As well as having hot weather recently, the political temperature has also been rising with clashes at Prime Ministers Questions becoming ever more heated. But Parliament has now broken up for summer which is a good opportunity to get around the constituency and find out how people think things are going.
On Monday morning, I attended the opening of the new Coastline development opposite our offices at Trevenson Street in Camborne. I have always said that, when it comes to housing development, we should build on brown field sites before green field sites. Our towns have an extraordinary industrial heritage to be proud of but, in recent decades, they have also become blighted by derelict sites and sorting these out has been my priority, whether getting funding for Hayle Harbour or overcoming the obstacles on the old brewery site in Redruth.
Three years ago, the plans for a new housing development at Trevu Road caused concern among some residents in Camborne. This was the site of the old Holman Brothers factory and is historically significant for many in the town who worked there. But the whole site had been derelict for many years and had sadly become an eye sore right by the train station as people arrived in town.
The beautiful old Public Rooms building was the most important of all the remaining buildings but the most difficult to save. Used originally as a very large meeting hall for the whole town, the building was later bought by Holmans and used both for training apprentices and for housing a small museum. After the demise of Holmans I remember it being used briefly as a snooker hall but it became derelict and unused for many years. Its condition was so poor that it was about to fall down.
Despite local concerns about the plans three years ago, my view has always been that the only way you save old buildings like this is to find a new use for them and Coastline have done a fantastic job at proving my point on this site. As well as preserving and restoring many of the original architectural features, they have also created over 70 beautiful new homes for people who need a roof over their head. The eighteen flats in the Public Rooms building are occupied mainly by people over 50 who are looking to downsize and move closer to town and they are clearly very happy.
One of the residents I met was David who had spent most of his working career at Holmans and had an encyclopedic of knowledge about the site and lots of Holman memorabilia including a much sought after bi-centenary mug produced by the firm. I can't think of a more fitting use for the Public Rooms building today.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Monday, 29 July 2013
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Buy local to avoid problems in the food chain
One of my roles in parliament is on the select committee for the environment, food and rural affairs and this week we published a report into lessons to be learned from the scandal of horse meat being found in beef products.
The staggering thing about the contaminated meat scandal is that with all the "traceability" procedures we have and the "cattle passports" farmers have to fill out, such an audacious fraud was able to be committed.
The first thing we need to ask is why the Food Standards Agency failed to pick this problem up sooner and why, once it had been discovered, their response was slow. The Food Standards Agency was set up in the wake of the BSE scandal twenty years ago and was supposed to focus primarily on the safety of our food. However, over the last decade, there has been a drift in its mission. It has spent too much time acting as a sort of health police, lecturing people on how much salt and sugar is in the products they eat and not enough time dealing with issues around food safety and actual standards.
The large supermarket retailers have also placed far too much faith in the paperwork that comes with consignments of meat. Traders and middle men in the supply chain buy and sell different consignments in a game of pass the parcel which has made the supply chain too long and complicated. As it turned out, some of these supermarkets and food processors were actually buying horse meat from abattoirs in southern Europe that had been fraudulently passed off as beef.
In future, we need the Food Standards Agency to focus on its core task and to start making spot checks on the DNA of meat products to try to protect the system against fraud. Secondly, the big retailers should not rely just on the paperwork. We need to cut some of the middle men out of the food chain and try to get to a situation where the retailer or processor actually knows the farmer where the beef they have bought comes from and we should not allow them to rely on a bit of paperwork in their defence when something goes wrong.
Finally, consumers have a role to play by taking more interest in where their food comes from and buying locally wherever possible. There has already been a significant trend in recent years towards people sourcing their food from local farmers and butchers and it's one that should continue. If we can get to a situation where produce is grown and cattle are reared closer to the communities that consume them, we wouldn't have to have such convoluted but ultimately unreliable bureaucracy in the food chain.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
The staggering thing about the contaminated meat scandal is that with all the "traceability" procedures we have and the "cattle passports" farmers have to fill out, such an audacious fraud was able to be committed.
The first thing we need to ask is why the Food Standards Agency failed to pick this problem up sooner and why, once it had been discovered, their response was slow. The Food Standards Agency was set up in the wake of the BSE scandal twenty years ago and was supposed to focus primarily on the safety of our food. However, over the last decade, there has been a drift in its mission. It has spent too much time acting as a sort of health police, lecturing people on how much salt and sugar is in the products they eat and not enough time dealing with issues around food safety and actual standards.
The large supermarket retailers have also placed far too much faith in the paperwork that comes with consignments of meat. Traders and middle men in the supply chain buy and sell different consignments in a game of pass the parcel which has made the supply chain too long and complicated. As it turned out, some of these supermarkets and food processors were actually buying horse meat from abattoirs in southern Europe that had been fraudulently passed off as beef.
In future, we need the Food Standards Agency to focus on its core task and to start making spot checks on the DNA of meat products to try to protect the system against fraud. Secondly, the big retailers should not rely just on the paperwork. We need to cut some of the middle men out of the food chain and try to get to a situation where the retailer or processor actually knows the farmer where the beef they have bought comes from and we should not allow them to rely on a bit of paperwork in their defence when something goes wrong.
Finally, consumers have a role to play by taking more interest in where their food comes from and buying locally wherever possible. There has already been a significant trend in recent years towards people sourcing their food from local farmers and butchers and it's one that should continue. If we can get to a situation where produce is grown and cattle are reared closer to the communities that consume them, we wouldn't have to have such convoluted but ultimately unreliable bureaucracy in the food chain.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Thursday, 11 July 2013
The importance of science in schools
Today marks the beginning of the International Student Science Fair which, this year is being hosted by Camborne Science and International Academy. Twenty Seven schools from around the world will be taking part in science related competitions for the next four days. There are leading science schools from countries as diverse as Japan, Iran, India, the US, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia. The event will be opened by Liz Truss, the Schools Minister.
Camborne is the first school in Britain to host this prestigious event which is quite fitting for a town with such a great heritage in engineering and invention. Their decision to take part in such an international project is a great credit to the school and something Richard Trevithick, one of Britain’s greatest inventors, would have been proud of.
Today also sees Pool Academy host a new initiative run by the Institute of Physics which aims to enthuse students about science with a particular focus on medicine. The UK is a world leader in pharmaceuticals being home to some of the globe’s biggest companies and is also at the forefront of medical technology. This project helps students understand the connections between the science they learn at school and vital medical research.
I have been really encouraged by the energy that our local schools have put in to promoting science as a career choice for their pupils. The future success of our nation will depend on us maintaining a lead in technology. Britain has a lot going for it. Four of the world’s top ten universities are in the UK. Despite the perception that we don’t make anything anymore, we are still among the top ten manufacturing nations in the world and we lead in areas such as cyber technology, satellite communications, aerospace and pharmaceuticals. We manufacture and export more cars today than at any point in my lifetime with firms like Jaguar Land Rover making the best cars in the world.
However, the world is changing rapidly and we are in a global race. Thirty or so years ago, China and India combined accounted for little more that 3 percent of the world’s economic output. In a few years time, these huge countries with 2.5 billion people between them are predicted to account for almost half the world’s economy. According to a report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, about 40 percent of young degree-holders in leading countries will come from China and India by 2020. The United States and some European Union countries will produce about 25 percent.
The evidence is clear that a degree in science is the most valuable degree a student can take and is most likely to lead to a high paid job. We need to ensure that students choosing their GCSE’s today, are inspired by science and also understand its value both to their careers and to the future of our nation.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Camborne is the first school in Britain to host this prestigious event which is quite fitting for a town with such a great heritage in engineering and invention. Their decision to take part in such an international project is a great credit to the school and something Richard Trevithick, one of Britain’s greatest inventors, would have been proud of.
Today also sees Pool Academy host a new initiative run by the Institute of Physics which aims to enthuse students about science with a particular focus on medicine. The UK is a world leader in pharmaceuticals being home to some of the globe’s biggest companies and is also at the forefront of medical technology. This project helps students understand the connections between the science they learn at school and vital medical research.
