I hope you all had a great Christmas and enjoyed your time with family and friends. Before the Christmas break, I held a very productive meeting with the Transport Minister about the Camelford Bypass scheme. Building this bypass would revolutionise life in Camelford, so I'm delighted to have secured political backing in Westminster for the road, subject to Cornwall Council submitting an acceptable Outline Business Case. I will update you on the outcome of the Council's work as soon as possible.
Nearly twelve million cost-of-living payments were made to pensioners over the past month, supporting the most vulnerable with the cost of living. We halved inflation to ease the pressure on households, but we know vulnerable people are still feeling its effects, which is why we have been delivering targeted cost-of-living support. All eligible pensioners in North Cornwall will have now received up to £600 per household to help with their energy bill over Christmas for the second year running. As the economy turns a corner, with inflation halved and debt on track to fall, we will continue to take long-term decisions to support the most vulnerable.
I'm over the moon that St Minver Community Hub has been awarded £600,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, meaning that building work can start next year with a view to it being in use by the end of 2024. This building will benefit thousands of families in the parish and beyond, and my thanks and congratulations go to everyone involved in the project, particularly the CIC Chair Cllr Carol Mould. I was elected to deliver these funds to North Cornwall and it's brilliant to see our communities seeing the benefit. I am also delighted that Cornwall Council has given Bude Skate Park £100,000 from the Community Infrastructure Levy. I know Bude Town Council has exciting plans for a Wheeled Sports Facility at the site and I'm excited to see the proposals come another step closer to being reality!
Since my election in 2015, my office has actioned over 60,000 cases on behalf of North Cornwall residents. If you require my help with anything, including benefits, the NHS or raising a concern with the Government then please contact me via scott@scottmann.org.uk or 01208 74337. I hold regular advice surgeries, if you would like to meet with me then please get in touch. Further information about the work I do on behalf of the community can be found at www.scottmann.org.uk and on social media www.facebook.com/therightmannforNorthCornwall.