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It’s important that we take the Be Ready campaign (beready.campaign.gov.uk) seriously, especially here in Cornwall. This is exactly the kind of guidance that would have helped during Storm Goretti, when thousands were left without power and communications for days, and in some cases weeks. Water supplies were disrupted, and people really suffered, particularly those who are more vulnerable. Unlike neighbouring countries, we do not have a standard household emergency preparedness plan. The Government has worked with other countries to learn from their experience and best practice, and alongside parish and town council emergency plans, this guidance will help communities build resilience. The campaign encourages households to keep at least 3 days' worth of essential supplies, including non-perishable food, bottled water, a torch, a battery-powered radio, a basic first aid kit and warm blankets. It also encourages people to sign up to the Priority Services Register (PSR), which helps gas, water and electricity companies identify customers who may need extra support during an emergency. The lessons learned from Storm Goretti, and the actions taken by parish councils, National Grid, farmers, Cormac and others, have helped inform this national guidance. The Government will also host a Storm Summit in Cornwall this November to plan for greater resilience. I will keep pushing the case for Cornwall’s connectivity, which is a pressing issue, especially with the phase-out of copper wires and poor mobile signal.

I am pleased that Citizens Advice Cornwall has been awarded a new Legal Support Grant of £355,157 from the Access to Justice Foundation on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. After working as a trade union and employment rights solicitor, I later volunteered with Citizens Advice Cornwall. I have seen just how important this organisation is for the people of Cornwall. This funding will help them provide free legal support, from early intervention to at-court assistance, helping people navigate social welfare and family related legal problems. It is vital that everyone can access legal support – especially in Cornwall, which is a legal aid desert.

Since the double council tax rate for second homes has come in, Cornwall Council is finding that a number of second homeowners have asked the Valuation Office to re-register their properties as holiday businesses rather than homes. The financial impact of this on Cornwall Council has been significant. They are having to refund council tax to the owners of these properties for the years these properties were let out or available to let, sometimes as far back as 1993! This loophole has already cost Cornwall Council up to £10 million this financial year alone with future losses being covered by the Government. Meanwhile, Cornwall Council is struggling financially and looking to cut council tax support in next year’s budget, which would hugely affect low-income households. Genuine holiday let businesses, which are occupied most of the year, provide jobs and money into the local community, do add to Cornwall’s economy. However, in recent years that has got out of kilter as hotels and B&Bs have become fewer and the number of holiday lets, aided by online booking giants, has hugely expanded. I have raised what has happened in Cornwall in the House of Commons and welcome the Government's call for evidence on the tax treatment of holiday lets. We need fair tax on property in Cornwall, and we need more first homes in Cornwall for the people of Cornwall.

The 2026 Autumn Budget comes amidst international conflict and global insecurity. This has driven up costs for families and businesses across Cornwall. John Healey took some actions in the budget to ease that pressure. This includes extending the 0% VAT rate on electricity until July, as well as a £100 Household Energy Payment for residents in Council Tax Bands A-D. This payment will be made directly into bank accounts in January and will benefit 37,440 properties across Truro and Falmouth. The Budget also freezes fuel duty and extends the 5p cut through to the summer, while introducing more generous mileage rates for people who use their own vehicles for work. In addition, £100 million will be provided to local authorities to support households facing the greatest hardship. Domestic gas standing charges will also be abolished, creating a fairer system where bills better reflect actual energy usage. Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will see their rates frozen in real terms, reduced or removed altogether. From April, the Small Business Rates Relief threshold will rise from £12,000 to £18,000, meaning that many retail, hospitality and leisure properties in the South West will pay no business rates at all. There will also be an additional 20% business rates cut for pubs and all but the largest live music venues. An important announcement for Cornwall was the progress being made on devolution arrangements. New Good Growth Funding for Cornwall, developed in collaboration with No. 10 North, will give our local leaders greater power to invest in the priorities that matter most to our communities and Cornwall will become a single strategic authority. This is good news for Cornwall and builds on the £30 million Kernow Industrial Growth Fund announced last year. More details will come in a Delivery Plan that will be issued before Christmas

With over 1,000 signatures, the Cubert Crossroad Parliamentary Petition has been handed in to the Speaker in the House of Commons. The Roads Minister has now responded. While recognising the challenges at Cubert Crossroads and the concerns we have raised, the Government says that responsibility for assessing and implementing road safety measures on local roads rests with Cornwall Council. This is because it is not a main trunk road. Obviously we knew this and the council have put in place some safety measures but as the road becomes busier the junction increasingly needs redesigning. The Minister has encouraged residents to continue engaging with Cornwall Council to re-assess the junction and determine what further safety improvements may be appropriate based on local conditions. The Minister has also said that Cornwall Council should consider relevant evidence, including traffic speeds and volumes, road layout and visibility, collision history, the mix of road users and wider community concerns as well as seasonal changes in traffic and the circumstances of rural roads and junctions. Although the Government cannot direct Cornwall Council to introduce a specific scheme at Cubert Crossroads, it has urged the Council to consider its options. There is also extra central government funding coming to Cornwall’s highways again next year. I will work with Noah Law MP, whose constituents in St Austell and Newquay regularly use Cubert Crossroads, to press Cornwall Council to take these concerns seriously and deliver the safety improvements needed to protect everyone who uses this junction. I will also continue to push Government to look at this further as so many constituents are affected.