I have been really encouraged by the energy that our local schools have put in to promoting science as a career choice for their pupils. The future success of our nation will depend on us maintaining a lead in technology. Britain has a lot going for it. Four of the world’s top ten universities are in the UK. Despite the perception that we don’t make anything anymore, we are still among the top ten manufacturing nations in the world and we lead in areas such as cyber technology, satellite communications, aerospace and pharmaceuticals. We manufacture and export more cars today than at any point in my lifetime with firms like Jaguar Land Rover making the best cars in the world.
However, the world is changing rapidly and we are in a global race. Thirty or so years ago, China and India combined accounted for little more that 3 percent of the world’s economic output. In a few years time, these huge countries with 2.5 billion people between them are predicted to account for almost half the world’s economy. According to a report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, about 40 percent of young degree-holders in leading countries will come from China and India by 2020. The United States and some European Union countries will produce about 25 percent.
The evidence is clear that a degree in science is the most valuable degree a student can take and is most likely to lead to a high paid job. We need to ensure that students choosing their GCSE’s today, are inspired by science and also understand its value both to their careers and to the future of our nation.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Penhaligon’s Friends
Last week I visited Penhaligon’s Friends, a fabulous charity based in Redruth which has been going for about twenty years and has just moved to new offices off Drump Road.
Most of us remember the first time we were bereaved and lost someone close to us. For most it will be a grandparent but for many, it can be a parent or sibling. Bereavement affects different people in different ways. Some experience grief instantly, others seem to cope but are then affected some years later. Some put on a brave face, others pour their heart out. But the first time anyone loses an immediate family member is often the hardest. There is never any shortage of well intentioned advice about the need to 'move on' and 'get on with life' but that’s not always helpful. I remember an experienced volunteer at the Samaritans once telling me that losing someone close to you is a bit like losing a limb. You never really get over it but you do get used to it and can eventually learn to cope quite well.
Learning to cope is every bit harder for teenagers who have a lot of emotional changes in their life as it is, and younger children who often struggle to understand why such a tragedy has happened to them and can often feel it might even be their fault. Penhaligon’s Friends is there for these children and teenagers. It has built up over forty five volunteers across Cornwall and, at any one time, will be helping and supporting around six hundred Cornish children. These volunteers see a lot of tragedy but, over the years, have helped thousands of young people come to terms with what life has dealt them.
Their work varies from home visits and counselling to 'memory days' where children of the same age share their experiences and talk about the loved ones they have lost. The charity also does a lot of work with schools and runs training courses to help other agencies understand how best to support young people.
Last week also saw the launch of a new book which was written by seven teenagers helped by Penhaligon's Friends which offered an insight into their own experiences and some really good advice for teachers and schools. I read it and what it shows is how difficult it can be to strike the balance between supporting grieving young people while not making them feel different or alone by tip-toeing around the issue or making too much of it all. I first heard about this initiative earlier in the year when a volunteering organisation called Fixers alerted me to what these young people had done. So, congratulations to Jasmine, Tony, Shannon, Peter, Philippa, Bradley and Cassie for an excellent piece of work.
If you want to consider volunteering or fundraising for Penhaligon's Friends or if you need their support, call 01209 210624 or visit www.penhaligonsfriends.org.uk
Most of us remember the first time we were bereaved and lost someone close to us. For most it will be a grandparent but for many, it can be a parent or sibling. Bereavement affects different people in different ways. Some experience grief instantly, others seem to cope but are then affected some years later. Some put on a brave face, others pour their heart out. But the first time anyone loses an immediate family member is often the hardest. There is never any shortage of well intentioned advice about the need to 'move on' and 'get on with life' but that’s not always helpful. I remember an experienced volunteer at the Samaritans once telling me that losing someone close to you is a bit like losing a limb. You never really get over it but you do get used to it and can eventually learn to cope quite well.
Learning to cope is every bit harder for teenagers who have a lot of emotional changes in their life as it is, and younger children who often struggle to understand why such a tragedy has happened to them and can often feel it might even be their fault. Penhaligon’s Friends is there for these children and teenagers. It has built up over forty five volunteers across Cornwall and, at any one time, will be helping and supporting around six hundred Cornish children. These volunteers see a lot of tragedy but, over the years, have helped thousands of young people come to terms with what life has dealt them.
Their work varies from home visits and counselling to 'memory days' where children of the same age share their experiences and talk about the loved ones they have lost. The charity also does a lot of work with schools and runs training courses to help other agencies understand how best to support young people.
Last week also saw the launch of a new book which was written by seven teenagers helped by Penhaligon's Friends which offered an insight into their own experiences and some really good advice for teachers and schools. I read it and what it shows is how difficult it can be to strike the balance between supporting grieving young people while not making them feel different or alone by tip-toeing around the issue or making too much of it all. I first heard about this initiative earlier in the year when a volunteering organisation called Fixers alerted me to what these young people had done. So, congratulations to Jasmine, Tony, Shannon, Peter, Philippa, Bradley and Cassie for an excellent piece of work.
If you want to consider volunteering or fundraising for Penhaligon's Friends or if you need their support, call 01209 210624 or visit www.penhaligonsfriends.org.uk
Thursday, 27 June 2013
Water bill relief
Well, credit where credit is due. This week George Osborne found another £40 million from under the Treasury mattress to renew the £50 per year discount on Cornish water bills in his new spending review. Generally, this has been another tough spending round with more savings having to be made to try to get the country living within its means, so the decision to send another £40 million our way is very welcome.
Earlier this year, every household in Cornwall received a £50 rebate on their bill which, for the average household means a cut of around 7.3%. It must be the first time water bills in the westcountry have bucked the trend and actually gone down. Bills are still high but, at a time when everything else seems to be going up, it is good that at least one bill is definitely going down. 700,000 households in Devon and Cornwall benefited from the discount and a further 13,000 customers are expected to see their bills fall dramatically by over £300 as a result of switching to a water meter.
All of this has been a welcome respite for hard pressed Cornish families but, I have always been clear that we needed this support to continue. A clear aim over the last year has been making sure that the government renewed their support for the discount scheme once the new Comprehensive Spending Review was announced this week, so this confirmation is great news.
For years, people had talked about the problem of high water bills but, throughout the first decade of this century, when money was being spent on all sorts of other things like there was no tomorrow, the last government never found it in its heart to help us. Soon after being elected, I put together some detailed proposals to try to find a solution to the historic injustice of high water bills in the south west. It soon became clear that the problems were quite specific to South West Water which has a small population but looks after water quality over a vast coastline. The company also had to make expensive improvements to its water treatment facilities which we have been paying for ever since. So the discount approach seemed the right solution.
I recognise that many people will still struggle with their water bills despite this cut but there are other ways they might be able to get even more savings. As well as considering a switch to a water meter South West Water also offer something called a “WaterSure” tariff which is a special discount for those with 3 or more children who are on low incomes and receiving some benefits. To find out more look at their website or give them a call on 0800 1691133.
George Eustice can be contacted at George.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Earlier this year, every household in Cornwall received a £50 rebate on their bill which, for the average household means a cut of around 7.3%. It must be the first time water bills in the westcountry have bucked the trend and actually gone down. Bills are still high but, at a time when everything else seems to be going up, it is good that at least one bill is definitely going down. 700,000 households in Devon and Cornwall benefited from the discount and a further 13,000 customers are expected to see their bills fall dramatically by over £300 as a result of switching to a water meter.
All of this has been a welcome respite for hard pressed Cornish families but, I have always been clear that we needed this support to continue. A clear aim over the last year has been making sure that the government renewed their support for the discount scheme once the new Comprehensive Spending Review was announced this week, so this confirmation is great news.
For years, people had talked about the problem of high water bills but, throughout the first decade of this century, when money was being spent on all sorts of other things like there was no tomorrow, the last government never found it in its heart to help us. Soon after being elected, I put together some detailed proposals to try to find a solution to the historic injustice of high water bills in the south west. It soon became clear that the problems were quite specific to South West Water which has a small population but looks after water quality over a vast coastline. The company also had to make expensive improvements to its water treatment facilities which we have been paying for ever since. So the discount approach seemed the right solution.
I recognise that many people will still struggle with their water bills despite this cut but there are other ways they might be able to get even more savings. As well as considering a switch to a water meter South West Water also offer something called a “WaterSure” tariff which is a special discount for those with 3 or more children who are on low incomes and receiving some benefits. To find out more look at their website or give them a call on 0800 1691133.
