Newspaper column 31 January 2024 - A busy week in the life of an MP!

Last week was a particularly varied and busy week, both in Parliament and  Cornwall. I am often asked what a ‘typical’ week for an MP is like. Although no two weeks are ever the same, I thought this week I would write about how I spent my time last week.

Firstly, in my column last week I wrote at length about the work I have been doing to push for more funding for public services in Cornwall.

I was therefore very pleased last week to get a phone call from the Local Government Minister saying that more funding was going to be allocated to Cornwall Council for this coming year. I was pleased to see the Government listen and revise the local authority settlement figure, giving around £5million more to Cornwall Council to help it in delivering essential services such as adult social care, as well as an increase of around £1million via the Rural Services Delivery Grant. This additional funding of over more than £6million is welcome but I will continue to make the case to secure as much as possible for Cornwall to reflect the challenges in delivering services to our rural and coastal communities.

Another part of my role as MP is to champion the local successes we have in Mid-Cornwall in Westminster, and I was pleased last week to attend the All Party Parliamentary Group for Deep Geothermal Energy’s meeting in the House of Lords to highlight the innovative work being done within the green deep geothermal energy sector in Cornwall, particularly via the Eden Geothermal Project. It was good to meet with Eden Project co-founder Sir Tim Smit to promote this exciting sustainable energy solution where Cornwall is leading the way,

Support for our young people remains a major part of my role, and in the past week I was pleased to take part in a number of events to do just that. I was pleased to attend the National Autistic Society’s parliamentary reception where I heard inspiring and powerful stories of parents who raise and care for children with autism. I am grateful to the many constituents who wrote to me inviting me to this event as part of the NAS’s campaign to engage with parliamentarians, and look forward to reading a copy of their Let Every Autistic Child Learn report, which you can find on their website  https://www.autism.org.uk/

In the House of Commons I spoke in a debate on children who are not in school. I spoke about the situation regarding school attendance targets and how these targets, set by Ofsted and Department for Education are driving what I believe is counterproductive behaviour by some schools.

In particular I spoke about a number of cases that constituents have raised with me where some schools appear to be taking an overbearing, heavy-handed approach to attendance targets, leaving little flexibility for children who are facing particular challenges, and threatening parents with fines for not bringing their children to school.

I have secured a meeting with the Minister following the debate and look forward to discussing what more can be done to ensure policies are applied sensibly and appropriately by schools in the future and parents receive the support they need.

When I got back to Cornwall later in the week, it was great to go out and spend some time in and around Bugle talking to local residents, in particular popping into the recently opened Bugle Pharmacy to talk to the owner Sarbjit Singh about the vital role the pharmacy plays in Bugle and the surrounding area. I remain a passionate champion of community pharmacies and the role they play in our healthcare system, and it was great to see this recent addition thriving.

On Friday I spent most of the day in Newquay meeting with businesses and residents and proving some feedback on the progress I had made with issues that have been raised with me. It was particularly good to meet with the CEO of Newquay Orchard and get an update on their latest plans and offer my continued support for the amazing work they do.

Finally, on Saturday I met with Gabriella and Kaydon - two of our local members of the Youth Parliament. We had a wide ranging discussion about what it was like being an MP and working in Parliament, my work for our constituency and how to get involved in politics.  Encouraging local young people in politics is always something I enjoy and happy to make time for, and it was great to see Gabriella and Kaydon’s knowledge of and enthusiasm for their role.

As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk

 

Newspaper column 24 January 2024 - Funding for public services in Cornwall

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk

Newspaper column 17 January 2024 - Actions to defend our interests abroad

 

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk

 

 

Newspaper column 10 January 2024 - Positive news to start 2024!

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.

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.

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.  

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%.

This reduces National Insurance by more than 15%, saving £450 this year for the average salaried worker on £35,400.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk

Newspaper column 3 January 2024

 

Firstly, I'd like to say I hope everyone had a good New Year and are looking forward to 2024.   

  

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.   

  

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.   

  

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.  

 

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.  

  

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.  

 

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.

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.  

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.  

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.  

  

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.  

 

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.  

 

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.   

 

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.   