This month I travelled to Number 10 North and back in a day, standard class, returning to Westminster in time for parliamentary business. This was for the first formal negotiations on a Cornish devolution deal as invited by the Prime Minister when he came to visit the constituency in August. The Prime Minister set up Number 10 North specifically to work on devolving powers to all corners of the country and growth to every postcode. Cornwall was one of the first rural areas to get a devolution deal in 2015. We already have the power to franchise bus services and retain our business rates receipts in Cornwall, for example.

A couple of weeks ago, there was an unexpected turn when an unexploded WW2 bomb was discovered in Falmouth Docks. Alongside some fantastic volunteers, I was helping to evacuate residents within Falmouth's exclusion zone while the Specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team were on the scene, working to safely remove the WW2 bomb. Luckily, the operation was successful; the Royal Navy were able to deal with the bomb, and the exclusion cordon was lifted shortly after, allowing everyone to go back to their homes.

In July, I launched an online petition calling on Cornwall Council to reconsider its decision to switch off or restrict residential route street lighting in Falmouth at midnight. Lighting areas with vibrant evenings strikes a balance between reducing our carbon footprint and protecting not just those who use our brilliant nightlife, but those who keep it working too. Following campaigning by Falmouth Town Council, Falmouth Business Improvement District, and over 100 people who supported the petition, Cornwall Council has agreed to make some changes, which will be implemented this week: Lights remained on throughout Freshers' Week (14-23 September). Streetlights will stay on during Wednesdays and Thursdays, in addition to Fridays and Saturdays (for those busier evenings) Several roads will be moved to a dimming profile rather than a switch-off profile. Everyone should feel safe getting home. Thank you to everyone who signed the petition.

This month, £25 million of government funding was announced for community energy projects. If you are a community organisation set up to run energy projects for local benefit, your project must be designed to be at least 50% community-owned when operational; you can apply. Applications are open, and the deadline is 12 November. Full details are on the Great British Energy website: www.gbe.gov.uk/funding/gbe-community-fund Community-owned energy: empowers communities cuts energy bills by reducing our reliance on volatile global energy markets ensures profits are reinvested in projects and services that support local residents rather than flowing elsewhere help communities play their part in tackling climate change This is a significant opportunity, and I want local groups in Truro and Falmouth, as well as Cornwall Council, to make the most of it. I already have brilliant organisations in my constituency, like Chacewater Community Energy Group and Low Carbon Ladock, that are showing us how communities can come together to set up renewable energy locally. These ‘People's Power’ projects are all about local action, and could include rooftop solar, onshore wind, hydropower, energy storage and heat pumps. Cornwall is well placed to lead the way in our transition to clean power - we have plenty of wind power, solar and geothermal energy in Cornwall.

In his first statement to the House of Commons, the new Prime Minister (PM) Andy Burnham was questioned for over 3 hours. The PM set out his direction for the country. He spoke about creating growth in every postcode, recognising the challenges faced by rural regions outside the London bubble, alongside greater investment in infrastructure, lower energy costs, more social housing, improving public transport, and an overhaul of the social care system. Most importantly, he specifically highlighted Cornwall and his recent visit to Truro. Andy Burnham has mentioned Cornwall 14 times in his first week in Parliament. For context, Rishi Sunak mentioned Cornwall 5 times in his whole time as Prime Minister! Cornwall's voice is being heard by this Labour Government. Truro was one of the first places Andy Burnham visited after becoming Prime Minister and one of the first places he spoke about in Parliament. I look forward to working with Number 10 North, Cornwall Council and Cornwall's other MPs to make sure we become one of the first places to benefit from Andy Burnham’s push for ‘growth in every postcode’.

I was pleased to open the Coastal Change and Adaptation conference in Plymouth to discuss how we respond to the growing challenge of coastal erosion and flooding. The issue is particularly important for Cornwall. The new National Coastal Erosion Risk Map shows that the South West has one of the highest numbers of properties at risk. Despite these challenges, projects in Cornwall are demonstrating what successful adaptation can look like. The Making Space 4 Sand (MS4S) project particularly has been doing fantastic work in Cornwall. MS4S has been working closely with local communities to respond to the impacts of coastal erosion. At Crantock, the project has supported the surf life-saving club to get a new clubhouse. This is fantastic news and demonstrates how local people can be empowered to respond to long-term coastal change. They have also been working on natural defences, like securing dunes with planting. This Government is investing in flood and coastal defences across the country and supporting coastal adaptation projects. We must continue making Cornwall's case for investment, making sure our communities have the resources they need to prepare for the challenges ahead.

I recently met with Keith Haslett, new Chief Executive of South West Water (SWW), in Parliament to press the company over concerns raised by constituents, parish councils and local businesses across Truro and Falmouth. There have been a series of reported dry spills in the constituency which SWW said were false activations due to the sensitivity of monitoring equipment. These reports continue to generate understandable worry, particularly given the track record of sewage discharges into our local rivers and bathing beaches. I also stressed that planned housing growth must be matched by investment in water and sewage infrastructure. I raised concerns about SWW’s water leakage. When people are using their water responsibly, especially during periods of dry weather like we experienced this summer, they also expect water companies to do the same. SWW customers pay some of the highest water bills in the country and rightly expect leaks to be repaired quickly and investment made in the infrastructure we all rely on. I will continue pressing SWW for answers and hold the company to account on behalf of constituents. There will be a Clean Water Bill with tougher regulation and independent monitoring in the autumn.