George Eustice can be contacted at George.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Thursday, 20 June 2013
Difficult choices can’t be avoided
One of the challenges facing any political party when it is in opposition is how to resist the temptation to score easy political points by opposing everything the government of the day does only to find that they then have to eat their words the closer they get to an election. Last week these problems started to dawn on Ed Milliband as he started to outline his own plans to cut benefits and pensions.
2010 was not an easy time for David Cameron and the new coalition government to take the reins. The finances were in a mess with the country spending £150 billion per year more than it was receiving in tax revenue. The huge losses accumulated led to large debts. So much so that the country was spending more on interest charges alone than it was on schools.
The biggest area of government spending by a long way is welfare and benefits at around £200 billion per year. That equates to a cost of around £6000 for every household in Britain. It is impossible to tackle the losses the country is making without taking some tough decisions on benefits. Housing Benefit payments rocketed between 2005 and 2010 with some evidence that benefits were driving up rents beyond the reach of working people. There were over 1.5 million people effectively written off and left on various forms of incapacity benefit and even more sensitive areas such as disability allowances had seen an unexplained surge in cost.
When money is tight, you have to target it where need is greatest so last week the government did outline plans to ensure that those who have disabilities get the right level of support. There has been an intensive effort to help the long term unemployed get back to work through schemes like the Work Programme which are starting to get results. There is a new scheme to help improve disability access to the work place so that people with an impairment are not excluded. Housing benefits have also been cut and there is a new cap on the maximum amount of benefit any large family can claim. None of these decisions are easy but they have been necessary and, in the long run, if we can reduce dependency and encourage more people to take work then we will help them escape poverty.
I think the mistake Ed Milliband made was to oppose every one of these changes without thinking about how the country would make ends meet. Over the next couple of years, he is going to have to come clean with people and admit that he would not, as it turns out, reverse these decisions and even plans cuts of his own.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
2010 was not an easy time for David Cameron and the new coalition government to take the reins. The finances were in a mess with the country spending £150 billion per year more than it was receiving in tax revenue. The huge losses accumulated led to large debts. So much so that the country was spending more on interest charges alone than it was on schools.
The biggest area of government spending by a long way is welfare and benefits at around £200 billion per year. That equates to a cost of around £6000 for every household in Britain. It is impossible to tackle the losses the country is making without taking some tough decisions on benefits. Housing Benefit payments rocketed between 2005 and 2010 with some evidence that benefits were driving up rents beyond the reach of working people. There were over 1.5 million people effectively written off and left on various forms of incapacity benefit and even more sensitive areas such as disability allowances had seen an unexplained surge in cost.
When money is tight, you have to target it where need is greatest so last week the government did outline plans to ensure that those who have disabilities get the right level of support. There has been an intensive effort to help the long term unemployed get back to work through schemes like the Work Programme which are starting to get results. There is a new scheme to help improve disability access to the work place so that people with an impairment are not excluded. Housing benefits have also been cut and there is a new cap on the maximum amount of benefit any large family can claim. None of these decisions are easy but they have been necessary and, in the long run, if we can reduce dependency and encourage more people to take work then we will help them escape poverty.
I think the mistake Ed Milliband made was to oppose every one of these changes without thinking about how the country would make ends meet. Over the next couple of years, he is going to have to come clean with people and admit that he would not, as it turns out, reverse these decisions and even plans cuts of his own.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Thursday, 13 June 2013
New rules on wind turbines
Last week the government announced a shake-up of planning laws surrounding wind turbines so that local objections from a planning authority will now be given far greater weight and with a requirement for green energy companies to share their income with local communities rather than just hording all the profits for themselves.
The changes will be welcome here in Cornwall where the sudden proliferation of random, single turbines is starting to blight our countryside. There is no uniformity to their design. Some turbines are tall, some short. Some have two blades, some three. Some are black, some are white. And they are everywhere. I first raised this issue a year ago and, to be fair to Cornwall Council, they did introduce some detailed planning guidance last July and have used this as a basis to refuse permission on a number of applications. In particular, where a planning committee judges that the cumulative impact of lots of turbines on the countryside is too great, they have been able to refuse permission. However, too many applications have then been winning on appeal and that is why the national planning guidance that planning inspectors use as their reference point needs to be changed too so that far greater weight is given to local views.
I remember when one of the first wind farms in Britain was built at Carland Cross some twenty five years ago, there seemed to be potential for proportionate projects of that kind. They were of a uniform design and in one concentrated area. However, over time, a general sense has set in that we have reached saturation point. As little as five years ago, people talked about the potential for so called “micro-generation” projects where small single wind turbines could be attached to farm buildings or small factories to help contribute to their own energy needs. Few people objected to such limited additions to existing buildings and it was an approach that could contribute to our energy needs. However, what has evolved suddenly over the last eighteen months in Cornwall is a completely different sort of industry where “micro-generation” now often means a random, single turbine in the middle of a field on an 80 metre high tower with all of the electricity going into the national grid rather than being used on the buildings in the immediate locality and that unintended consequence of a well intentioned idea has forced a rethink.
There are no easy answers or magic bullets when it comes to our future energy supply. In reality, we are probably going to require a mixture of different sources. Onshore wind is the most mature of all renewable energy technologies and is certainly far cheaper than offshore wind, but developments must be done with local communities, not to them.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
The changes will be welcome here in Cornwall where the sudden proliferation of random, single turbines is starting to blight our countryside. There is no uniformity to their design. Some turbines are tall, some short. Some have two blades, some three. Some are black, some are white. And they are everywhere. I first raised this issue a year ago and, to be fair to Cornwall Council, they did introduce some detailed planning guidance last July and have used this as a basis to refuse permission on a number of applications. In particular, where a planning committee judges that the cumulative impact of lots of turbines on the countryside is too great, they have been able to refuse permission. However, too many applications have then been winning on appeal and that is why the national planning guidance that planning inspectors use as their reference point needs to be changed too so that far greater weight is given to local views.
I remember when one of the first wind farms in Britain was built at Carland Cross some twenty five years ago, there seemed to be potential for proportionate projects of that kind. They were of a uniform design and in one concentrated area. However, over time, a general sense has set in that we have reached saturation point. As little as five years ago, people talked about the potential for so called “micro-generation” projects where small single wind turbines could be attached to farm buildings or small factories to help contribute to their own energy needs. Few people objected to such limited additions to existing buildings and it was an approach that could contribute to our energy needs. However, what has evolved suddenly over the last eighteen months in Cornwall is a completely different sort of industry where “micro-generation” now often means a random, single turbine in the middle of a field on an 80 metre high tower with all of the electricity going into the national grid rather than being used on the buildings in the immediate locality and that unintended consequence of a well intentioned idea has forced a rethink.
There are no easy answers or magic bullets when it comes to our future energy supply. In reality, we are probably going to require a mixture of different sources. Onshore wind is the most mature of all renewable energy technologies and is certainly far cheaper than offshore wind, but developments must be done with local communities, not to them.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Children need a good start in life
It is that time of year when parents with young children are being allocated places for primary school. A good education is essential to a child's life chances and I have every sympathy with the parents I meet who want the best for their children. We have many good primary schools in this part of Cornwall and, over the last few years, I have visited almost all of them. However, there has been pressure on the school rolls in recent years due to a spike in the number of children of primary school age and this means that, every year, there are some parents who are unable to get their children into their first choice of school. I always think the saddest cases are those where siblings are separated in different schools because brothers and sisters ought to go to school together.
The schools that perform best are the ones that put greatest effort into recruiting, developing and keeping really good teachers. It is one of the reasons that I support changes the government has introduced to make it easier for schools to reward good teachers by paying them more and also making it easier to move on poor performing teachers. While these changes have been unpopular with teaching unions, I think they are right. Children only get one education and we owe it to them to take sometimes tough decisions to ensure they have the best teachers possible.
While everyone understands the need for a good education, one area that is less understood is the very early years of a child’s life and more needs to be done to highlight the significance of this stage in a child’s development. Primary schools report a huge increase in the number of children now starting school with communication problems and needing extra support.