     

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.   

  

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.   

  

As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk

Newspaper column 27 December 2023 - Annual Update pt2

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and was able to take some time to reflect and celebrate on this special day.   

 As we reflect, I want to take this opportunity to look back at the year we have had as the end of 2023 approaches and provide you with a brief summary of my work as your Member of Parliament through the year.   

 While much has been happening nationally, there has also been lots going on in the constituency. I have continued to focus on infrastructure projects, which keep moving forward.   

The St Austell to A30 link road is well under way and on course to open in 2025. We have also seen great progress being made with the Mid-Cornwall Metro, which will upgrade the Newquay branch line and provide direct trains to Falmouth, after Cornwall Council agreed to accept the £50million in funding from the Government for its delivery.  

The project, which aims to create a coast to coast through-service connecting Newquay, Par, St Austell, Truro, Penryn and Falmouth will reduce journey times and ease road congestion for people living along the route.  

As you will know, I have supported this scheme since its inception, and believe it will not only transform rail travel between Newquay and Falmouth, but benefit all of the communities with stops along the way and opening up regular services to the main line and beyond.  

Having access to regular rail services will also open up new opportunities for education, training and employment for everyone living along this route and will be particularly welcomed in the clay country. I now look forward to continuing to work with all involved in this project to ensure it remains on track to benefit all the communities it will serve.  

Progress is also being made to redevelop and upgrade St Austell College. This is something I have also supported from the start as the upgrading of further education facilities at the St Austell campus will ensure students receive a high-quality education, wherever they live, and enable them to gain the skills they need to secure the jobs and help the economy.  

I am also working to see significant investment in our local NHS services and hope to be able to share more information about this in the new year.   

One of the main concerns raised with me this year was the proposed closure of the ticket office at St Austell railway station. That is why I was pleased to see the government listen to residents’ concerns, which I shared, and confirm that the ticket office would not be closing.  

I will always stand up and represent the views of the people of Mid-Cornwall and this decision would have been devastating for not only staff but travellers, particularly those who are elderly, vulnerable or disabled. That is why I was pleased to play my part in ensuring that the town got to keep its ticket office.   

One issue that a lot of people have also contacted me on this year is around the works that are being done on Whipsiderry Beach and the cliffs above it near Newquay. 

I have been aware of concerns around development on this site since 2016. While the developer has legal permission to carry out the work, now that it has started I have raised the various concerns that have been brought to me about how it is being carried out with Cornwall Council to ensure it is within the permission granted.  

I remain in contact with Cornwall Council and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and continue to monitor the situation on this site.

I have also continued to seek to address a number of the longstanding issues that impact on our constituency.

Housing remains one of the biggest and most difficult problems that constituents raise with me. That is why I continue to highlight concerns to Ministers and am pleased to have been able to secure government support for a number of measures that will enable Cornwall Council to better manage our housing stock, including managing the number of holiday lets and charging double council tax on second homes.   

I have also worked to support our local farmers and fishermen, meeting with them regularly to ensure I am informed of their concerns to represent them in meetings with Ministers. I have been working recently especially to ensure the government provide more support to our local fishermen who will affected by the cut in quota for pollock. 

I also want to say a huge thank you to my team who support me to assist constituents with a wide range of issues. This year my team and I have received and replied to nearly 18,000 emails, dealt with more than 8,000 individual pieces of casework on behalf of local residents and businesses, ranging from housing and benefit enquiries to visa applications and NHS matters.  

I now look forward to continuing to serve our constituency and Cornwall through 2023 and beyond and would like to wish you a Happy New Year.   

My office is now closed and will reopen at 10am on January 2. However, you can still contact me by emailing steve.double.mp@parliament.uk or calling 01726 829379 and leaving a message. I will get back to anyone requiring urgent help.  

 

Newspaper column 20 December 2023 - Looking back at 2023

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

I plan to continue to represent the people of Mid-Cornwall, who have always been my priority, into next year. 

For now, I would like to take the opportunity to wish all readers a very Merry Christmas. 

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: steve.double.mp@parliament.uk or calling 01726 829379 and leaving a message. I will get back to anyone requiring urgent help.