Post Office Campaign Victory for West Cornwall!

After a campaign by Cllr Roger Harding and myself and thanks to our Conservative leadership within Cornwall Council we have been able to increase the options available for paying Council Tax.
Until now former Penwith council tax payers were charged an additional £2.40 Transcash fee for each payment when paying via the Post Office despite the fact that council tax payers elsewhere in Cornwall were able to pay free of charge.
From September 1st (next week) council tax payers in Penwith will be able to pay their Council Tax at their local Post office at no extra cost.

Elderly people in particular find it convenient to pay their council tax at the post office and many other people would like to support their post office without being penalised in this way. Post offices are still under pressure and this is one thing we can do to help them
Council Tax payments can be made at the Post Office with no additional fee from September 1st by means of a Paypoint Card. These can be obtained from Cornwall Council free of charge.

As Conservatives we are committed to increasing the role of post office branches and this new service helps to make our rural branches in particular more sustainable. However, there is room for improvement with the Paypoint card scheme. It can take up to three weeks for your payment to be processed and by that time many people have received reminders from Cornwall Council. I have spoken with Cornwall Council to see if this can be resolved as this has the potential of discouraging people from paying via the post office. We must do all we can to support our local post office

Parliamentary Expenses: MY PLEDGE TO YOU

Ever since the details of MPs expenses were first published, people have been furious about the excessive, unacceptable and possibly illegal claims made by some of the people we send to represent us in the House of Commons.

I can understand people feeling like that - MPs from all parties have abused the trust we placed in them.

As your local Conservative Candidate I want to make it clear to you that I will not play the system.
I will not bend the rules.
I will not break the law.
Instead, I will abide by the standards that politicians expect others to live by.

My commitment to you:
I, Derek Thomas, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for the St Ives Constituency, promise to:

1. Publish on my personal website details of all my personal and office expenses incurred as your Member of Parliament.

2. Open up my unedited expense claims to local newspapers at the end of every financial year.

3. Never claim for food.

4. Pay for my own laundry and dry-cleaning.

5. Never claim for furniture or household goods: and

6. Meet my own tax liabilities – such as stamp duty – without claiming them from the tax-payer.

7. Hold regular public meetings where constituents can question me about my performance, my voting record and my expenses.

I am standing to be an MP because, as a local resident and father of two young children, I want to make St Ives a better place to live. I hope these commitments convince you that if you place your trust in me I will not abuse it. Let me know what you think of what David Cameron and I are proposing - and what else we could do to restore your trust.