My Plan For The Next Five Years

The election last Thursday delivered a very good result for Cornish Conservatives and I want to thank all those in the Camborne, Redruth and Hayle constituency who placed their confidence in me for a second term. Now the election is over, I want to be clear that I intend to represent everyone in this constituency whether they voted for me or not.

In these last five years I have prioritised the regeneration of our towns. I grew up here and hate the way some people talk down Camborne and Redruth. We have an industrial heritage to be proud of and the housing development at the old Holman's site in Camborne shows we can create new housing as well as protect some of the beautiful architecture that we have. Work to do the same to the old brewery site in Redruth is underway and the transformation of Hayle Harbour is finally taking shape. In the next five years, I want to get things moving on some of the other derelict sites we have like Avers roundabout and Tuckingmill. 

We also need to attract new industries and better paid jobs. Unemployment has halved here in the last five years, but the next step is to increase wages and create more opportunities for young people. The new Barncoose Gateway building will provide space for twenty companies employing 500 people. There are already two software companies moving in who between them will employ around 200 people and our schools are now putting more emphasis on maths, physics and computer coding so young people here will be better equipped to take these well paid jobs when they leave school.

Next on my list of priorities is to help those on the bottom rung of the ladder. When people lose their self confidence or get trapped in debt, it can be incredibly demoralising. We need support and advice for those trapped in debt to help them get their life back on an even keel.

Finally, I want to ensure Cornwall gets its fair share of funding for public services. Just because we are a long way from London doesn't mean we should get less than our share. Progress has been made in re-balancing the funding formula so it recognises the challenges faced by Cornwall which has to contend with an older population, increased visitors in the summer and the difficulty of being a peninsula at the end of the line.

A Lot Done, A Lot More to Do

When I was elected in 2010 I made delivering economic regeneration my number one priority. We have an industrial heritage to be proud of and over the last few years I have prioritised delivering major projects like the regeneration of Hayle Harbour and the Cornwall Archive at the old Redruth brewery.  

We have made a good start, but there is more to do. While unemployment has almost halved in recent years, we still have problems with a low wage economy so we need to attract new industries and better paid jobs.  Over the last few years, we have started to see new businesses setting up in industries like computer software and engineering and which have skilled jobs on offer. I will work to ensure that we continue to increase the number of well paid jobs in our economy to provide opportunities for the next generation.

To build on what we have started, we need to fight for continued investment in our transport infrastructure, we need more apprenticeships to help young people find their first job and we need to ensure we have the right support in place to help those who are out of work and have lost their self-confidence.  

Public Services

A recent report by comparing health systems concluded we have the best NHS in the world.  Its central value is that it is free at the point of need and it is the dedicated staff that makes it such a great institution. We have increased NHS spending by over £12 billion since 2010 and will increase it by another £8 billion if re-elected.

While it is free at the point of need our NHS has always involved some private practices most notably GPs surgeries. Tony Blair extended the use of private providers in the NHS and Gordon Brown introduced PFI contracts which left many schools and hospitals lumbered with appalling contracts where they were routinely ripped off for basic property maintenance.

The use of private providers in the NHS encompasses only six percent of the total NHS budget, an increase of only one percent since 2010. I think the key thing is not to be dogmatic about these issues. Where private providers can help our schools and hospitals cope we shouldn't rule them out.  But the agreements need to be negotiated properly so that our NHS is not ripped off in the way it was under Gordon Brown's PFI deals.

Farming and Fishing

I grew up at Trevaskis Farm near Connor Downs, studied at agricultural college and worked in the family business for over nine years.  Over the last eighteen months I have been the Minister for Farming, Fisheries and Food.  I think it makes sense in politics to bring to the table knowledge you gained in an earlier career and for me that was farming.  

I want to see a vibrant farming industry and my priorities if returned would be to shake up the Common Agricultural Policy and make it easier for new entrants to get into the industry. I also think we should have a much looser CAP with common European objectives, but where national governments legislate to deliver these objectives in their own way.  