A couple of years ago, and proof that politics is not always partisan, David Cameron commissioned the Labour MP Frank Field to write a report on ending child poverty and helping children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds achieve their full potential. The report concluded that a stable and caring environment during a child’s first five years is absolutely vital and that good parenting is rightfully the key to ensuring this. By the age of three a child’s brain is already 80 percent formed and the experiences of the child in those first few years will influence how their brain grows and which parts develop more or less. A healthy pregnancy, a safe bonding between mother and child with a great deal of love at home, clear boundaries and a focus from parents on helping a child’s communication abilities either through reading books or speaking to them are all essential experiences that really influence the future of a child’s life.
I recently visited Homestart Kernow, a charity in Redruth that does some fantastic work in lending a supportive hand to parents with small children. Homestart consists of trained volunteers who visit those parents feeling the stress of parenthood and needing a little extra guidance. It is one of the few charities out there who really appreciate the early years of a child’s life and they do all they can to make sure toddlers get the treatment they need.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
The schools that perform best are the ones that put greatest effort into recruiting, developing and keeping really good teachers. It is one of the reasons that I support changes the government has introduced to make it easier for schools to reward good teachers by paying them more and also making it easier to move on poor performing teachers. While these changes have been unpopular with teaching unions, I think they are right. Children only get one education and we owe it to them to take sometimes tough decisions to ensure they have the best teachers possible.
While everyone understands the need for a good education, one area that is less understood is the very early years of a child’s life and more needs to be done to highlight the significance of this stage in a child’s development. Primary schools report a huge increase in the number of children now starting school with communication problems and needing extra support.
A couple of years ago, and proof that politics is not always partisan, David Cameron commissioned the Labour MP Frank Field to write a report on ending child poverty and helping children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds achieve their full potential. The report concluded that a stable and caring environment during a child’s first five years is absolutely vital and that good parenting is rightfully the key to ensuring this. By the age of three a child’s brain is already 80 percent formed and the experiences of the child in those first few years will influence how their brain grows and which parts develop more or less. A healthy pregnancy, a safe bonding between mother and child with a great deal of love at home, clear boundaries and a focus from parents on helping a child’s communication abilities either through reading books or speaking to them are all essential experiences that really influence the future of a child’s life.
I recently visited Homestart Kernow, a charity in Redruth that does some fantastic work in lending a supportive hand to parents with small children. Homestart consists of trained volunteers who visit those parents feeling the stress of parenthood and needing a little extra guidance. It is one of the few charities out there who really appreciate the early years of a child’s life and they do all they can to make sure toddlers get the treatment they need.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Thursday, 30 May 2013
Turning the corner on unemployment
Unemployment has been in the press a great deal recently, with new figures showing a slight rise nationally. However, in Camborne and Redruth, where I'm still often struck by the culture of hard work, we have actually bucked the trend, with an increase in employment over the last couple of months. The most recent statistics also show that fewer people have been claiming jobseeker's benefits, especially younger people where there has been a dramatic reduction and this is encouraging news.
One of the reasons I have always prioritised economic regeneration in this area is that there is nothing more demoralising to a community than worklessness. It undermines people's self confidence and can lead to welfare dependency and a poverty trap. So first we need to create more jobs and better paid jobs but then we need to ensure that people who live in Camborne and Redruth take the jobs that are created.
A few weeks ago I visited the Job Centre at Redruth to discuss their role in this and to try to understand what works and what doesn't because I am of the view that no system can ever be perfect and we must constantly strive to develop and improve things. When it comes to youth unemployment, it is clear that the most powerful tool to help young people get their first job is work experience. Work is learnt young and, in the past, it used to be much easier for teenagers of school age to take weekend jobs on farms or in shops. Changes in the law have now made that much harder which is a backward step. However, the new Work Experience programme which has been introduced allows young people to gain experience of work for around a month which is then an important first step to getting paid employment. There have been many examples of employers being so impressed by the young people doing work experience in their business that they go out of their way to try to find a paid position for them.
However, it does require everyone to have the right attitude. While at the job centre I heard one very depressing story of a young lad who had never had a job and lacked motivation. The one thing he was really passionate about was mountain biking so the Job Centre arranged for him to have work experience at a bike shop so his work could be something he was passionate about. He was really keen on the idea but then, to the surprise of everyone, never turned up for work. When they contacted him to ask why, he revealed that his father had stopped him from going saying, "my son is not going to work for nothing.". It is a missed opportunity and that young man's father has done him no favours at all.
For those who have been unemployed for a long time and who need support that the Job Centres are unable to provide, the government introduced the Work Programme which is an intensive back to work programme to equip people with the skills to find work. One of the key features of the scheme is that the companies who provide the support only get paid if they are successful and actually get people into work. In the past, there was often a problem of firms going through the motions to collect their fee but not really helping at the end of the process. Payment by results focuses minds on getting an outcome.
A couple of months ago, I caught up with Prospects, one of the companies contracted to implement the programme in the South West. The Work Programme was criticised by some when it was first launched but it is now starting to show real results. Since the start of the programme Prospects have helped over 16,000 people and around a third of those have got back into work. We have further to go, but there are signs that we may have turned the corner on unemployment
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
One of the reasons I have always prioritised economic regeneration in this area is that there is nothing more demoralising to a community than worklessness. It undermines people's self confidence and can lead to welfare dependency and a poverty trap. So first we need to create more jobs and better paid jobs but then we need to ensure that people who live in Camborne and Redruth take the jobs that are created.
A few weeks ago I visited the Job Centre at Redruth to discuss their role in this and to try to understand what works and what doesn't because I am of the view that no system can ever be perfect and we must constantly strive to develop and improve things. When it comes to youth unemployment, it is clear that the most powerful tool to help young people get their first job is work experience. Work is learnt young and, in the past, it used to be much easier for teenagers of school age to take weekend jobs on farms or in shops. Changes in the law have now made that much harder which is a backward step. However, the new Work Experience programme which has been introduced allows young people to gain experience of work for around a month which is then an important first step to getting paid employment. There have been many examples of employers being so impressed by the young people doing work experience in their business that they go out of their way to try to find a paid position for them.
However, it does require everyone to have the right attitude. While at the job centre I heard one very depressing story of a young lad who had never had a job and lacked motivation. The one thing he was really passionate about was mountain biking so the Job Centre arranged for him to have work experience at a bike shop so his work could be something he was passionate about. He was really keen on the idea but then, to the surprise of everyone, never turned up for work. When they contacted him to ask why, he revealed that his father had stopped him from going saying, "my son is not going to work for nothing.". It is a missed opportunity and that young man's father has done him no favours at all.
For those who have been unemployed for a long time and who need support that the Job Centres are unable to provide, the government introduced the Work Programme which is an intensive back to work programme to equip people with the skills to find work. One of the key features of the scheme is that the companies who provide the support only get paid if they are successful and actually get people into work. In the past, there was often a problem of firms going through the motions to collect their fee but not really helping at the end of the process. Payment by results focuses minds on getting an outcome.
A couple of months ago, I caught up with Prospects, one of the companies contracted to implement the programme in the South West. The Work Programme was criticised by some when it was first launched but it is now starting to show real results. Since the start of the programme Prospects have helped over 16,000 people and around a third of those have got back into work. We have further to go, but there are signs that we may have turned the corner on unemployment
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Friday, 24 May 2013
We must protect our bees.
I recently attended and spoke at an event in Parliament organised by Friends of the Earth after I pledged a couple of months ago to support their campaign on falling bee populations, and I was reminded again of this incredibly important issue. Bee numbers are falling dramatically. Managed honey bee colonies have halved since 1985, whilst wild honey bees are nearly extinct in many parts of the country. Bumblebees have also declined nearly 60% since 1970. Bees are vital to our agricultural economy, and to replace bee services with hand pollination would cost the government close to £2 billion a year, a huge amount of spending that needs to be avoided.
As someone who grew up on a fruit farm, I was always very conscious of the importance of bees to life. We used to keep colonies of honey bees to pollinate the apple orchards but there were also many different types of bumble bees that lived on the farm. I also used to look after commercially cultivated hives of bumble bees on a large heated glass house nursery that I used to run and it was brilliant to watch them work. I learnt that there needs to be a diversity of bee breeds to ensure the best quality crops as well as a consistent yield. Most fruit and vegetables are pollinated by bees, as well as wildflowers enjoyed by many such as bluebells and poppies.
