West Briton column 16 May 2013

Who pays for care has vexed politicians for decades.

There has been no shortage of good ideas, based on evidence garnered from the many government reviews and commissions over many years, but there has been a failure in political will resulting in only limited action being taken.

However demographic change, and its impact, is now an issue that is moving rapidly up the political agenda. All parties are now signaling a desire for a long-term, all-party solution to our care crisis. It is clear that now is the time to take action.

During the debates on the Health and Social Care Bill there was little dissent from the view that the integration of health and social care is a good thing. In the Budget debate there was no opposition to NHS money being given to councils to integrate services. Over £26 million has been given to Cornwall Council since 2010 and more committed.

The independent Dilnot Review commissioned by this government was met by a broad coalition of support from a wide range of stakeholders, and was warmly welcomed by all political parties.

Week after week in parliamentary debates, colleagues and I have highlighted failings with today’s provision. The prospects of finding a long-term solution to the funding of long term care is better now than at any time in the past fifty years.

Who pays for care is just one of the questions the Government’s reforms of social care must address. There are issues of quality, regulation, training and pay as well as choice. It is vital to ensure that care and health services work closely together, and that our care laws are simplified to make it easier for people to get the help they need.

We must never forget that informal carers provide more support than any government could afford to pay for. The most recent research from the charity Carers UK estimates that there are more than six million carers in the UK. The care and support they provide to help people remain safely in their own homes is valued at a staggering £119bn per year, which is far more than the annual cost of all aspects of the NHS. Support to enable carers must be central to future provision of services.

The inclusion in the Queen’s Speech last week of a new Care and Support bill in this new session of parliament is a land mark occasion. The proposed bill has already undergone rigorous scrutiny. I have been working with charities including Macmillan and Scope on a series of recommendations on how it can be further improved. As it makes its way through Parliament I will continue to work with the team responsible for bringing in the new legislation to ensure that it improves care for elderly people, their family and carers. Also for working aged adults with disabilities who too often get forgotten about in this debate and who depend on care services to enable them to participate in family, community and work.

West Briton column 9 May 2013

Last week was spent in a wide range of meetings with constituents including talking to people on their doorsteps or on their street. But quite rightly the local news was dominated by the local elections. In most parts of Cornwall the majority of people who had the opportunity of voting for a Cornwall Councillor chose not to use it. This is nothing new. As someone who is passionate about our democracy I am concerned about this. Daily news from around the world reminds us of the enormous sacrifices people are making to bring democracy to their communities.

Grass roots democracy really matters because the issues closest to home matter. I believe local councils are better placed to tackle local challenges and opportunities than Westminster. So I was encouraged by the fact that more people put themselves forward as a candidate for a seat on a town or parish council. More councils were contested and I was delighted to see that 55% of the residents of Devoran and 49% of both Feock and Carnon Downs voted for a local councillor.

From my own experience, I know there are important local issues for people living in these communities. I know many people living here understand that at the heart of national policy is a power shift to local residents, enabling them to shape and protect the places where they live. I am pleased they are taking up the challenge of seizing this opportunity.

The Coalition has devolved a huge amount of decision making power from Westminster to Cornwall Council. With that power shift comes responsibility. I very much hope that both the returning and new Cornwall Councillors will respect the democratic mandate of local councillors on parish and town councils and work responsibly with people and communities to make the best possible decisions especially on planning our future.

During these times of challenge and opportunity the Duchy needs team players with a positive attitude. Local parish and town councillors working with both Cornwall Councillors and MPs to improve the quality of life for all.

Over the next few months the partnership of people led by Truro and Kenwyn Parish Councils who have created the Neighbourhood Plan for the area will again be seeking local views before the final plan is put to a vote of the people living in the area covered by the Plan.

