted Cornwall Council and asked them to confirm how exactly how they spent the previous funding made available to them, £650,000 over four years. Sadly as of writing this column Cornwall Council have been as yet unable to provide me with all of the information I need on this.

I think it only fair that Cornwall Council be given a chance to show exactly how they have acted in the best interests of the majority of the people of Cornwall in spending the money previously given to them. Once they have provided this information then I will make a decision as on to how to act next.

As always, my team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support. If there is an issue you would like my assistance on then please contact me on either 01726 829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only, advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events

Newspaper column 4 May 2016 - Police and the PCC Elections

Last Saturday night I was privileged to go out on the night shift with the local police based in St Austell who patrol south of the A30 from Grampound to Lostwithiel.  My thanks go to the officers who took me out on patrol; they taught me a lot about the challenges of policing in our area.

I understand that the scenes I witnessed were a typical Saturday in mid-Cornwall and this gave me deeper understanding of the issues that we face in our communities.

So what is a typical Saturday night for the police in our area? It included a suspected drink driver, a domestic violence situation, antisocial behavior and call outs for assault.  It underlined a number of issues for me. 

Firstly, the important role that the police play in keeping us all safe. We are lucky to live in one of the safest areas of the UK and the police help to keep it that way. Secondly, it reminded me that while we still face big challenges, overall crime is down and this is a reflection of the great job that the police do.

On Thursday 5^th May you have the opportunity to vote for the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.  I urge you to take the opportunity and to vote for this important role.

There has been a great deal of misunderstanding about the PCC role.  It was set up in 2011 in response to the fact that the police force was seen as remote and unaccountable.  The role of the PCC is to hold the local force accountable on behalf of the public.  This is your representative, the person who can directly influence the strategy and operations of the local force.

The PCC role brings direct democratic accountability to policing and gives a name and a face for the public to engage with.  Who can name any of the members of the previous police board? I certainly cannot – they were a remote and faceless body that lacked transparency.

The PCC has the responsibility of appointing the Chief Constable, helping to set the strategic direction through the Police and Crime Plan, and to turn the public’s crime ambitions into actions.  As well as this they have wider responsibilities that include the delivery of community safety, crime reduction, commissioning victims’ services and a duty to deliver better value for money.

The Conservative candidate in Thursday’s election is Alison Hernandez and I fully support her candidacy. I know Alison well and her 6 point plan addresses all of the key issues that I believe a good PCC should cover; to get the best funding deal; safety on our streets; safety online; to support those affected by crime; to improve the reporting of crime especially 101 and to review the closure of police stations.

So once again I urge you to go and vote for this important role on Thursday and help to maintain our fantastic police force.

My team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and seek to make a real difference to the lives of everyone who needs help and support in any way.  If there is any issue that we can help you with then please contact us on either 01726 829379 or on office@stevedouble.org.uk. 

Panama Papers

I welcome the fact that HMRC is already carrying out an intensive investigation of offshore companies, including in Panama, and has asked the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to share the leaked data. They will act on it swiftly and appropriately. In addition to this I welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement that a new taskforce will be established to deal with the so-called Panama Papers.

The Prime Minister has committed to provide resources to ensure that the files are fully investigated, once shared with HMRC, including initial new funding of up to £10 million to support the taskforce’s work. I agree that there is more that can be done to tackle tax avoidance, evasion and other exploitations of the tax system. I am glad the Chancellor is working with other major countries to speed up progress towards sharing beneficial ownership information, so that enforcement agencies can share information on who really owns companies. This would allow for more effective investigation of financial wrongdoing.

The UK will publish its own register of company beneficial ownership from June 2016, making it clear who the real owners of companies are, the first major country to have such a list in place; the information it contains will be free for anyone to access.

Newspaper column St Austell editions - 27 April 2016 - Mountisde planning application

Last week I attended and spoke at the public meeting, organised by Cornwall Council’s Strategic Planning Committee in Par regarding the planning application by Wainhomes for a large number of houses at Mountside. 

As a Member of Parliament I have no formal role in Cornwall Council’s decision-making process when it comes to planning applications. However, with major applications like this, that would have a large impact on their surrounding communities, I can and do make representations to the council to ensure the voice of the people is heard loud and clear.

