Stop the Bus Cuts in North Cornwall

I'm joining with North Cornwall MP Dan Rogerson and other local Lib Dems to campaign to stop the latest rounds of cuts to bus services in our area.

Last week, Western Greyhound announced a package of changes which include the loss of the 577 service linking Launceston to Tavistock and changes to the 584 service along the North Coast which will hit people living in that area.

Sadly, the company gave people very little notice of the changes and they will have serious consequences. Some people who live in villages along the route rely on these services to get out and about, to see friends and to go shopping. They will find themselves more and more isolated. Others rely on buses to get to and from work. The cut in services and re-timing can make it difficult to use the bus to get to work.

The loss of the Launceston to Tavistock service is an example of Cornwall Council's short-sightedness during the last service review. They insisted that they would only subsidise lifeline services in Cornwall. They failed to recognise that routes that cross the border are often just as vital as those wholly within Cornwall.

The council has history with cutting buses. Lib Dem action stopped them when they tried to end weekend and evening buses. We also forced them to think again when their subsidy cuts would have meant most routes being axed. This time the decision appears to have been taken by Western Greyhound themselves. But we think that Cornwall Council has the position to ask the company to think again and to restore these lifeline routes.

If you back our campaign to save the bus routes - please sign our petition here.

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Government commits to next stage of second home voting ban

Congratulations to North Cornwall Lib Dem MP Dan Rogerson who has secured a commitment from the government to the next stage of the ban on second home voting.

The Electoral Review Panel, which I chair, has persuaded Cornwall Council to lead the way in clamping down on people using second homes to register to vote - potentially influencing elections in areas where they have little real connection.

But this action relies on the register of those claiming a council tax discount for their second home. With the creation of the right for council's to charge full council tax on second homes, there were potentially challenges ahead.

So Dan asked Cabinet Officer minister Mark Harper to introduce a section on the voter registration form asking about other properties that the elector owns or occupies and the minister agreed to move forward with this as part of the fraud-busting change to individual voter registration.

This is good news for clean and fair elections, but it is also good news for councils wanting to better plan their services. Cornwall Council has already decided to seek to maintain a second homes register so that it can better understand the demographics and demands on its services. The change to the electoral registration form will, potentially, make this a lot easier and more accurate.

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Cornish Lib Dem MPs unite against regional pay

Cornwall's Liberal Democrat MPs Andrew George, Stephen Gilbert and Dan Rogerson have made clear their opposition to varying public sector pay in different parts of the country.

Andrew, Stephen and Dan were among 22 Lib Dem MPs who wrote to the Guardian on Wednesday to oppose regional public sector pay and to welcome the Deputy Prime Minister's assurance this week that the Government would not enact regional pay variations for the public sector.

Commenting, North Cornwall's MP Dan Rogerson, said:

"Clearly the Government is doing its job by keeping public sector pay under review. However, I believe the arguments in favour of any form of regional pay to be flawed in that they take further money out of economically hard-pressed regions of the UK and inevitably help to overheat the economy around London and the South East.

"The Government is right to be working to stimulate jobs in the private sector - but it isn't necessary to change public sector pay in order for these new opportunities to come forward."

The MP for St Austell and Newquay, Stephen Gilbert, added:

"Local pay threatens to institutionalise the structural problems in the Cornish economy where we have lower than national average wages but have higher than national average costs on housing, water and fuel. We need to work to close this gap and we will not do so by a rush to the bottom in public sector pay."

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Pasty Tax update

While I've been away, there have been some good developments in the pasty tax campaign.

First up, we're approaching 5000 members of the Facebook group.

John Ault, who registered the government e-petition, has also produced a hard copy version to download. If you support this campaign and are able to ask local shops and bakeries to display a copy of this then it can get thousands more people involved with our campaign.

My own local MP, Dan Rogerson, has also joined the campaign.

Stephen Gilbert MP has written to the Chancellor asking for a meeting with pasty manufacturers to discuss the impact on their business and on the Cornish economy of the proposal.

Stephen said:

"The pasty industry employs thousands of people in Cornwall and is worth millions of pounds to the Cornish economy. We believe that adding VAT will undermine the industry and are calling for foods that have significantly advanced Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status in Europe, such as the Cornish pasty, to be exempt from this proposal."

“These proposals could hit the pasty industry greatly. I’m determined to find a way for the Pasty to be exempt from this tax and protect the industry that brings millions to the Cornish economy and directly employs thousands of local people.”

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Cornish Post Offices saved from further closures by the Liberal Democrats

The future of Post Offices in Cornwall has been secured by Liberal Democrat Business Minister, Ed Davey.

After ending Labour’s Post Office closure programme, which saw more than 7100 Post Offices disappear in their 13 years in office, Ed Davey has announced that a ten-year deal between the Post Office and the Royal Mail has been reached. The deal gives additional certainty to subpostmasters across the UK and covers the full range of Royal Mail products available at post offices such as first and second class post, parcels, air mail, recorded and special deliveries. Before Labour came to power, the Conservatives had a closure programme of their own and many thousands of branches were closed under their rule.

The deal adds to other recent progress for the Post Office, with extra Government cash kicking in, new national and local government contracts won, successful piloting of new models to transform many local post offices and improvements in financial services offered.

Labour left Royal Mail in a terrible mess and it is Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government who have finally put Royal Mail and the Post Office on a secure footing that mean that we will never see a repeat of the devastating closures that happened under the last government such as Newport in Launceston.