However, before this can happen, Cornwall Council has to agree a Plan for Cornwall. That plan has to demonstrate that it is meeting the housing needs of Cornwall over the next few years. It is essential that local people have decent and genuinely affordable homes. It is vital that as new homes are planned, health and care services as well as schools, green spaces, water treatment, transport and places to work are planned too. All this needs to be done by Cornwall Councillors working much more closely with local councillors and local people. Until this Plan for Cornwall is approved we remain very vulnerable to speculative, unwanted development.

West Briton column 2 May 2013

Investing in generating more of our own energy is vital for our national security. In 2010 the Coalition faced some bleak predictions about future energy prices and supply. Decisive action has been taken to set out a road map to tackle these issues, focusing on using insulation to save energy and money for home owners, and on implementing better regulation to ensure energy companies keep bills as low as possible.

Investment in a wide range of energy generation to avoid dependency on one source, including renewable energy, is an important part of this action plan. I was pleased to welcome the Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Greg Barker, Cornwall last week and introduce him to some of the many innovators and businesses here, not only creating new jobs, but new renewable energies from our abundant natural resources in Cornwall.

Greg visited Fab Test, part of the SW Marine Energy Park that he has championed in government. He saw first hand energy being made from waves off Falmouth and learned about the great research partnership between Exeter University and local companies that is supporting this innovation.

Not all renewable energy is as well supported by the public as wave and tidal. I was pleased the Minister restated government policy that the best place for solar panels are on roof tops or former industrial land, not on green farmland. He was clear that solar farms should not proceed if they impacted on beautiful landscapes, or didn’t have the support of the local community.

The same is true for onshore wind turbines. For some time many Conservative MPs, have been asking for improved guidance from central government to local government on planning for wind turbines. During his visit the Minister confirmed the publication will be soon.

Planning decisions are the responsibility of Cornwall Council but subject to national policy. I was delighted that Cornwall Councillors last week voted with national ports and maritime strategy and to keep Falmouth Wharves and the thriving businesses located there.

At the heart of national policy is a power shift to local residents, enabling them to shape and protect their places where they live. The Coalition has devolved a huge amount of decision making power from Westminster to Cornwall Council. With that power comes responsibility. A responsibility to work with people and communities to make the best possible decisions on planning our future.

So when I go to the polling station today to choose my Parish and Cornwall Councillors, I will be putting my crosses next to the people who understand the powers they, and the communities they aspire to represent, now have. During these times of challenge and opportunity the Duchy needs team players with a positive attitude. I would encourage you to go out and vote today, and to support can-do candidates; those who have the ability and willingness to work with you to ensure that the new local powers improve lives across our community and across Cornwall, today and in the years to come.

West Briton column 25 April 2013

Over the past two years much attention has been focused on the Government’s efforts to renew the NHS, to bring it back to its founding principles of doctor and nurse led compassionate care. Progress has been made. This week it has been confirmed that there are now 7,000 fewer managers and 7,000 more frontline staff working in the NHS than there were in May 2010.

Running alongside this refocusing is another important part of the process of renewal that often goes unreported; the recognition that the medical frontline extends beyond hospitals and GPs surgeries, into people’s homes. Health and Care commissioning is increasingly being directed around the understanding that if different organisations work together to enable people’s wellbeing at home, many health problems cannot just be better treated, but can be prevented from developing at all.

The Draft Care and Support Bill, published last summer, enshrines this preventative principle in law. The Bill stipulates that all local authority care decisions should abide by a golden rule- that the promotion of an individual’s wellbeing is paramount. A further clause places a legal requirement on local authorities to integrate their social care and other community functions with NHS services.

The Draft Bill has now been scrutinised and praised for its focus on integrating services to promote wellbeing. A key suggestion is that commissioning rules should be changed to make it easier for NHS services and local authorities to have joint budgets. Ministers are now closely considering these recommendations before taking the Draft Bill onto the next stage.

