LOCAL HOUSING

Before we start building towns in the middle of nowhere we need to identify how many new houses we need and where we need them.
• I will work with Town Councils, Parish Councils and Cornwall Council to identify how many properties are needed, who needs them and where they are needed most.
• Good quality houses can be provided without costing the earth. I will continue to work with the industry to find ways to make housing available at a genuinely affordable price.
• Owning your first home is a major milestone. I will work with the local authority and developers to ensure that the path into suitable housing is made as smooth as possible.

Under a Conservative Government the current South West Regional Planning Body - based in Somerset - will be scrapped and replaced with a house building policy based on identified local need. We will expand Community Land Trusts and shared equity
schemes.

GOOD FOR BUSINESS MEANS GOOD FOR JOBS

I want Cornwall to be an attractive place to do business. We face unprecedented challenges in Cornwall in relation to our local economy. If elected I will work hard for Cornwall and pledge the following:
More apprenticeships
As part of the Conservative commitment to create 100,000 extra apprenticeships and training places, I will work with our colleges and employers so that we are able to offer the places needed by local school leavers.
GDP figures for Cornwall
I intend to submit a Private Members Bill that requires the Office of National Statistics to provide accurate Gross Domestic Product figures at a county level every quarter. Businesses will then have accurate data to help plan their future.
All of these commitments, along with the following actions of a Conservative Government will mean that a Conservative MP in St Ives is good for business and good for jobs:
A Conservative Government will:• Deliver superfast broadband to Cornwall by 2017
• Give Automatic Rate Relief to businesses that qualify. So no more applications and no more confusion.
• Reduce Regulation - a Conservative government will ensure any new law must include cuts in old laws which, together, produce a net 5% reduction in the regulatory burden.
• All Regulators will be re-assessed and their duties reviewed.
• Remove the age cap on training funding so people of all ages can benefit from government-funded training schemes.

YOUR HEALTHCARE - at the right time and in the right place

For several years I have been active in the campaign to keep healthcare services in West Cornwall. I know from personal experience how important it is to get the right healthcare at the right time and in the right place.
If elected on May 6th, I am committed to the following ACTION:
• I will work to ensure that your treatment is provided by the GP or local hospital whenever possible.
• I will fight to keep cancer care in Cornwall
• I fully support the Conservative pledge to take politics out of NHS funding. An independent NHS Board will allocate funding where it is needed.
• I will support local GP’s to improve the frequency of health screening to prevent serious illness and increase early detection rates.

Conservatives will increase spending on the NHS every year and make the NHS work for patients not managers. As the party of the NHS, the Conservatives will never change the idea at the heart of our NHS – that healthcare in this country is free at the point of use and available to everyone based on need, not ability to pay.