Local MP Dan Rogerson said:

"Post Offices are a vital part of our communities and are the lynchpin of our towns and villages. I’ve been campaigning with residents over the last few years to keep local post offices open and to re-instate branches such as the newly re-opened post office in Port Isaac."

“More than 20 million people visit a Post Office every week to manage their finances, renew passports for holidays or to send letters to loved ones, and hundreds of thousands of pensioners rely on them every day for their pensions.”

Commenting further, Business Minister Ed Davey MP said:

“A year ago I set out a radical plan to transform Post Office’s future, with £1.34bn of Government support and investment but without any closure programmes. Since then the Post Office has made good progress to become more competitive, building on its strengths.

“While it will take several years to turn round the Post Office’s finances, it’s increasingly clear the reforms are beginning to work. The 10-year deal struck between Royal Mail and the Post Office will give subpostmasters and others greater confidence. The signs are extremely encouraging for the future of the Post Office.”

Under the Labour Government, Post Office numbers fell by more than 7100, or 38%. In March 2010, there were 11,905 post offices in the UK. Post Office Ltd remains in 100% public ownership. A new Board has been appointed to oversee the Post Office as an independent business with certainty about its future.

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Dan Rogerson MP urges calls to the Home Heat Helpline this winter

Local Liberal Democrat MP Dan Rogerson is urging people across Cornwall to see if they are eligible for help with gas and electricity bills this winter.

New figures have revealed that around 6,200 households in North Cornwall - and over 33,000 across the Duchy - are entitled to some form of assistance with their fuel bills. That help is worth an average of £250 per household and a free helpline is available for more information.

The Home Heat Helpline is a free service that provides independent advice to people on low incomes on how to get help with their gas and electricity bills as well as other help such as grants for insulation or a new boiler. The number for the helpline is 0800 33 66 99 or you can visit www.homeheathelpline.org.uk.

"Over 6,000 homes across North Cornwall are entitled to some form of support. As the colder weather draws in, anyone who is concerned about staying warm should call the Home Heat Helpline and seek advice.

"I would also ask people to look out for neighbours, friends or relatives who may be in difficulty and make sure that they are aware of the helpline."

Christine McGourty from the Home Heat Helpline also advises people to think about what they can do around the home to reduce their energy consumption:

* turn radiators down in rooms which you only use occasionally
* draw curtains over windows at night to provide insulation for the room
* move furniture away from radiators and heaters to allow heat to circulate around the room
* open internal doors of any rooms which get more sun than others and let the warm air travel around your home"


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North Cornwall should be pilot area for fuel duty rebate says Dan

North Cornwall Lib Dem MP Dan Rogerson has called for North Cornwall to be used to pilot a scheme for a fuel duty rebate for rural areas.

In the budget, Chancellor George Osborne announced that the scheme would be consulted on and Dan has written to him asking for the pilot scheme to be North Cornwall.

In Dan's letter he says that using a car in North Cornwall was a necessity because of "poor" public transport. Driving in North Cornwall is a necessity since public transport links are inadequate even between the urban centres and completely non-existent when it comes to our most rural communities. North Cornwall would be an excellent place to start with an early pilot scheme to ensure that nationwide roll-out of a rural rebate is a success.

Dan raises second home voting with the Prime Minister

At today's Prime Ministers Questions, North Cornwall Lib Dem MP Dan Rogerson raised the issue of second home owners voting in Cornish elections.

David Cameron replied by promising that the relevant minister would meet with Dan to discuss what can be done to clarify and enforce the law on this issue.

The full text of the exchange is below:

Dan Rogerson (North Cornwall) (LD): Voting by non-resident home owners in regions such as Cornwall is becoming a contentious issue. Councils are not checking whether people are voting in two locations in the same election, and local residents are worried that sometimes election results might be skewed. Will the Prime Minister meet me, or invite one of his ministerial colleagues to do so, to discuss this issue?

The Prime Minister: I am very happy that one of my colleagues should have a meeting with the hon. Gentleman. It is important that we make sure that electoral registers are accurate. It is also important to recognise that it is an offence to vote at a general election in two different places. However, I think that there are problems with saying whether second home owners can vote. I think that a number of hon. Members might take rather a dim view, as some of them might not be able to vote in their own constituencies, but I am happy for the hon. Gentleman to have a meeting with the Minister responsible for electoral registration.

Dan Rogerson calls for Cornwall action to prevent second home owners skewing election

North Cornwall Lib Dem MP Dan Rogerson has written to Cornwall Council calling for action to prevent second home owners skewing the general election result in Cornwall.

The Electoral Commission has published guidance on the right of second home owners to register and vote. They say that where a person genuinely lives in two places for roughly equal parts of the year (such as students) then they should be able to choose which area to vote in - but can only vote once.

But where a person has a second home which is only used for part of the year - as is the case for most people who own second homes in Cornwall - they should only be allowed to register and vote where they live for most of the year.

Cornwall Council has a register of those homes which are classed as second homes - owners get an unfair discount on their council tax for these properties. Dan is asking that this register be used to ensure that these second home owners cannot vote in Cornwall in the general election.

At the council elections last year, many hundreds of second home owners vote in Cornwall despite living up country. It is thought that they tipped the balance in a number of seats. The Electoral Commission guidance should ensure that this cannot happen this time.