All new industries need new talent and farming is no exception. The high cost of land is a real barrier to new entrants so I want to do more to encourage alternative routes in, such as contract farming agreements where a young farmer might manage the crops or livestock on behalf of the landowner for a fee that is linked to outcomes.

Better progress has been made improving the Common Fisheries Policy and we have now banned the shameful practice of discarding perfectly good fish back into the sea which takes effect next January.  

Superfast Broadband

In order to raise standards of living and wages in Cornwall we need to attract new industries and better paid jobs. The Superfast Cornwall programme has been very successful in getting homes and businesses connected to fibre optic broadband and when the programme ends in 2015, it will have connected 95% of premises in the county.

Improving connectivity is a great way of attracting new businesses to the area and we are now beginning to feel the benefits. I recently visited the Barncoose Gateway Centre where they have opened a new office block with space for twenty companies. Once occupied there will be 500 skilled jobs on offer and already NetBooster have chosen to base their European headquarters there. Elsewhere, the innovation centres at Pool and Tremough play an important role in incubating new start-ups, with Tremough specialising in digital media and green technology.

These are all positive steps forward. However to build on this, we also need to take advantage of our industrial heritage and wave resources. In Redruth, Severn Subsea is a world leader in the development of equipment for the oil and gas industry while in Hayle, Wave Hub has harnessed the powerful Atlantic swell to create the first commercial test facility for wave power in the world. We need to encourage more of this kind of innovation to attract new opportunities to the area.

Housing

Finding the right home is one of the main issues that constituents come to ask my help on and I think there are three key things we need to do.

Firstly, we need to build additional homes, especially for young families who need more room and for older people looking to downsize. If we build more one bedroom apartments then we also free up larger homes for families. I have always argued that we should build on brownfield sites before greenfield sites and projects like the old Assembly Rooms at Trevu Road next to Camborne train station are the model to follow.

Secondly, we need to be flexible about the way we allocate social housing.  When people's circumstances change and perhaps they are earning more money or their children have flown the nest, we need to encourage them to move up the housing ladder and make way for young families in need of a larger home.  

Finally, we need to help those who aspire to own their own home. Schemes like Help to Buy have been successful helping hundreds of local families by underwriting their mortgage so that they can get a 95 percent mortgage and buy their first home. I want to see more of this help.

Better Opportunities

Since being elected in 2010, my main priority has been economic regeneration and I have put my weight behind several major projects like the Cornwall Archive Centre, the restoration of Hayle Harbour and the new link road to unlock derelict land at Tuckingmill. My priority now is to attract new industries and better paid jobs. 

Progress has been made. Unemployment has almost halved.  The new Innovation Centres at Pool and Tremough have seen many new companies setting up in Redruth with a new generation of computer software and digital companies choosing Camborne and Redruth as the location to set up in business.  We have also attracted new engineering firms like Large Diameter Drilling in Tolvaddon and Severn SubSea.  

There is still concern about low levels of pay in Cornwall and that is why we must focus on developing skills so young people can take advantage of the new opportunities being created.  There are also concerns about zero hours contracts although it is important to recognise they only apply to around 2 percent of all jobs.  However, the Government has acted to ban exclusivity clauses in these, ensuring those on zero hour contracts have the freedom to pursue other opportunities. 

Stadium for Cornwall

The decision last week by Cornwall Council planners to defer a decision on a supermarket and housing development has been a blow to hopes for a Stadium for Cornwall but we need to revise the approach and try to get the concept back on track.

I have always been passionate about the role sport can play in both bringing communities together and creating and providing an interest for young people.  Athletics was my passion and I ran for the Cornwall cross country team for many years and my family help sponsor Camborne Rugby Club today.

The support the idea of Stadium for Cornwall but from the start the project has been vulnerable because, to be financially viable, it depended on being part of a wider property deal with a supermarket and loads of housing needed to help raise cash.  The only reason Truro was suggested as a location was because they thought they could get higher property prices.

