As promised in this column previously I hosted a remote discussion on remote working this week. Most of us have been forced to go online and do so in rooms and settings that are not designed or conducive for work. However, whilst we are forced to do so now, the experience may have helped us to stumble on part of the solution to driving up wages and the life-chances of our local workforce. Already there are people working in Cornwall for employers based around the world. Through covid our eyes have been opened up to this opportunity and I believe that as we ‘build back better’ we should design more co-working spaces to enable people to stay in Cornwall and work globally. If this is you now or you want to be part of this early revolution please get in touch and I will put you in touch.
The Prime Minister’s Roadmap in relation to lifting covid restrictions is welcome, not least because it offers a direction of travel we can all take part in and it builds confidence in our ability to recover in wellbeing, community and economy. It also keeps the foot on the covid vaccine rollout pedal which is a great national effort delivered by local teams. More information will follow regarding what is permitted and when. The time is right to start setting out the building blocks of recovery - we were beginning to think lockdown would never end!
£9.7m has been made available to support most aspects of the transport and infrastructure link in relation to the Penzance/Scilly link. This was hard won and only actually helps us to tread water without sinking until demand for transport returns. It does not solve the problem of ageing sea-going vessels and last century infrastructure in Penzance in particular.
A Local Transport Board (Cornwall Council, The Council of the Isles of Scilly, The Duchy, transport operators, businesses, resident representatives and myself) was established to bring us together to grapple with all-things transport. This body is well-placed to identify and develop investment priorities providing clear evidence on how these will drive economic growth by targeting investment into this transport link in Penzance and on Scilly.
We are now engaging with Government to secure a Transport Infrastructure Investment Deal to deliver the improvements needed for a generation.
Wednesday saw the first of a monthly series set up by myself and the local WI Climate Change Ambassador to increase awareness and engagement in relation to action to drive down carbon emissions. The March meeting will feature Cornwall Council and will discuss progress towards the 2030 net zero commitment. Adjacent to this I have collated a report setting out the wide-ranging measures that are being driven by Government to ensure we shift to a green, resilient economy and I can send you a copy if this is of interest. Announcements come thick and fast and even those attentive to this issue struggle to keep up. The reality is that almost every measure will impact life as we know it which is why I’ve collated this ‘first chapter’. Just email [email protected]