I am a proud St Blazey boy who was born and grew up in this area and have vivid memories from a young age of the flooding that occurs at Brooks Corner. Sadly this flooding continues to this day. I am continuing to work with the Environment Agency and South West Water to find a permanent solution. In the mean time I believe that any further large scale building of houses in the area without the corresponding necessary infrastructure upgrades is completely inappropriate and should not take place.

My view on housing is that we do need more in Cornwall, but that any built should be appropriately located and have suitable infrastructure and jobs available for the new occupants. Apart from ensuring that the relevant authorities are aware of the public’s view regarding planning applications like this, I also spend a good deal of time working behind the scenes to ensure our constituency receives its fair share of funding for the infrastructure that we need in order to make developments viable. I also promote the creation of good quality well paid jobs for the people who will move into them.

One example of this last week was when I met with the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt MP, to personally present the need for more GP services in the constituency. I meet regularly with healthcare professionals across Mid-Cornwall and am very aware of the need for this, particularly in St Austell. Meetings like this are very important as they allow me to raise these concerns and make the case for these service improvements at the very highest level.

I was also pleased to see the latest unemployment figures released last week which show a month on month and year on year fall for the constituency. There are now 1080 less people claiming JSA in St Austell and Newquay than in 2010, a drop of more than 54%. While the continued drop in unemployment is good news, what we need for our constituency is employment opportunities that will increase local wages and provide career opportunities for our young people. I regularly meet with local businesses to understand exactly what they need and ensure that their voices are also heard and acted upon in Westminster.

As always, my team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support. If there is an issue you would like my assistance on then please contact me on either 01726 829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only, advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events

Newspaper column - Newquay editions - 27 April 2016 - Aviation ambitions

As the UK’s space and aviation ambitions and economy continues to develop, the opportunities available to Newquay continue to be a great source of excitement for me. These are extremely interesting times for the area and I believe the Government is continuing to show its faith in the town’s potential by backing a number of projects.

Cornwall Airport Newquay continues to go from strength-to-strength. The latest news that a year-round air link between Newquay and Leeds Bradford Airport has been secured is just one testament to this. 

From October, Flybe will be operating this service three times a week thanks to the support of the Regional Air Connectivity Fund. This Government fund gives airports, such as Newquay, the ability to introduce early, air routes that are not quite yet commercially viable. This gives airlines time to build passenger numbers and deliver a more sustainable service, therefore hopefully securing them for the future. 

What a great opportunity for residents, students and businesses alike to be able to travel to Yorkshire, a growing northern business hub, within 85 minutes, saving precious hours on a car or rail journey. As a Yorkshireman and a big fan of Cornwall, the Aviation Minister, Robert Goodwill, is on record as saying he is looking forward to making the most of this new service.

I believe the granting of this funding continues to demonstrate the firm backing of the Government and their commitment to Newquay. It is clear that they consider the airport to be hugely important to our local economy. With this backing, we can continue to drive investment both in and around Newquay, the airport and Aerohub, as well as the wider mid-Cornwall economy.

This news follows an agreement last year between the Department for Transport, Flybe and Cornwall Council for a 118 seat jet aircraft to operate between Newquay and Gatwick. Securing support from aviation ministers in Westminster was vital for this and I remain extremely proud to have played a part in it.

Meanwhile, recent figures show the airport carried over 250,000 passengers last year and the forecast for this financial year is 370,000. This is great progress. I have always been a supporter of the airport and will continue to work with its management and Cornwall Council to ensure it continues to strive for more and reach its full potential.

Additionally, the bid for the spaceport continues. I truly believe Newquay is in a very strong position and final criteria depending, is set to be able to put a very strong case forward. I never miss an opportunity to remind ministers in Westminster of Newquay’s merits and to push for progress in narrowing the final six down even further. I am hopeful that we will make progress on this in the very near future. I am very excited by the prospect of a Cornwall Spaceport and truly believe if Newquay wins the bid, mid-Cornwall could be transformed by new jobs and opportunities.

As always, my team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support. If there is an issue you would like my assistance on then please contact me on either 01726 829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only, advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events