Truro is famous for lots of things like accountants and solicitors, but not for sport.  It's not the right place for a major sporting venue.  The traffic is horrendous.  I think we should revise plans for the stadium in a number of ways.  First, build it where the population is, where there is a sporting tradition and where we have good road networks.  That means Camborne or Redruth and Camborne is already home to the best rugby ground in Cornwall.  Secondly, it would be better to have something a little smaller that was viable in its own right rather than have a giant project always in financial trouble.  Finally, I think it would be better to broaden the project so it wasn't just a stadium where people watched, but was also a sporting centre where young people had access to great facilities to develop their talents in a range of sports.

Public Spending

Everyone knows that if we want to increase spending on public services we have to have a strong economy. The last Labour Government bankrupted this country and left every family with huge debts and over the last few years, the Conservative led Government has taken the difficult decisions to get our finances back in order.

However, we have still prioritized hospitals and schools. Spending on the NHS has increased

in this parliament by £12.7 billion and this additional funding has helped Cornwall and includes an expansion of the minor injuries unit at the Camborne and Redruth Community Hospital and the creation of a doctor-led urgent care centre. In addition, by cutting bureaucracy in the NHS, we have also been able to recruit 500 new doctors in the South West. 

Local schools have also seen additional funding with an increased pupil premium, giving schools in areas where there is poverty, extra funds to employ the best teachers to give children the best start in life and many of our schools have benefited from converting to academies where they have had more funding and, full control over how they spend it so that head teachers can be captains of

their own ship.

Police Funding

We all know that we can only afford to increase funding for our public services and our police force if we get our economy back on its feet. The last Labour government almost bankrupted the country, saddling every family in Britain with huge debts. That has meant some difficult decision have had to be taken and the police have had to manage with a slightly smaller budget like everyone else.

However, what matters is how much they achieve with the funding they have. I regularly visit our police force in Camborne and Redruth and I am always really impressed by their professionalism.  We have seen big improvements in efficiency in the last few years and the Government has scrapped pointless paperwork.  The focus on neighbourhood policing and working with communities has been particularly successful.

Police and Crime Commissioners have been criticised by some but they only replaced the old defunct Police Authorities who very few people had even heard of.  It is far better to have someone who people can hold to account at the ballot box and while there are still issues with alcohol linked violence, crime has fallen overall.

Britain and the EU

The issue of Britain's relationship with the EU was what first drove me into politics. I stood as a UKIP candidate in 1999 and was then Campaign Director of the successful anti-Euro “No Campaign”. 

The EU has accumulated too many powers which undermines the ability of national governments to take the decisive action needed to sort out problems. That's why we need a radical shake up of our relationship with Europe. Three years ago I founded the Fresh Start Project which explored the options for a new UK-EU relationship. I also contributed ideas to David Cameron’s landmark speech where he called for a return of powers to nation states and committed to an in-out referendum if the Conservatives win the next election.  We will only get that referendum if we have a Conservative government.  

This government has taken steps to control immigration after a decade where Labour had an open door policy. We have closed hundreds of sham colleges which were being used as a route into the UK, tightened the criteria for marriage visas and, if re-elected, we will do more to curtail the payment of benefits to EU migrants.  People should come here to work, not to claim benefits.  

Foodbanks

Food Banks do excellent work helping those who have hit difficult times and I fully support the efforts of people like Don Gardner and others from local churches in our community who have come together to offer support in this way.  

As Minister for Food, I have visited the operation in Camborne on several occasions and looked at this issue closely. The Government is doing its part by offering free school meals to all infants to ensure children are eating properly and there are other schemes like Healthy Start that make food available for young families.  

The best way to help people out of poverty is to help them back into work. That's why we have reformed the benefits system so that work pays. Since 2010, 1.7 million more people are now in work and in Camborne and Redruth, the number of unemployed people has almost halved since 2010, but there is more to do in terms of creating better paid jobs.

We also need to help those suffering the demoralising consequences of personal debt and I recently held a conference to address this issue and look at alternative ways to help people navigate a way out of indebtedness.   