There has been a great deal of publicity surrounding the European Commission’s recent decision to ban Neonicotinoids for the next two years following some scientific recommendation and in response to various campaigns against them. Whilst I appreciate the argument for caution with pesticide use, I also think there are plenty of other reasons for bee decline that need to be addressed and we shouldn’t get too bogged down in one particular area. One problem is the lack of bee keepers, who as a group have declined 80% in the last 60 years. More needs to be done to attract new blood to an enjoyable and important task.
More also needs to be done in creating a better farmland environment for bees, having lost much of their natural environment to intensive agriculture. The Government have made some impressive steps in the Stewardship schemes available to farmers, and new options are available which subsidise land beneficial to pollinators. The Government is also working with beekeepers to provide them with training and the ability to respond to disease threats. They have also taken the lead in researching bumble bee decline and these studies will be extremely useful as most previous research has been solely focused on honey bees. I think these are steps in the right direction, but I also look forward to further schemes to help these great creatures.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
As someone who grew up on a fruit farm, I was always very conscious of the importance of bees to life. We used to keep colonies of honey bees to pollinate the apple orchards but there were also many different types of bumble bees that lived on the farm. I also used to look after commercially cultivated hives of bumble bees on a large heated glass house nursery that I used to run and it was brilliant to watch them work. I learnt that there needs to be a diversity of bee breeds to ensure the best quality crops as well as a consistent yield. Most fruit and vegetables are pollinated by bees, as well as wildflowers enjoyed by many such as bluebells and poppies.
There has been a great deal of publicity surrounding the European Commission’s recent decision to ban Neonicotinoids for the next two years following some scientific recommendation and in response to various campaigns against them. Whilst I appreciate the argument for caution with pesticide use, I also think there are plenty of other reasons for bee decline that need to be addressed and we shouldn’t get too bogged down in one particular area. One problem is the lack of bee keepers, who as a group have declined 80% in the last 60 years. More needs to be done to attract new blood to an enjoyable and important task.
More also needs to be done in creating a better farmland environment for bees, having lost much of their natural environment to intensive agriculture. The Government have made some impressive steps in the Stewardship schemes available to farmers, and new options are available which subsidise land beneficial to pollinators. The Government is also working with beekeepers to provide them with training and the ability to respond to disease threats. They have also taken the lead in researching bumble bee decline and these studies will be extremely useful as most previous research has been solely focused on honey bees. I think these are steps in the right direction, but I also look forward to further schemes to help these great creatures.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Monday, 20 May 2013
Let's celebrate Redruth's international connections
Last week we received the excellent news that Redruth has secured Heritage Lottery Funding to support the first phase of the new Cornwall Archive Centre at the old brewery site. Competition from the rest of country was fierce with projects totalling around £150 million chasing a pot of money of just £50 million but Redruth came out ahead being one of the most competitive bids submitted. Congratulations to all involved.
I have been arguing for the last eighteen months that Redruth was the natural home for this archive project. Initially there had been some discussion about locating it in St Austell but it was always clear that the regeneration benefits of locating the project in Redruth were far greater. Redruth is the most international of Cornish towns. Of the 8 million strong world-wide Cornish Diaspora, around a quarter can trace their roots back to Redruth. We exported mining expertise around the globe from Australia and South Africa to California, South America and Mexico.
The new archive centre will help us rekindle these international links. Last week I met some guests from Mexico who organise a "pasty festival". They had visited Cornwall to discuss links with heritage organisations and the Cornish Pasty Festival in Redruth. Having met them at Heartlands, I invited them back to visit parliament on Wednesday where they managed to see the Queen's state opening of parliament.
Last month I met Horace Yao, the Honk Kong based owner of the brewery site in Redruth who was bringing Chinese investors to see the potential for the Camborne and Redruth area. Mr Yao bought the brewery site some twenty years ago and ran the Cornish Rebellion beer brand for several years. Since then there have been a couple of schemes to try to find a future for the site. It is fair to say that, ten years ago, there were some misunderstandings between the council and the owners of the site. I think that was a great shame so have spent a lot of time over the last year trying to get everyone to work together for a solution and great progress has been made.
The most prestigious and sought after street in Hong Kong is actually called Cornwall Street. This got me thinking and, with the help of the Cornish Migration Project, we were able to research the links between Redruth and Honk Kong. While the numbers leaving for Hong Kong were smaller than, say, Australia, there were definitely important links. There were Cornish people who lived their lives out in Hong Kong. Some had connections with the navy and there were also well known Methodist preachers. This archive project will be a good way to celebrate all of Cornwall’s international links as well as reviving the fortunes of Redruth so we should get behind it.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Thursday, 9 May 2013
The future of the EU
The strong showing for UKIP in the local elections last week has reignited the debate about the future of the EU. I first got involved in politics to campaign for Jimmy Goldsmith’s Referendum Party in 1997. My first job in politics was at the anti-euro campaign and, in 1999, I was even a candidate for UKIP myself.
I left UKIP shortly afterwards partly because I was concerned that they had a tendency to undermine the very cause they claim to believe in. At the time, UKIP had started to argue that it was impossible to keep the pound and stay in the EU which is what the majority of the public wanted. UKIP deliberately undermined the case being put forward by leading businesses who wanted to keep the pound but stay in the EU because they thought it would help their own narrow party interests to do so. I thought that was wrong and we now know that their argument was false because, for the last ten years we, and several other EU countries, have been in the EU but outside the euro.
I think we should fundamentally renegotiate our relationship with the EU with the return of powers in some areas and with the role of the European Court of Justice restricted in future. At the end of that renegotiation, we should have a referendum where the British people can decide whether they want to stay in the EU under the revised terms or whether they simply want to leave altogether. This would clear the air and settle the debate. David Cameron’s speech on Europe at the beginning of this year committed a future Conservative government to do just that and was the most important any Prime Minister has given on the issue since the war. It means that if there is a Conservative government after the next election, there will be a referendum where the public will have their say.
Neither Labour nor the Liberal Democrats believe in a referendum so people will only get their say if there is a Conservative government. That is why I think those of us who want change must pull together and work towards getting a majority Conservative government. Ironically, just as in the euro debate a decade ago, UKIP is actually a counter-productive force which undermines the very cause they claim to believe in.
Since David Cameron’s speech in January, there has been a change in sentiment in other countries too. Germany now has a new and growing political movement which is calling for withdrawal from the euro and major changes to the way the EU is structured. The crisis in the eurozone means that change is on the cards like never before and David Cameron has put himself at the head of an agenda to shake up the way the EU works.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Friday, 3 May 2013
How to reinvigorate local democracy
When he was appointed, the acting Chief Executive of Cornwall Council said that he believed we should "take the politics out" of local government and Cornwall Council. In some areas he seems to have got what he wished for because many town and parish councils don't even have enough candidates nominated to fill the vacancies they have and, in the majority of cases, those who put themselves up for their parish council will just be appointed without any contest whatsoever.
I don't think that is a good thing. However unpopular politics might often be, without it there is no democracy. Those who say they want to take politics out of local government are actually saying they want to take the democracy out of local government. Cornwall now has a large unitary council which would function more smoothly if there were a single political party with an overall majority so that it could deliver a clear agenda backed by a mandate from local people.
In his defence, I am sure what the Chief Executive of Cornwall Council was actually complaining about was political point scoring between rivals which is an understandable sentiment coming for an officer in the Council but is also a bit like farmers complaining about the weather.
Many people forget that political parties are voluntary organisations. The leaflets that are pushed through letter boxes are paid for by voluntary donations from local members. They are delivered by unpaid volunteers who go out in all weathers to try to help the candidates they believe in. I have been out with volunteers all week. The candidates who come knocking on doors are also unpaid. In each ward, all but one of them will fail to achieve their aim of being elected and many will feel that their efforts were in vain. I take my hat off to the unpaid volunteers in all our political parties (but especially my own) without whom democracy would not work.
After these elections, we need to have a serious look at what can be done to reinvigorate our town and parish councils. Firstly, in future we should have parish council elections separate from Cornwall Council elections. Let's hold them at the same time as the next Police Commissioner election in three years time to end the confusion voters feel about who is standing for what and to allow over stretched political parties to commit far more time than they currently do to finding and promoting good candidates for parish and town councils. If we want parish councils to develop a stronger sense of purpose then we need proper contests and, yes, political parties.
