A share of £7.6m from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund is available for projects in Cornwall which aim to give a boost to local communities by supporting regeneration, resilience, or wellbeing. Cornwall Council is managing the delivery of the Shared Prosperity Fund on behalf of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The grants, which will be between £5,000 and £200,000, aim to support projects that tackle priorities for funding identified by local communities across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Applications are welcomed from community organisations, CICs, CIOs, charities, businesses, and town or parish councils. The Community Levelling Up Programme is at the heart of the Government's vision for rural and coastal communities like ours. I am very pleased with the number of applications from North Cornwall during previous rounds, but I always want to see the maximum amount of funding targeted at our community, which is why I am calling on community organisations, businesses, and faith groups to apply and access funds that are available to them. To apply please visit my website where there is further information.
New portable electronic road ‘matrix signs’ capable of displaying warning signs for drivers are being deployed on the Bodmin Moor stretch of the A30 between Jamaica Inn and Helland. Funded by National Highways and delivered through a partnership established by Devon & Cornwall Police with National Highways and Bodmin Moor Commons Council, in response to increasing numbers of livestock accessing the A30 on Bodmin Moor, the four new portable vehicle mobile matrix signs will light up and display messages to warn and inform road users on Cornwall’s busiest route.
The new emergency signs can be turned on remotely by National Highways staff in the 24/7 control room in response to incidents such as emergency road conditions, road hazards, and livestock on the road. According to the Department for Transport, hundreds of people are injured every year in the UK, in collisions involving animals on the road. During my A30 safety campaign last year, I asked National Highways to look at ‘off-the-shelf solutions’ which could be implemented quickly, including signage, so this comes as a very welcome addition to the road. I am also pleased to learn that since the formation of the partnership between D&C Police, National Highways, and the Bodmin Moor Commons Council, livestock-related incidents have fallen.
With Armed Forces Day coming up at the weekend I would like to extend my personal thanks to all our incredible servicemen and women, past and present, for their dedication to this country. The Armed Forces play a vital role in defending the United Kingdom and I am very proud of them.
