Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay, has secured a meeting with the Local Government Minister to explore options for extra funding to help deliver public services in coastal communities.
Speaking in Parliament this week, Steve pressed Local Government Minister Simon Hoare to give coastal areas the same recognition as rural areas when it comes to the cost of delivering public services.
The Government has recognised the additional cost to local councils of delivering services in rural areas for several years. Additional funding through the Rural Services Delivery Grant has been awarded to councils and has been worth millions of pounds a year to Cornwall Council. However, whilst it is acknowledged there are also additional costs to councils in coastal area, this has not yet been formally recognised by the government when it comes to funding.
Steve has been making the case for many months now for additional funding to be made available to Cornwall Council and other local authorities that serve coastal regions. His recent question raised in Parliament was the latest part of his campaign.
In response to his question the Minister stated that Steve had made an important and interesting point, and offered to meet with him to look at exploring the idea further.
Speaking after the debate, Steve said:
“The Government rightly recognises the challenges faced in delivering public services in rural communities, but these challenges are just as relevant for coastal communities. For example a rural council in the middle of England will be able to rely on support and shared resources on all sides from its neighbours, where as in Cornwall, with the longest stretch of coastline of any county in England, Cornwall Council only has one neighbouring county and is surrounded by the sea on all other approaches. These and other factors add to the cost to providing services in our coastal towns.”
“I was pleased that the Minister listened and understood the point I was making. This was the first time a government minister has recognised this issue at the dispatch box. This was a small but significant step forward in my campaign. I look forward to meeting with him soon to see we can ensure coastal communities receive the funding they need.”