Ann Widdecombe MP and I took centre stage at an event held at the home of Sir John and Lady Nott on Saturday evening. The event, packed with local people hoping for the return of a Conservative MP for St Ives, was in honour of Cllr Doe Harry, President of St Ives Conservatives.
Miss Widdecombe MP and I acknowledged the huge task ahead of both winning the General Election and then putting the Nation’s finances in order.
Anne Widdecombe is a very popular MP because she has always stood firm to her beliefs and never been afraid to speak the truth. Our nation needs more politicians like Miss Widdicombe, politicians you can trust!

Picture: Cllr Doe Harry with Ann Widdecombe MP and myself

Housing needs will be met through local action, not talk

At a recent meeting with Grant Shapps, the Shadow Housing Minister, we discussed our proposals to give residents of communities the power to grant planning permission to build affordable houses for local people. He was very interested in the unique problems that West Cornwall has and said that his solutions could help us a great deal.

A number of villages across West Cornwall are suffering from a lack of year round residents. No-one wants villages which only thrive in the holiday season, Cornwall needs active communities and local families need homes. Rather than merely attack those who have second homes in these communities, I want to be able to provide alternatives for local families to tackle the acute shortage of ‘local-need’ homes. In our recent meeting, Grant Shapps outlined sensible and sustainable solutions for Cornwall's communities.

West Cornwall has one of the highest proportions of second homes in the UK; in some Parishes around 20% of houses are second homes. The National Housing Federation’s “South West Home Truths’ Report released last week, shows that the average Cornish house is now 12.4 times the average Cornish income.

Under plans to be outlined by Grant Shapps in the Communities Green Paper later this month, local communities will be given the power to hold parish-level referenda to decide whether to increase the size of their village. Under the proposals, community groups would be able to bypass councils and organise their own construction programmes. Villages could expand by up to 10% over 10 years and there would be financial incentives to encourage more building.

If there is overwhelming support for housebuilding, they will be able to go ahead. “Lack of affordable housing in areas like West Cornwall is a real problem, forcing people out of the places where they have grown up,” said Grant Shapps MP. “Under our plans, Cornish communities can really be in charge of their own destiny.” Grant added that alternative ideas, such as heavy taxes on second homes, were the “wrong approach”.

This is an excellent idea to provide local families with homes in West Cornwall. Rather than merely talking about a problem, the Conservative Party are providing sensible solutions, decided at local level, to meet local needs. I am looking forward to working with Grant to establish a plan of action to tackle the acute shortage of local homes in West Cornwall.

"Cornwall's economic revival will be a top priority" says Shadow Chancellor

George Osborne has pledged to make the revival of the Cornish economy a priority if the Conservatives win the next General Election. George gave me this commitment at a recent meeting.

George said: "For a decade Cornwall has been neglected by the Labour Government in London and now Cornwall has suffered disproportionately for the Government's economic mismanagement. Cornwall will be amongst our highest priorities and I look forward to working with Derek and all of Cornwall's new Conservative MPs after the General Election."

The interest George Osborne has demonstrated in West Cornwall's problems reassures me that the challenges we face in Cornwall will be addressed if Mr Osborne becomes Chancellor. The Government have neglected West Cornwall. We know that hidden costs in West Cornwall means that our cost of living is artificially high and this is exacerbated by expensive housing, remote rural communities and a poor transport infrastructure. Cornwall's special needs are being recognised by the most senior figures in the Conservative Shadow Cabinet.

I’m also very pleased that the Shadow Chancellor said that he looked forward to coming to the St. Ives Constituency to campaign for me, ahead of next year's General Election.