As new legislation takes shape in Westminster, here in Cornwall we are already seeing the preventive approach to health and social care making a real difference. Changing Lives is a project that has brought the NHS, Cornwall Council, Age UK, Volunteer Cornwall and Peninsula Community Health together to work on joined-up services to improve people’s wellbeing. Early pathfinders run by the project are delivering exciting results, demonstrably improving the quality of life of vulnerable individuals and significantly reducing unplanned hospital admissions.

Good work is also being done by a new body established the Government – the Cornwall Health and Wellbeing Board. Representatives from Cornwall Council, the NHS, the Police and the local voluntary sector sit on the Board and work together to develop joint strategies to improve the health of local people. Actions planned by the Board cover a range of areas, from encouraging people to stay active to tackling fuel poverty.

If we are to build on this success it is essential that we elect the team of Cornwall Councillors who can use the 6% increase in Cornish NHS funding secured by my colleagues and I to positively drive forward improvements.

What more important goal could the new Cornwall Council have than working constructively with all those that are working hard, re-establishing for the twenty first century the founding NHS principle of free, compassionate care, delivered in the community and shaped around the needs of individuals and their families.

West Briton column 18 April 2013

With the local elections now in full swing, a range of debates have sprung up about Cornwall’s future. One such debate concerns Cornwall Council’s finances.

Some voices within that debate are warning of looming doom in the form of more and larger cuts to Cornwall Councils budget and insist that Council Tax rises must take place to avoid losing vital council services.

Whilst such a narrative is no doubt exhilarating for the individuals who proclaim it, it does not stand up to scrutiny. Much of the narrative is based on the Graph of Doom promoted by the Local Government Association, a lobby group that presses for more central government expenditure on local government. As is the usual practice of lobby groups, the Association have painted a doomsday scenario concerning local government finances in order to more effectively lobby for increased funding.

The real picture is quite different. Unlike the past, Chancellors can’t fiddle the numbers. Independent bodies now have access to Treasury data and provide impartial analysis. This includes central government funding for local government.

The way the Council is funded is changing. Less money will come from block grants from Westminster and more of the money raised in Cornwall will stay in Cornwall.

This process has already started, with more decisions about Council Tax being devolved to Cornwall Council. This has enabled the Council to end the Second Home Council Tax discount, bringing in an extra £4 million every year. These changes have also allowed the Council to impose an extra Council Tax charge, known as the empty home premium, on the owners of properties left empty for two or more years. In addition to the Council Tax, Cornwall Council will now keep the business rates it collects. This means that business rates from new or growing businesses will increase revenue for the Council.

Thanks to the Government’s New Homes Bonus scheme Cornwall Council is for the first time enjoying the financial benefits arising from the creation of new homes. This year alone the Council has received an additional £9.617 million of funding through the New Homes Bonus.

I support decisions about money raised in Cornwall being made in Cornwall. In addition to more money made in Cornwall being kept in Cornwall, funding from government has also been made more responsive to changing demographics.

To help the Duchy meet the needs of an ageing population the Department of Health has allocated an extra £25. 173 million between 2010 and 2014 for the integration of the Council’s adult care services with the local NHS. An extra £3.2 million has also been given to support carers. At the other end of the age scale, schools across my constituency facing rising demand have benefited from £1,385,000 of additional pupil premium funding.

So, whilst there are challenges facing Cornwall Council’s finances over the coming years, and it is good to be careful with tax payers money, it is important to remember that the Council is better placed than ever before to face them.

West Briton column 11 April 2013

Thank you to all those public minded souls who have decided to seek election to serve their communities as a councillor in parishes throughout Cornwall. This is a voluntary role and the foundations of our precious democracy. Parish councils have been at the heart of democratic decision making for centuries.

For too long, power has been sucked out of parish councils by centralising national governments. I believe and hope that over time more decisions will be taken by local people about their local communities.

Conservatives in Coalition are delivering a massive shift of power from Westminster to Cornwall. There are more and more opportunities for parishes and people to take more control over activities that really make a difference to the quality of local life.

