At last, the sun is shining and signs of Spring are all around us. This weather really does make me appreciate living in such a beautiful part of the world.
The main issues at County Hall are currently the implications of the national welfare reforms and what our priorities should be in the next few years as we have to make further cuts in expenditure. At the moment I am working my way through the services I feel must be protected and those which I feel we could live without if we must. There are ways in which we could work with the voluntary sector to ensure things can continue in a different way but costing council tax payers less. The mobile library service is one example where the RVS is offering to provide a delivery direct to some people’s homes. This could arguably be a better service for some people. I wish to see services for children and vulnerable adults protected but think we could look at some services differently. One example of this might be seeking local volunteers to be trained as dog wardens.
I am still receiving many enquiries about when the potholes are going to be fixed. It seems to me that spending on highways has been cut too much and we are all finding it difficult to get around as a result, so this is an area where I would be pushing for expenditure to be increased. To help fund this, I would be happy to see savings in the ‘green Cornwall’ projects. I am all in favour of looking after the environment but I do feel that some of our efforts are futile until the large industrial economies take some action to reduce their emissions. I would also vote against any of your council tax being spent on the Cornish Language programme……….unless you tell me differently!
I was pleased to chair a public meeting in Pensilva about the possibility of wolves coming to the parish. There are strong views on both sides of the debate but it is a credit to our community that we can hold these sorts of meetings and allow everyone to speak and be heard in a respectful way. At the time of writing, Shaun and Kim are still seeking the necessary permissions and licences so no decision has been made. Do let me know your thoughts on the above as, if it happens, it will be very close to the St Ive/South Hill border. I am here to represent you but I can only do that if you let me know how you feel.
My community chest is empty. I am delighted that all the money is going to local organisations and split pretty evenly across the three parishes I represent. Thank you to those people working hard for their communities in so many ways and I am delighted to have been able to provide a little extra support.
Discussion is underway about the possibility of Bodmin Moor applying for ‘Dark Skies Designation’. We are very fortunate to have the open space and air purity that makes this a great place to view the night sky but light pollution could spoil it. It wouldn’t mean that there couldn’t be any development but might require conditions to impose control of lighting so that it didn’t travel upwards. Dark skies are considered good for tourism and there is significant interest in astronomy and space exploration so it could be very good for our young people’s education as well. Do let me know what you think.
Thank you.