Last week in Parliament my fellow Cornish MP, the Environment Secretary George Eustice, set out ambitious plans to restore nature, treble tree planting rates, & tackle biodiversity loss as we accelerate efforts to Build Back Greener. If we are to meet our ambitious climate change targets and deliver our commitment to safeguard our environment for future generations - we need to act now. That is why the Government has set out plans to treble tree-planting rates in England, restore at least 35,000 hectares of degraded peatlands and set a new world-leading target on species abundance for 2030, aimed at halting the decline of species. This government is putting our wildlife and natural environment at the heart of our green recovery, boosting biodiversity, and creating thousands of new jobs as we accelerate towards net-zero by 2050 and Build Back Better and Greener.
We have also introduced the new Skills & Post-16 Education Bill to Parliament, levelling up skills and opportunity for people across the country as we Build Back Better. The Skills and Post-16 Education bill will underpin the Government’s skills and training revolution - helping to create more routes into skilled employment in sectors the economy needs such as engineering, digital, clean energy and manufacturing - so more people can secure well-paid jobs in their local areas. We must move past the outdated notion that there is only one route up the career ladder and ensure that everyone can retrain or upskill. By revolutionising the skills system, we are levelling up opportunity and helping communities to thrive as we recover from the pandemic.
Closer to home I was very pleased to meet with the new Cornwall Council cabinet at County Hall. The new administration briefed me on their ambitious plans for the next four years and I am very excited at the prospect of working with them for the benefit of my constituents in North Cornwall. I also met directly with Olly Monk, who now holds the portfolio for Housing, as I believe there is a lot of work to be done in this area. Over the past few years, the previous council administration left a lot to be desired when it came down to providing proper services and giving the Cornish taxpayer value for money. This was reflected in the recent election results where the Lib-Dem / Independent coalition was judged to have failed over the past four years by the majority of voters. Looking forward, I have full confidence that Linda Taylor CC, the new Council Leader, and her new Conservative team will be able to make a real and positive difference in Cornwall.