There is even more opportunity for Cornwall Councillors. I am pleased that new independently minded people have come forward to serve their community as part of the Conservative team. Cornwall needs new blood to work with experienced councillors. In these challenging times, more than ever, Cornwall in my view needs a team. A team with a common purpose, and a plan for the future. Although much progress has been made since the creation of Cornwall Council there is much more to do.

I have found it frustrating at a time when Cornwall has all its MPs part of the Coalition Government that we have not had a team at Cornwall Council, with a shared vision, working together grasp the new opportunities and to overcome the obstacles for the Duchy to realise its tremendous potential. Cornwall has suffered as the Council has been ‘No overall Control’.

‘Independents’ have held key positions of power within the cabinet system of local government chosen by Cornwall Council. The concept of an ‘independent’ is compelling. They will tell you they will always put the interests of their community first and that by being involved with a ‘Westminster’ political party councillors are somehow compromised.

I have been a councillor and then as now as your MP, I vote for what I believe is in the best interests of the community I represent. Every vote is a ‘free’ vote as far as I am concerned. I am however part of a team. A team that has a manifesto so when you vote for me or my colleagues you know what you can expect us to do. We can be held to account.

So between now and election day on May 2nd, please ask yourself of Cornwall Council candidates, will they work hard for my community and what are they going to do for Cornwall? Cornwall Councillors are not just your local councillor but Cornwall’s Councillors. They will make very important decisions about how our health and care services, our environment, homes, roads, schools, libraries, businesses and much more are supported. Cornwall needs people who are passionate about Cornwall and have the skills and experience to work in partnership, manage very large budgets and complex issues for the benefit of ‘One and All’.

West Briton column 4 April 2013

The decline in our bee population has been with us for some time now. Like all wildlife bees are important in their own right and as part of a balanced ecosystem. Our farmers, drinks and food makers need pollinators and bees deliver that service better than anything else to our ecosystem. It is estimated that manual pollination, the only option if a catastrophic decline in bee numbers takes place, would cost British farmers up to £1.8 billion every year.

The government department responsible, DEFRA has done much to try and understand why the bee population in Britain is declining. In the UK alone the number of managed honey bee colonies in the UK fell by 53% between 1985 and 2005.

The Department is implementing the Healthy Bees Plan – working with bee keepers, the National Bee Unit provides inspection, diagnostic and training services to beekeepers. Working with farmers, land has been identified to create new beneficial habitats for bees. £10 million has been allocated to a range of research projects that will help bees and pollinators.

Most recently, DEFRA has been involved at the EU level with considering restricting some chemicals used mostly by cereal crop farmers as pesticides. The Chief Scientific Adviser said last week that he didn’t feel there was sufficient evidence to ban the chemicals under consideration but that we should keep the decision under review using results of UK trials.

While it would be convenient if we could point the finger at a single cause of bee decline and take preventive action, I think we have come to appreciate this is a complex problem that only a range of activities can resolve.

In the debate I led in Parliament last week, I called on the Government to introduce a British Bee Strategy. Working with stakeholders to develop a holistic action plan with identifiable outcomes and budgets allocated.

I think we should start with a step change in the investment in scientific evidence to help us tackle bee decline. The government has committed large sums of money for science. An annual research spend of £4.6 billion was ring fenced in the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review, with additional investment of £1.35 billion in research budgets taking place over the past three years.

I would like to see major research councils allocating funding to university-based scientists, working in partnership with the crop protection industry, to create a new generation of pesticides and fungicides that have less harmful effects to pollinators; develop decease resistant seeds to prevent the need for chemical treatment and exploration of different crop husbandry to prevent the use of harmful chemicals.

Any and all of these have the potential to improve bee health.

As gardeners there is much we can do too. To find out more about bees and what you can do to help, join a free event in Truro City Hall on Saturday with the Mayor, Lindsay Southcombe, and a team of bee experts who will be providing us all with interesting and useful advice.