Derek Thomas s Plan to deliver for West Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly INSIDE PAGE 3: Health and Social Care PAGE 4: Jobs and Skills PAGE 6: Regeneration and housing St Ives Constituency General Election Thursday 7 May 2015
I have prepared this magazine to set out my clear commitment to the people of West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. I believe that, having taken a lot of time to meet people from every walk of life and from every part of this constituency, this document sets out what the most important issues are to people locally and what I, as the Member of Parliament, can do to address them. to West Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly I am an award-winning Cornish Mason and until recently ran a small building business and training others. Previously I have worked as a Youth and Community Worker and for a Helstonbased charity supporting people with learning disabilities. I have experience in local government both as a Parish Councillor and former Penwith District Councillor. I have also served as a School Governor. In my spare time, I have been active in the local community primarily supporting vulnerable people and organising outdoor adventure activities for young people in West Cornwall. A little about me: I feel a deep personal commitment to West Cornwall which is why I want to serve as the Member of Parliament. In the last General Election, as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, I reduced the incumbent MP s majority of 11,609 to just 1,719 votes. I grew up near Helston and now live in St Buryan with my wife and our two sons. DEREK THOMAS Prospective Member of Parliament for the St Ives Constituency Campaign Office, Wharfside Shopping Centre, Penzance TR18 2GB. Tel: 01736 363038 Visit my Website: derekthomas.org Follow me on Twitter: @Derekthomas2015 Find me on Facebook: fb.com/derekthomas.org With some young leaders from Survivealive 2014 Vote for DEREK THOMAS on Thursday 7th May 2015
As a married father of two children, with my parents living close by, I am grateful for the NHS provision we have in Cornwall. In fact in the past 18 months both my parents have been patients at West Cornwall Hospital and both have had fairly major operations at RCHT Treliske. I will always work to ensure you receive the right treatment at the right time and in the right place. I will work to ensure that the healthcare you need will be available. To achieve this we need to: to Health and Social Care Our record on the NHS: The Government has increased the NHS budget by 12.9 billion in this Parliament. The Conservative Party will protect the NHS budget and provide an extra 2 billion each year to frontline NHS service in England. There are now more than 9,500 doctors, 2,200 more midwives and over 7,000 more nurses working in the NHS. There are 6,800 fewer managers than in 2010. bring health and social care together in meaningful integration in Cornwall. I will do everything I can to ensure that people are cared for in the community as much as possible. reduce demand on frontline NHS services. I will be active in my support of measures that help you to enjoy healthy lives and avoid urgent medical attention.* attract more nurses and medical professionals to work in Cornwall. I am a vocal and enthusiastic fan of life here in West Cornwall. When recruiting key workers we should promote our good health services, good schools, low crime, improving transport links and our good quality of life. We contacted Derek to discuss health services in West Cornwall. Derek visited us at home and listened to our concerns. His energy and enthusiasm impressed us and we re encouraged by his thoughts on how health and social care could work together better. We also find his integrity and Christian commitment reassuring. *In 2010 I called for wellbeing health checks for those of us over 40 yrs old. These are now available through your GP. Wellbeing checks are one way to identify health risks at an early stage but very few of us make use of this service. We need to bring Health and Social Care together in meaningful integration
Addressing the need for more skilled and better paid jobs is the single most important thing an MP can do to improve people s quality of life and share wealth here in West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. I do not accept that we must remain a low wage economy. With strong leadership and a willingness within the business community we can create more skilled and better paid jobs for local people. I will work to ensure we create more skilled jobs. To achieve this we need to: to jobs and skills Build confidence within the business community. I am working with business leaders to establish Cornwall as a good place to do business. I do not tolerate the view that we are at the end of the line. Improve mobile phone signals and broadband capabilities. 5 million secured to improve mobile phone reception in Cornwall and 99% of Cornwall to have Superfast Broadband. These are binding commitments made by government and are things I have been relentlessly campaigning for. Convince business owners to relocate to West Cornwall. Good health services, good schools, low crime, improving transport links, a good quality of life - need I say more? Create Bespoke skills training to meet the demand. I have been talking with training providers to see what can be done to ensure our local workforce can get the skills they need in areas such as engineering and digital technology etc. Use local wealth and expertise to support new business. I am working with local business leaders to create an environment where local people with expertise and personal wealth can support and nurture fresh talent in business. George Osborne: I have discussed with Derek about his plan for increasing the number of skilled jobs in West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. I believe his idea of using local expertise to nurture and support entrepreneurs could work well in Cornwall. It will create more jobs and greater prosperity. I am looking forward to discussing this further to see if there is anything the Government needs to do to assist Derek in this. I do not accept that we must remain a low wage economy
