Last week I joined representatives of Penzance Dry Dock and Newlyn Harbour with Government Officials from Zanzibar who formed part of a trade delegation to the UK. The Department for International Trade is facilitating discussions with the Zanzibar Government and the the Zanzibar Fisheries Company with the marine sector here in West Cornwall to support Zanzibar’s deep sea fishing aspiration. This work was initiated at COP26 in Glasgow last November as the blue economy and fisheries are seen as critical aspects of international thinking in relation to sustainable food supply in many developing countries. Penzance and Newlyn businesses are seen as critical to this partnership. Watch this space!
‘Recruiting Now’ is a familiar notice found in shops, businesses and the public sector across the country and I’ve previously touched on this in this comment piece. It is now official: 1.1 million full time equivalent workers have left the employment market during the pandemic in the UK. 33% retired earlier than intended, a similar number ‘returned home’ to other countries and the remainder have chosen to work less hours. As the rising cost of living bites this situation may change but one thing I hear from various sectors who are hit by staff shortages is that employees turn down extra hours as they worry about the impact on their Universal Credit benefit and other struggle to find and afford childcare. The benefit system definitely needs to be revisited if Universal Credit is acting as a block to full-time employment (the reverse of what was intended) and the Government needs to bite the bullet and fund preschool exactly as we do schools. This would ensure that there is universal access to preschools and give the settings confidence to employ the staff they need and keep them! At the moment most preschools receive funding based on how many children attend which can vary dramatically from week to week.
The biggest challenge and main thrust of the Queen’s Speech is the work required to fend off unmanageable living costs. The proposed Energy Security Bill is helpful because it will shift our reliance from imported fossil fuels to clean home-grown energy, but the UK will need to extract itself from the global energy market (which fixes energy prices around wholesale gas) if we are to enjoy lower energy bills. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill offers hope to people in need of a secure home but measures to extend to protecting new homes for permanent residence are needed in addition to the increased council tax on bolt holes and empty homes. The pace of sensible change is picking up and three measures announced in recent days, weeks and months show that the Government is listening to concerns of MPs in Cornwall in particular. The change requiring holiday lets to prove they had been let for at least 70 days to qualify as a business, the review of the energy performance rating methodology and the ability for councils to apply a council tax premium on bolt holes and empty properties will begin to favour home owners, tenants and local communities. The Renters Reform Bill offers to provide a fair and effective rental market for tenants and landlords and the Brexit Freedoms Bill has the potential of cutting unnecessary bureaucracy for small businesses. The Non-Domestic Rating Bill is welcome but unless property taxes can dynamically reflect the activity of a business as VAT and corporation taxes do, it would be better to scrap the tax and replace it with a transaction tax. The Transport Bill also has the potential of reducing living costs and the Online Safety Bill could lead to the protection children and vulnerable deserve. All in all, I think the programme for this parliamentary session is good if we can get on with it!
Triumph for landlords who have long argued that the current methodology of measuring the efficiency of a home is inadequate and fails to truly measure traditionally built stone properties that are so prevalent in Cornwall. The system used awards a property an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) but it largely relies on an algorithm that invariably says no. Landlords are required by law to reach a minimum E rating which is a key factor in the exodus of rental homes from the housing market. I picked this issue up again in a Commons debate at the end of April and last week the Government announced a root and branch overhaul of the methodology used to achieve an EPC.
Flora Day was as busy as ever, if not more so. Charity groups and food outlets worked tirelessly to feed thousands of people and the number of dancers involved confirmed that Flora Day remains very much an important fixture in everyone’s diary. For me Flora Day feels like an annual reunion with many of the people I grew up with. It’s difficult to put in to words how good it is to touch base with so many people who go back so far. It was a special privilege to dance the mid-day dance with my sister who has not danced the Flora Dance since her school days. It certainly did not show! As usual and even more so this year the Flora Day Association met every challenge and obstacle and delivered a day to celebrate and remember! Thank you.
