The week ended with the very sad news on Friday that Cllr Edwina Hannaford has passed away. 

We served together on Cornwall Council for several years. 

Her passion for Cornwall and dedication to the residents in Looe came across at every meeting. My thoughts go out to Edwina’s family at this difficult time. 

A big ‘thank you’ goes to all the staff at Bodmin Hospital for tackling waiting lists since the first stage of the Community Diagnostic Centre was opened in November 2022, with over 40,000 tests having been delivered. 

The predicted capacity of Bodmin Hospital’s CDC when it is fully operational is over 100,000 additional tests, which is based on the CDC operating for a full year with both floors working 12 hours per day over a seven day period. 

This is just the start of what we have planned for the site, but I do appreciate from my conversations with NHS staff and management that recruitment and retention of staff remain the most significant barriers to our local healthcare system. 

Over the past few years, I have been a keen advocate of key-worker housing as part of developments, and I will continue to push this message to decision-makers. 

Bodmin is becoming a healthcare hub for North Cornwall, and I have no doubt we will continue to go from strength to strength. 

I promised to get health services delivered closer to people’s homes and that is what I have done. Previously, these 40,000 tests would have been delivered outside of North Cornwall, so we are making excellent progress, and I’m very proud of all the staff at Bodmin Hospital and the hard work they have put in.

Much of my government role goes on ‘behind the scenes’ in the Whips office. Despite some of the dramatisations on TV over the years, the job of being a government whip is about listening to MPs and hearing what their constituents have told them. 

It’s very important to me that all our MPs have the chance to voice their concerns, support, or even objections to planned legislation. Last week we worked hard to ensure that the government’s landmark Criminal Justice Bill was approved by Members in the House of Commons. 

The Bill will now move to the Lords where we hope it will also be supported before it is given Royal Assent. 

There are some excellent provisions in this Bill which I will be writing about in more detail on my website. 

My office has now actioned over 65,000 individual cases on behalf of North Cornwall constituents. If you would like my help with a local issue, or discuss government policy with me, I hold regular advice surgeries in person and online. Please contact me via [email protected] or 01208 74337.