to improved transport links to secure further investment to make our roads safer, quieter and better for all road users. Apply some fresh thinking to our bus service. Our bus service is needed to connect our rural communities to our town centres and to get people to and from work. I will work with Cornwall Council and local communities to maintain and improve this vital service. As the economy recovers we must fight hard to get good transport infrastructure across Cornwall and with the rest of the UK. Better transport links will reduce the sense of isolation many of our communities feel. I will work to ensure we improve transport links. To achieve this we need to: Improve rolling stock on our rail network and reduce journey times. I have been in regular contact with the Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, to stress the need for further improvements to our rail links - I am preparing the case to fight for a twice-daily 4 hour London/Penzance service. Improve the A30 and maintain our roads. Dualling the A30 to Loggans Mill, Hayle has now been agreed. I will argue for improvements to the A30 all the way to Penzance. In 2014/15 the Government made over 10 million available for repairing our roads - I will work Patrick McLoughlin: Derek has a clear plan for shorter train journey times to Penzance to help the local economy. We are working hard to reduce travel times through network improvements and by introducing improved rolling stock. A vital part of the Conservatives long term economic plan for people in Cornwall is improved transport connections. I look forward to working closely with Derek to make it quicker to get from London to Penzance. Connecting Cornwall through good transport links is good for business
We are expected to welcome large housing developments on our green fields when we all know there are empty properties and redundant sites that appear to be ignored - it s no wonder that we oppose these large developments! We absolutely MUST increase housing supply. I just don t think we re being very creative about it. I will work to ensure we provide homes that people need and can afford. To achieve this we need to: Build homes on redundant sites. I will work with Cornwall Council to speed up house building on these sites. The former Penwith Depot in Penzance, for example, is an eyesore that has been earmarked for local housing since the days of Penwith District Council. Work with owners to bring into use their empty houses. If just half of the empty properties that exist in this constituency were refurbished we could house over 500 local families. I will see what can be done about this. Encourage developers to build where they already have planning permission. We are all aware of sites where planning permission has already been granted but no work has been carried out. I will work with the industry to get things moving. to support regeneration and provide local housing The regeneration of Mounts Bay As a Member of Parliament in Government I will address the neglect we have seen over the past two decades. Mounts Bay, Penzance Promenade and our harbours are amongst our most valuable assets in West Cornwall. Furthermore, a prosperous Penzance will bring benefits to much of West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. I will fight tirelessly to regenerate Mounts Bay. To achieve this I will: Work with businesses leaders, elected representatives and Cornwall Council to agree a plan. I will work with everyone involved to reach an agreement on what should be done, what can be done and work to see that it is done. Secure public and private investment. Public money is available if regenerating Mounts Bay creates jobs. I will do all I can to secure every penny possible. This investment will create the confidence needed by private companies to build new homes and new businesses. I will work to secure investment in Mounts Bay after years of neglect
AN INTERVIEW WITH DEREK THOMAS Q. Why do you want to be an MP? I love living here but there are challenges facing our communities which I believe I can do something about. I want to help to improve living standards for us all. Q. Why Conservative? I believe we should give people greater control over their lives and work to provide equal opportunities for everyone. For me it s about enabling people to live life to the full. Q. What are your views on Healthcare? I m glad that decisions are now largely made by our GPs and that the NHS remains free at the point of use. I would like us to be more ambitious about what new healthcare services we can provide in West Cornwall. Q. Education? We have so many great schools. I will work to ensure that our schools have good facilities and teachers are able to focus on teaching, so that we can ensure our young people get the best start in the world of work. Q. Council Services? When I fought against plans to create the Unitary Authority I did so because I believe decisions about local services should be decided locally. Our Town and Parish Councils now have the opportunity to deliver some of these services. I will support them and do all I can to ensure they get adequate funds to provide good services. Q. What about training and apprenticeships? Any training we provide for our youngsters and more mature workers must be developed in With Education Secretary Nicky Morgan response to the demands of our employers. We need to create more opportunities for people to train in digital technology, communications, engineering and high value manufacturing - there is a shortage of skills in these well paid jobs. Q. And finally Europe? I am opposed to ever increasing union. Thanks to the clear message received from the electorate in the EU elections in 2014 there is a real opportunity to negotiate far better terms regarding UK membership of the EU. Regulation must be reduced and our sovereignty returned. This is vitally important for the future of the United Kingdom. NB: The Conservatives in a majority government will give the British public an in/out referendum of our EU membership by the end of 2017. For more information about Derek Thomas go to derekthomas.org
DEREK THOMAS Your Prospective Member of Parliament I am ready for the task ahead I have always taken a keen interest in local matters and have spent nearly a decade working towards being the Member of Parliament for West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, in the St Ives Constituency. This has been good preparation for the job and I am determined to be an excellent local Constituency Member of Parliament. A summary of my priorities: Create more jobs and better pay - This will improve living standards and make it easier to buy a home. Achieve meaningful integration between health and social care - to ensure vulnerable and older people feel safe and valued. Fight for more funding and improvements to our schools - so that our children can get the best start in life. Secure the investment needed to regenerate our tired areas - to take pride in our assets such as Penzance Harbour and the Promenade. Improve transport links - so we can access public services more easily and improve job opportunities. Improve connectivity for West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - I am on the case for better mobile phone signals and broadband capabilities. Healthier high streets - I want our town centres to be the heart of our communities. Support Town and Parish Councils - as they take on a greater role in delivering local public services. Create equal opportunities for all - so that everybody has a chance to get on. Small Business of the Year St Ives By voting Conservative you can get Derek Thomas as a hardworking, effective and accountable local MP Promoted by Sarah Burton on behalf of Derek Thomas, Campaign Office, Wharfside Shopping Centre, Penzance TR18 2GB. Printed by Headland Printers, Bread Street, Penzance, TR18 2EQ