Secondly, we should give parish and town councils a stronger say on how elements of Cornwall Council's budget is spent in their area so that they have more power and are therefore likely to persuade more people to want to get involved.
George Eustice MP
Member of Parliament for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA 020 72197032 www.georgeeustice.co.uk
I don't think that is a good thing. However unpopular politics might often be, without it there is no democracy. Those who say they want to take politics out of local government are actually saying they want to take the democracy out of local government. Cornwall now has a large unitary council which would function more smoothly if there were a single political party with an overall majority so that it could deliver a clear agenda backed by a mandate from local people.
In his defence, I am sure what the Chief Executive of Cornwall Council was actually complaining about was political point scoring between rivals which is an understandable sentiment coming for an officer in the Council but is also a bit like farmers complaining about the weather.
Many people forget that political parties are voluntary organisations. The leaflets that are pushed through letter boxes are paid for by voluntary donations from local members. They are delivered by unpaid volunteers who go out in all weathers to try to help the candidates they believe in. I have been out with volunteers all week. The candidates who come knocking on doors are also unpaid. In each ward, all but one of them will fail to achieve their aim of being elected and many will feel that their efforts were in vain. I take my hat off to the unpaid volunteers in all our political parties (but especially my own) without whom democracy would not work.
After these elections, we need to have a serious look at what can be done to reinvigorate our town and parish councils. Firstly, in future we should have parish council elections separate from Cornwall Council elections. Let's hold them at the same time as the next Police Commissioner election in three years time to end the confusion voters feel about who is standing for what and to allow over stretched political parties to commit far more time than they currently do to finding and promoting good candidates for parish and town councils. If we want parish councils to develop a stronger sense of purpose then we need proper contests and, yes, political parties.
Secondly, we should give parish and town councils a stronger say on how elements of Cornwall Council's budget is spent in their area so that they have more power and are therefore likely to persuade more people to want to get involved.
George Eustice MP
Member of Parliament for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA 020 72197032 www.georgeeustice.co.uk
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Getting the economy back on its feet
Last Friday I met a group of local business leaders to discuss some of the opportunities in our area. Work is about to begin on some major projects. Hayle harbour is going to be transformed, work is about to commence on the new road at Tuckingmill, and plans to build a new Cornwall Archive Centre at the brewery site in Redruth are set to go to the planning committee for approval. However, once the construction work is done, we need new businesses to start up, employ people and make the profits to generate new wealth in our towns and that is the next priority.
Holman Brothers might have gone some thirty years ago, but their legacy continues to this day. What I find striking as I go around our industrial estates is how much world beating manufacturing still goes on in this part of Cornwall. There are some specialist manufacturers in the oil and gas industry which emerged from our heritage in rock drilling expertise. Fugro Seacore near Falmouth are world leaders in offshore oil platforms, while Calidus at Redruth manufactures high tech electronic devices for use in deep underground oil exploration. A new local firm, Large Diameter Drilling which is also a leading player in oil exploration, is planning to open a new plant at Tolvaddon which will create over a hundred jobs.
There are other businesses that developed a specialism in precision engineering. DP Engineering at Redruth produces high quality, precision components for use in the aerospace industry. Pall is a world leader when it comes to air filtration systems for helicopters. Meanwhile Rigibore in Hayle makes specialist components for the manufacturers of hydraulic systems and Teagle is a specialist in farm machinery.
That’s just a handful of the success stories in engineering. We then have national leaders in other sectors like Frame UK which makes timber frame homes, OMC which develops fibre optics and LED lighting, Contico which is a leading plastics moulding business and then leading food processors like Falfish in Redruth, Roddas Cream at Scorrier and Tulip and Furniss at Pool.
Together all these manufacturing businesses already employ thousands of local people so we have the foundations to build on. Their diversity proves that we shouldn’t be prescriptive about which business sectors we support. Economic planners in the Council should not devise strategies that are biased in favour of fashionable sectors. Instead, they ought to back talented people with a winning idea, whatever their line of business. At a time when the Council needs to find back office savings in order to protect front line services they should also be reducing duplication and it’s time to review the approach to economic development. We have a Local Enterprise Partnership, a Cornwall Development Company and an Economic Development Department. There could be greater clarity of purpose if roles were simplified.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Holman Brothers might have gone some thirty years ago, but their legacy continues to this day. What I find striking as I go around our industrial estates is how much world beating manufacturing still goes on in this part of Cornwall. There are some specialist manufacturers in the oil and gas industry which emerged from our heritage in rock drilling expertise. Fugro Seacore near Falmouth are world leaders in offshore oil platforms, while Calidus at Redruth manufactures high tech electronic devices for use in deep underground oil exploration. A new local firm, Large Diameter Drilling which is also a leading player in oil exploration, is planning to open a new plant at Tolvaddon which will create over a hundred jobs.
There are other businesses that developed a specialism in precision engineering. DP Engineering at Redruth produces high quality, precision components for use in the aerospace industry. Pall is a world leader when it comes to air filtration systems for helicopters. Meanwhile Rigibore in Hayle makes specialist components for the manufacturers of hydraulic systems and Teagle is a specialist in farm machinery.
That’s just a handful of the success stories in engineering. We then have national leaders in other sectors like Frame UK which makes timber frame homes, OMC which develops fibre optics and LED lighting, Contico which is a leading plastics moulding business and then leading food processors like Falfish in Redruth, Roddas Cream at Scorrier and Tulip and Furniss at Pool.
Together all these manufacturing businesses already employ thousands of local people so we have the foundations to build on. Their diversity proves that we shouldn’t be prescriptive about which business sectors we support. Economic planners in the Council should not devise strategies that are biased in favour of fashionable sectors. Instead, they ought to back talented people with a winning idea, whatever their line of business. At a time when the Council needs to find back office savings in order to protect front line services they should also be reducing duplication and it’s time to review the approach to economic development. We have a Local Enterprise Partnership, a Cornwall Development Company and an Economic Development Department. There could be greater clarity of purpose if roles were simplified.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Friday, 19 April 2013
Getting planning right
One of the things that communities find most frustrating is the sense that they are unable to change the decisions that affect them and, a few years ago, these concerns reached their peak after the last government introduced “Regional Spatial Strategies” which sought to second guess the views of local authorities when it came to planning policy. Here in the Camborne and Redruth area, it had been proposed to build some 11,000 new homes by 2030 when there are only about 18,000 homes now. It represented a huge increase in housing stock and would have required extensive building on green field sites.
The first thing that the coalition government did on coming to power was to abolish these Regional Spatial Strategies and shut down the regional quangos that were devising them. In 2010, power was immediately returned to local councils. The result has been that the number of new homes proposed for our area has been almost cut in half by Cornwall Council to a much more sustainable level which is more in line with the historic trend and what the old Kerrier Council had mooted in the first place.
However, while some important changes have been made there is still more to do and the current local elections provide a good opportunity to have a debate about planning policy in Cornwall. Firstly, we need to strengthen the planning guidance when it comes to wind turbines and field scale solar farms. The sudden proliferation of random, single turbines is starting to blight the Cornish countryside. There is no uniformity. Some turbines are tall, some short. Some have two blades, some three. Some are black, some are white. And they are everywhere. I raised this issue last summer and, to be fair to Cornwall Council, they did introduce some planning guidance last July and have used this guidance as a basis to refuse permission on a number of applications. However, there are still too many getting through and we need to toughen that guidance so that the cumulative impact of these things on the landscape is considered. The same goes for solar farms which are popping up like industrial developments.
When it comes to Cornwall Council’s planning guidance on house building, while I welcome the cut in numbers, I would also like to see a policy that favoured brown field development over green field development. We have some important schemes for house building proposed at places like Tuckingmill in Camborne, Heartlands in Pool and the old brewery site in Redruth and we should bring these schemes forward first. We should not be making it easy for developers to build on the outskirts of town while leaving the more difficult parts of our urban landscape derelict.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
The first thing that the coalition government did on coming to power was to abolish these Regional Spatial Strategies and shut down the regional quangos that were devising them. In 2010, power was immediately returned to local councils. The result has been that the number of new homes proposed for our area has been almost cut in half by Cornwall Council to a much more sustainable level which is more in line with the historic trend and what the old Kerrier Council had mooted in the first place.