Developing Green Energy

I have always been a strong supporter of wave power in Cornwall, but I am very opposed to field scale solar farms which are scarring the Cornish countryside.

With the powerful Atlantic swell off the Cornish coast we have a wave power resource that is second to none and Wave Hub is the first facility of its type in the world able to test commercial scale arrays of devices.

I have always championed wave power and worked to secure Marine Energy Park status in Hayle. There are several major wave energy developers now seeking to locate in Hayle and our strong heritage in engineering means we have the companies that can really make wave power work.

There is a place for solar panels on roofs, but field scale solar developments damage the countryside and take good farmland out of production. What has happened with all those new solar developments between Chiverton roundabout and Carland Cross is an absolute tragedy and will damage other industries like farming and tourism. As Farming Minister, I decided to abolish farm subsidies on any land occupied by solar developments and I have pressed for Cornwall Council to say no to more of these awful developments.

NHS in Cornwall

The NHS is incredibly important to everyone in Cornwall and recently there have been rumours regarding the future of St Michael’s Hospital. Earlier in the summer, I met with the then Chief Executive of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, to discuss these rumours and ask if there was anything I could do to help. She made clear there are no plans whatsoever to close the hospital and that they would actually like to do more work there. I strongly disagree with those people who keep saying St Michael's will have to be closed down.  We should not undermine confidence in our local NHS. Instead we should support and strengthen it.

Funding for the Kernow Clinical Commission Group had increased this year by £14.3 million with another £11.6 million to come next year. Furthermore, I think it is encouraging that extra funds have been granted for an expansion at the minor injuries unit at the Camborne and Redruth Community Hospital and the creation of doctor led urgent care centres at the same hospital. Like any big organisation, the NHS will always have challenges to deal with and I think we should help them deal with those challenges, not talk them down.

Cornish Devolution

Cornwall has always been unique.  We have a strong identity and our own language and culture. Many of us consider ourselves Cornish before English and in recent years we have seen a renewed interest in celebrating St Piran’s Day. 

I do believe that we should give more decision making powers to Cornwall and the Government has already put together "growth deals" where new money has been made available for Cornwall to spend on transport projects that it has prioritised to promote growth.

I don't think we should build a Welsh style assembly and have yet another tier of politicians. That would just be a waste of money. Instead, we should focus on what more Cornwall Council can do. I would like to see more powers relating to culture and heritage devolved to Cornwall Council and taken away from English Heritage which I think can sometimes be remote.

But Cornwall Council is far from perfect so in addition, I think we should give our town and parish councils a greater say on how elements of Cornwall Council’s budget is spent so they have more power and a stronger sense of purpose

Election Year Looms

This is the last of my weekly columns for the West Briton and Cornishman. As we enter the New Year we are in the final four months leading up to the next General Election in May and a new format is planned to involve all of the various candidates from different parties.

I know that many people frown upon political parties and I don't doubt that most people will have had enough of the debate come May 7th. But political parties should not be undervalued because no democracy can work without them. They are all voluntary organisations funded by donations from supporters to enable them to print the leaflets and literature which are then delivered by local volunteers who give up their free time to help the party they believe in.

This is going to be the most important election for decades. So much is at stake. Do we stick with the plan to turn the economy around and deliver prosperity or do we abandon all the progress that has been made and make Ed Miliband Prime Minister instead? It is a big choice and if the polls are to be believed, it is going to be the closest election in living memory. The two main parties are neck and neck and other smaller parties are also attracting more support than usual. Camborne, Redruth and Hayle has always been closely fought and a key battleground in elections. Unless the Conservatives can hold seats like Camborne and Redruth then Ed Miliband will become Prime Minister next May.  