However, while some important changes have been made there is still more to do and the current local elections provide a good opportunity to have a debate about planning policy in Cornwall. Firstly, we need to strengthen the planning guidance when it comes to wind turbines and field scale solar farms. The sudden proliferation of random, single turbines is starting to blight the Cornish countryside. There is no uniformity. Some turbines are tall, some short. Some have two blades, some three. Some are black, some are white. And they are everywhere. I raised this issue last summer and, to be fair to Cornwall Council, they did introduce some planning guidance last July and have used this guidance as a basis to refuse permission on a number of applications. However, there are still too many getting through and we need to toughen that guidance so that the cumulative impact of these things on the landscape is considered. The same goes for solar farms which are popping up like industrial developments.
When it comes to Cornwall Council’s planning guidance on house building, while I welcome the cut in numbers, I would also like to see a policy that favoured brown field development over green field development. We have some important schemes for house building proposed at places like Tuckingmill in Camborne, Heartlands in Pool and the old brewery site in Redruth and we should bring these schemes forward first. We should not be making it easy for developers to build on the outskirts of town while leaving the more difficult parts of our urban landscape derelict.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Monday, 15 April 2013
Margaret Thatcher's legacy
My first memory of politics is the 1979 election and Jim Callaghan's resignation speech. Margaret Thatcher took the reins at a desperate time for Britain and, while some of her policies were contentious, few can deny that she was a strong leader who had the conviction to drive through essential changes. For me, the most important thing she achieved was to challenge the post war assumption that Britain was in a spiral of inevitable decline that couldn’t be stopped.
Friday, 12 April 2013
Time to get the benefits system back on track
People have talked about welfare reform all my life time but the current government has made the most concerted effort yet to try to actually change things. The most important change is to simplify the system so that many former types of support are merged into one single "universal credit". Support will be tapered so that it always pays to work rather than get by on benefits and it should always pay to take on more hours and move to full time from part time work.
I think this is crucial because the major fault over the last decade or so has been the complexity of the system. People who want to do the right thing and work longer suddenly find that by working, say, 19 hours rather than 16 hours, they lose more benefits than the extra work brings in, so they can literally be worse off. It's bonkers and we need to change the system so that there is a gradual taper that gives people support when they need it but creates the persistent incentive to get on in life, work longer hours and earn more.
Some of the other changes proposed by the government are more controversial but I think they are also right. I really don't understand why anyone can disagree with the idea of capping benefit receipts at £500 per week, the level of the average earnings for working families in Britain, least of all in Cornwall where far fewer families take home that amount anyway. It can never be right that families living on benefits can receive more than those families where parents go out to work, support their own families and pay their taxes. Equally, the decision to increase benefit payments by 1 percent a year has also caused a storm, but most people working in the public sector have had a pay freeze for several years already.
MPs routinely encounter really frustrating cases of families living in overcrowded housing where teenagers lack the privacy of their own room or where older children struggle to do their homework because of a noisy environment. So why do we pay some people extra Housing Benefit so they can keep spare rooms standing empty? It is never going to be easy but we must think again about the unintended consequences we have created in the benefits system.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
I think this is crucial because the major fault over the last decade or so has been the complexity of the system. People who want to do the right thing and work longer suddenly find that by working, say, 19 hours rather than 16 hours, they lose more benefits than the extra work brings in, so they can literally be worse off. It's bonkers and we need to change the system so that there is a gradual taper that gives people support when they need it but creates the persistent incentive to get on in life, work longer hours and earn more.
Some of the other changes proposed by the government are more controversial but I think they are also right. I really don't understand why anyone can disagree with the idea of capping benefit receipts at £500 per week, the level of the average earnings for working families in Britain, least of all in Cornwall where far fewer families take home that amount anyway. It can never be right that families living on benefits can receive more than those families where parents go out to work, support their own families and pay their taxes. Equally, the decision to increase benefit payments by 1 percent a year has also caused a storm, but most people working in the public sector have had a pay freeze for several years already.
MPs routinely encounter really frustrating cases of families living in overcrowded housing where teenagers lack the privacy of their own room or where older children struggle to do their homework because of a noisy environment. So why do we pay some people extra Housing Benefit so they can keep spare rooms standing empty? It is never going to be easy but we must think again about the unintended consequences we have created in the benefits system.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Helping people back to work
Last week I visited Prospects in Redruth. They are one of the two firms in Cornwall tasked with running the government’s flagship Work Programme which is the most intensive scheme ever deployed to try to help the long term unemployed back to work.
At the heart of their project is one simple aim: to help people get their confidence back so that they can find work and escape poverty. I think this is really important to areas like Camborne and Redruth. The loss of the mining industry and industrial giants like Holman Bros a generation ago was a major blow to this area. But we still have cutting edge industry here and I want to see our towns get their confidence back and see local people taking the jobs that are created.
Too often in the past, providers of training schemes for the long term unemployed appeared to be going through the motions with perhaps a bit of practice on interview skills or purchasing a new suit and not much else. In most cases the barriers to employment are far more complex than that. A key feature of the new scheme is that organisations like Prospects who provide the training and support are paid well, but only if they succeed. They receive a small fee for initially taking someone on their books but only get the full payment once they have placed someone in work for six months. “Payment by results” really focuses minds on tailoring support to each individual. Sometimes this might require a focus on helping people regain their confidence and self esteem. Alternatively, it might require efforts to develop motivation. Sometimes all that might be needed is some skills training and, in many cases, simply being given a break and having the chance to do voluntary work for a charity or have work experience with an employer is a stepping stone to paid work.
When the idea of developing work experience programmes to help tackle youth unemployment was first raised, some of the unions denounced the idea as “slave labour”. I think that’s nonsense and the facts have proved them wrong. Around 25 percent of the people who have gone on to the Work Programme in Cornwall have already got back into work and, in many cases, the chance to have work experience has been the decisive factor. I heard of young people who, during their few weeks work experience, impressed employers so much, that the employer created a paid vacancy for them. We need more of that.
I don’t pretend it’s perfect. We need to constantly refine the way the Work Programme operates, especially when it comes to supporting those with a disability where more needs to be done, but the principle is right and it has made a good start.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
At the heart of their project is one simple aim: to help people get their confidence back so that they can find work and escape poverty. I think this is really important to areas like Camborne and Redruth. The loss of the mining industry and industrial giants like Holman Bros a generation ago was a major blow to this area. But we still have cutting edge industry here and I want to see our towns get their confidence back and see local people taking the jobs that are created.
Too often in the past, providers of training schemes for the long term unemployed appeared to be going through the motions with perhaps a bit of practice on interview skills or purchasing a new suit and not much else. In most cases the barriers to employment are far more complex than that. A key feature of the new scheme is that organisations like Prospects who provide the training and support are paid well, but only if they succeed. They receive a small fee for initially taking someone on their books but only get the full payment once they have placed someone in work for six months. “Payment by results” really focuses minds on tailoring support to each individual. Sometimes this might require a focus on helping people regain their confidence and self esteem. Alternatively, it might require efforts to develop motivation. Sometimes all that might be needed is some skills training and, in many cases, simply being given a break and having the chance to do voluntary work for a charity or have work experience with an employer is a stepping stone to paid work.
When the idea of developing work experience programmes to help tackle youth unemployment was first raised, some of the unions denounced the idea as “slave labour”. I think that’s nonsense and the facts have proved them wrong. Around 25 percent of the people who have gone on to the Work Programme in Cornwall have already got back into work and, in many cases, the chance to have work experience has been the decisive factor. I heard of young people who, during their few weeks work experience, impressed employers so much, that the employer created a paid vacancy for them. We need more of that.
I don’t pretend it’s perfect. We need to constantly refine the way the Work Programme operates, especially when it comes to supporting those with a disability where more needs to be done, but the principle is right and it has made a good start.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
A day in the life of an MP...
8.30 am. There had been concerns that the flooding in South Devon would have delayed the sleeper train but, as is so often the case we rolled into Camborne bang on time. My first meeting of the day was an 8.30 breakfast meeting at Cornwall College. They have just received a prestigious national award recognising their success in promoting science in further education and engaging employers. I have always argued that science is the key to the future prosperity of our nation so it is good to see a local college taking the lead.
10.15 am. Next, it was down to Hayle for a visit to Julian Foyes new furniture store. This company made a major investment in Hayle two years ago which has been an important boost to the Copperhouse end of the town and I wanted to check how it was going. It is good news which is always a relief. When local businesses take a risk to invest in our area and create new jobs and prosperity, I always want the best for them. Julian Foye have done a fantastic job on the layout of their new shop and have an incredible stock of quality furniture.
11.30 am. Back to Camborne for a meeting at the Apollo Bingo Hall. There is an anomaly that means, bizarrely, bingo halls are taxed more highly than betting shops which is wrong in my view. Bingo, while a form of gambling, is a more social and less harmful pursuit than other forms of gambling and it seem crazy that we should tax this more. At the very least we should aim to achieve parity of treatment. It was quiet at that time of the morning but I plan to come back one evening to try my luck.
12.45 pm. Next up I had a lunch with party agents to discuss the upcoming council elections. Four years ago, under Lib Dem control, Cornwall Council was one of the worst performing councils in the country, in the bottom four percent. Now it is one of the most improved councils in the country. Council tax has been frozen, there have been efficiency savings of £170 million and failing services like social care and children's services have been turned around. There is more to do but Conservative councillors have a record they can be proud of.
2.00 pm. Then it's off to Redruth for a meeting with the team at Prospects, one of the contractors operating the government's flagship "work programme." This has a crucial role to play in getting the long term unemployed back into work, offering everything from confidence building programmes to training and interview practice. I was really impressed by what I saw here and was told that around 30 percent of those entering the programme are getting back into work. But I want to keep in close contact with providers to ensure that we continue to refine it and iron out any creases.
3.30 pm. I then head up the road for a visit to Home Start at Gweal an Top which is a great charity based locally that organises a team of 60 volunteers to offer befriending and peer support for young parents trying to cope with challenges in their lives. These can range from a bereavement to the pressure of having twins to one parent suffering from depression. The volunteers come in on a regular basis to offer emotional and practical support to help families through a difficult patch. The evidence is so clear that the first three years of a child's life are crucial and I have always been a huge supporter of the work projects like Home Start do.
7.00 pm. Tonight is the annual AGM for the Constantine branch of the Conservative Party and we have a very good turnout for their reception at the village hall. I am asked to deliver a speech and take questions afterwards. We cover a broad range of topics including planning policy, TB in badgers, support for farming, the need for party unity and so on. It is good to see that we are getting such strong support in these areas.
9.15 pm. The Camborne branch of the Conservative Association have a variety show tonight at the Conservative Club to raise funds for the Children's Hospice. My engagement in Constantine meant that I was unable to be there for the first half but I arrive in time for the second half which included singing from the Holman Climax Choir, Richard Trethewey, Janette Eathorne and some magic by Philip Southwood! This event started this year and was a great success and I hope it will become an annual feature.
11.30 pm. It's been a long day and I arrive home at Trevaskis to microwave my dinner. My father has got pretty good at stir fries lately and wanted to try this latest one out on me which did not disappoint. We have a packed day of surgeries tomorrow morning covering all sorts of problems and the afternoon will be spent out canvassing in Connor Downs with Lionel Pascoe, our council candidate for Gwinear and Gwithian. So time to get some sleep.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
10.15 am. Next, it was down to Hayle for a visit to Julian Foyes new furniture store. This company made a major investment in Hayle two years ago which has been an important boost to the Copperhouse end of the town and I wanted to check how it was going. It is good news which is always a relief. When local businesses take a risk to invest in our area and create new jobs and prosperity, I always want the best for them. Julian Foye have done a fantastic job on the layout of their new shop and have an incredible stock of quality furniture.
11.30 am. Back to Camborne for a meeting at the Apollo Bingo Hall. There is an anomaly that means, bizarrely, bingo halls are taxed more highly than betting shops which is wrong in my view. Bingo, while a form of gambling, is a more social and less harmful pursuit than other forms of gambling and it seem crazy that we should tax this more. At the very least we should aim to achieve parity of treatment. It was quiet at that time of the morning but I plan to come back one evening to try my luck.
12.45 pm. Next up I had a lunch with party agents to discuss the upcoming council elections. Four years ago, under Lib Dem control, Cornwall Council was one of the worst performing councils in the country, in the bottom four percent. Now it is one of the most improved councils in the country. Council tax has been frozen, there have been efficiency savings of £170 million and failing services like social care and children's services have been turned around. There is more to do but Conservative councillors have a record they can be proud of.
2.00 pm. Then it's off to Redruth for a meeting with the team at Prospects, one of the contractors operating the government's flagship "work programme." This has a crucial role to play in getting the long term unemployed back into work, offering everything from confidence building programmes to training and interview practice. I was really impressed by what I saw here and was told that around 30 percent of those entering the programme are getting back into work. But I want to keep in close contact with providers to ensure that we continue to refine it and iron out any creases.
3.30 pm. I then head up the road for a visit to Home Start at Gweal an Top which is a great charity based locally that organises a team of 60 volunteers to offer befriending and peer support for young parents trying to cope with challenges in their lives. These can range from a bereavement to the pressure of having twins to one parent suffering from depression. The volunteers come in on a regular basis to offer emotional and practical support to help families through a difficult patch. The evidence is so clear that the first three years of a child's life are crucial and I have always been a huge supporter of the work projects like Home Start do.
7.00 pm. Tonight is the annual AGM for the Constantine branch of the Conservative Party and we have a very good turnout for their reception at the village hall. I am asked to deliver a speech and take questions afterwards. We cover a broad range of topics including planning policy, TB in badgers, support for farming, the need for party unity and so on. It is good to see that we are getting such strong support in these areas.
9.15 pm. The Camborne branch of the Conservative Association have a variety show tonight at the Conservative Club to raise funds for the Children's Hospice. My engagement in Constantine meant that I was unable to be there for the first half but I arrive in time for the second half which included singing from the Holman Climax Choir, Richard Trethewey, Janette Eathorne and some magic by Philip Southwood! This event started this year and was a great success and I hope it will become an annual feature.
11.30 pm. It's been a long day and I arrive home at Trevaskis to microwave my dinner. My father has got pretty good at stir fries lately and wanted to try this latest one out on me which did not disappoint. We have a packed day of surgeries tomorrow morning covering all sorts of problems and the afternoon will be spent out canvassing in Connor Downs with Lionel Pascoe, our council candidate for Gwinear and Gwithian. So time to get some sleep.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Monday, 18 March 2013
Banking reform
This week parliament discussed ways to prevent a future crisis in banking with the introduction of the Banking Reform Bill which will bring in new regulations to prevent the sort of risky behaviour which led to the banking crisis and contributed to the global recession which we have been grappling with for five years.
At the very heart of the new legislation is a requirement for banks to clearly separate into different legal entities their retail banking operations (that is to say the day to day banking on the high street) from their so called investment banking arms, which is often appropriately dubbed “casino banking” and has involved traders placing large bets on the financial markets using other people’s money as if it were their own.
There are a number of things we need to achieve to clean up the banking industry. Firstly, we need to end the situation where individual banks have become too big to fail. At the height of the credit crunch, most banking institutions were so huge, that the cost to the wider economy of letting them go bust was too high for governments to contemplate. We need to break the banking industry up so that, in future, there are many smaller banks fighting each other for customers, but where any one of them could go bust and it wouldn’t matter. That way, they would no longer be able to hold the taxpayer to ransom for their own mistakes.
Secondly, it is absolutely right to require the legal separation of retail banking from casino banking in law. The world of investment banking had grown completely out of control by the time of the financial crisis with toxic debt being bundled up and sold on to the next institution and then treated as if it were an asset against which to borrow and speculate even more. It became like a giant game of pass-the-parcel and the tax payer was left holding the debt when the music stopped. By forcing the legal separation of investment banking from retail banking, those of us working in the real economy could be insulated from the risks being taken by city traders because they would not be allowed to use the public’s savings to gamble as they were in the past.
Finally, we need to tackle the high pay culture in the banking industry. Some claim that you have to pay seven figure salaries to the top jobs in the city in order to get the best talent. The truth is that these grotesque pay packages are not actually driven by market forces at all but instead they represent a high pay culture that grew up in an era of false affluence. That era has now ended and so must the high pay culture that went with it.
George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk or 1 Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8JD or by telephone on 020 72197032.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)