Elections are increasingly about local issues too. I am fortunate enough to be an MP representing the towns where I grew up and where my family have worked for over four hundred years.  My family have lived through the changing fortunes of Camborne, Redruth and Hayle for generations and that is why I have always made bringing new industries and better paid jobs to the area my number one priority. I hate the way some people talk our towns down.  We have an industrial heritage to be proud of and which hasn’t been forgotten and this is still the part of Cornwall where the work gets done.  A good start has been made with the restoration of Hayle Harbour, millions invested in Camborne and plans for a new archive centre at the derelict brewery site in Redruth but there is still more to do. If voters give me the chance next May, I want to build on what we've started.

EU Fishing Negotiations

As I write this article I am about to start day two of intense negotiations in Brussels over next year’s fishing quotas in my role as Fisheries Minister. There has been concern from Newlyn and other parts of the West Country fleet this year because some of the science on the state of certain fish stocks has been challenging and the European Commission’s original proposals contained some significant cuts. I have been working hard with my negotiating team to get the right outcome and by the time you read this, the final deal will have been done.


If we want a future for our fishing industry then we need to fish sustainably. If we hammer vulnerable stocks today then there will be no fish and no fishermen tomorrow. It is not always easy for people to think about the long term when they are considering fishing opportunities for next year but we must. Some have urged me to forget the scientific advice and just argue against all cuts in quota but I will not ditch the science.  


However, we must ensure we are using the most up to date scientific evidence and also take account of the realities of the marine environment to ensure we do not end up with unintended consequences. That is why I have brought new scientific evidence to the table which demonstrates cod stocks in around Cornwall have recovered since the last evidence was published. 


It is also why our scientists are carrying out what we term "mixed fishery analysis" to model the interactions between different fish species. There is no point having a dramatic cut in the quota for haddock if it is in a mixed fishery with cod and cannot be avoided. Otherwise all that happens is that perfectly good haddock ends up being discarded dead back into the sea because fishermen have no quota for them. That is an appalling waste.


Finally, I have been arguing we should make the most informed judgement we can even where there are gaps in the evidence. The two most important fish species landed in Newlyn are monkfish and megrim. Both are what are termed "data limited stocks" which means there are gaps in the scientific evidence. In the past the Commission has argued for a precautionary approach with automatic cuts to quotas. However, I think we should use the evidence we have of the improving trends in the health of some of these stocks and have been pressing the case for lower reductions than those proposed.


The marine environment is incredibly complex and no man made system to manage it will ever be perfect. From 2016 we will implement the new CFP with a discard ban and new flexibilities to make fisheries management more sensible. It won't be perfect but it does represent a major step forward.

St Michael's Hospital

Last week I met the Friends of St Michael's Hospital to discuss their plans for the future. There have been rumours circulating for some months now that the hospital is going to be closed which has been unsettling and unfair to the dedicated staff working there.  As the Cornishman reported last week, this has spilled over into concern among local residents.

When the rumours first surfaced this summer I met with Lezli Boswell, the then Chief Executive of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust which runs St Michael’s, to discuss these rumours and ask if there was anything I could do to help.  She made clear there are no plans whatsoever to close the hospital and that they would actually like to do more work there.

I have also had discussions with the Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group which is the body that commissions local NHS services.  They explained that when deciding how to configure NHS services, one of their criteria is to make things more local and encourage joint working within the NHS. I think that's important for Cornwall because we are on a peninsula and have always had a culture of working together. The NHS is no different.

An election is just a few months away and the political atmosphere is charged, but I strongly disagree with those people who keep saying St Michael's will have to be closed down.  We should not undermine confidence in our local NHS.  Instead we should support and strengthen it. According to the Friends of St Michael’s, the hospital delivers over 95 percent of all breast cancer operations in Cornwall, about 1200 operations a year which is an extraordinary feat.  St Michael's is the only hospital in Cornwall where there is the capacity to do this work and it's the reason why it should have confidence in its future.

The Friends team are also looking at the area of orthopaedic surgery which is the other key area covered by St Michael's.  They tell me all three orthopaedic operating theatres are working fully during the five day working week and are aiming to secure additional operations.

Some people have said St Michael's will need to close because there are often empty beds but this is a very old fashioned way to measure performance in the NHS.  As the Friends explained to me, modern surgery means patients are kept in hospital for far shorter periods and that some of the procedures at St Michael’s now require a two-night stay rather than six-day stay. In fact some operations have now become day cases.

Like any big organisation, the NHS will always have challenges to deal with but I think we should help them deal with those challenges, not talk them down.

Autumn Statement

This week George Osborne delivered his last Autumn Statement before the General Election and promised a big boost in funding for both the NHS and transport infrastructure across the South West. Cornwall in particular will benefit from these changes and while the Autumn Statement can be thought of as a mini budget, what is clear is that we could not afford these new investments if we hadn't taken the difficult decisions a few years ago to get the country's economy back on its feet.

The first bit of good news for Cornwall is the announcement the Government has promised to invest £180 million to upgrade the A30 over the next five years. Because we are on a peninsula at the far west of the country, good roads are vital to our economy. The single stretch of carriageway at Temple is a notorious bottleneck and I am really pleased at the news that work to dual this section of the A30 will begin as early as March 2015.

The Government has also announced plans to begin drawing up proposals to improve the A30 between Carland and Chiverton Cross, with the aim to have it opened to traffic by 2020. This is a big step forward in developing our local transport infrastructure as many constituents have contacted me over the years expressing their concerns about how congested the road can become over the summer and I know the announced work will make a huge difference to the area.

Alongside transport spending, the Government has also protected the NHS. Over the life of this parliament, the NHS budget has been increased by £12.5 billion and the Chancellor has just announced a further £2 billion in healthcare funding for frontline NHS services every year. The news will be especially welcome as we go in to winter, a time of year when the NHS comes under maximum pressure.

Across the South West there are now 500 more doctors looking after patients than there were five years ago. In Cornwall, funding for the Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group, which commissions health services in Camborne and Redruth, has increased by more than £14.3 million this year alone with an additional £11.6 million again next year. There are also plans to increase provision at the Camborne and Redruth Community Hospital at Barncoose to include a minor injuries unit and a doctor led urgent care centre.

We have some exceptionally dedicated people working in our NHS. However, as medical science advances and people live longer, the pressures on the health service and the cost of providing it increase accordingly. Those working in the NHS still have their work cut out, so it is good to see this additional money to support the great work they do.

Heartlands

When it was opened a couple of years ago the Heartlands project at Pool symbolised the start of regeneration in the Camborne Redruth area. Like all new projects it has suffered from its share of teething problems but I think there are now some positive signs that it's turned the corner and we need the community to get behind it.

A couple of weeks ago over 14,000 people attended their bonfire night celebration which must have been the biggest bonfire party in Cornwall. Earlier this autumn the first ‘Live at Heartlands’ concert was held which attracted leading bands such as UB40, The Happy Mondays, The Boom Town Rats and many others. It was a really successful festival and several people have told me how much they enjoyed it.

The new housing development on the edge of Heartlands is also almost complete. It is designed to respect the industrial heritage of the site with saw tooth roofs and will bring a larger community to the site. Later this year another part of the site will become home to a ground breaking new project run by Carillion Igloo homes which will pioneer a new national scheme to sell plots with outlining planning and an option for people to custom build their dream home.

I think one of the problems Heartlands encountered early on was that some of the decisions made were driven by the criteria required to secure successful grant applications rather than focusing solely on what would work. There had also been legal hiccups in the way lawyers had set up the deeds which caused huge problems when trying to sell the first phase of flats to local residents. It was unbelievable that lawyers were unable to resolve what should have been quite simple land deals. There were also too many prescriptions and conditions attached to the occupants of the business and retail units which made it hard for some of them to survive. Finally, there has been too much reliance on the car park as an income stream.

However, the amazing play area has been a big draw from the start and the Red River feature has always been a hit with young children and families. The diaspora gardens are also starting to establish. What the bonfire night party and Live at Heartlands proved is that this project can become a great community asset which celebrates our industrial heritage but is very much for the local community. It has huge potential and I believe we will see Heartlands grow from strength to strength.

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.