It has been a great honour to be your ward member for the last four years. I have learnt a great deal about what really matters to the people of my area. Besides dealing with the widest variety of problems imaginable I have worked very hard to make improvements to the health service and Police presence in the area, maintain the roads and bring forward resurfacing, lorry restrictions, improvements to danger spots and generally keep on top of litter and potholes.

I join the amazing Bodmin Tidy it Team whenever I can and planted up two roundabouts in Bodmin and this Christmas put in two Christmas trees to grow for future enjoyment. I have also been totally committed to conserving our beautiful countryside and holding management companies to account to keep housing areas well-kept and maintained. I have lived in Cornwall for 52 years and I moved to Millpool near Cardinham in 2016 because I love the moors and woodlands and country walks and value this very special part of Cornwall.

I have been very proud to help bring the previous government’s Levelling Up funds into my ward. After suggesting this route to community groups and working with them to achieve an excellent result of well over 9.5 million coming to the Camel CAP with considerable funds coming to Nanstallon Community Hall, Helland Village Hall, Bodmin Bowls Club, Into Bodmin, the BEAT, Lanivet One for All, Blisland Village Hall, to mention a few.

My ward covers both rural and urban areas, and both face different challenges, but one thing is clear- Cornwall is not fairly funded by Westminster and this has put tremendous pressure on services and on your Conservative led council who has done a sterling job of balancing the budget for the last four years. We face even more uncertainties with the attack on our farmers and pensioners and rural life and I know that I am fully committed to supporting our farmers and rural areas.

In my role as Councillor, I have attended many committees: Health and Adult Social Care, East Planning and Harbours Board, also the Countryside Access Forum and the National Landscapes Partnership, Police and Crimes Councillor Advocate, Safer Bodmin, Bodmin Town Team, six parish councils, Chair of Bodmin Moor Dark Skies and countless voluntary groups.

Having a place at the table has enabled me to lobby for improvements at Bodmin Hospital and I have been so pleased to see the new MRI, CT and Bone Density scanners so now we can diagnose and treat a great many cases all here on the one site. I also have a close working relationship with Alison Hernandez our police and crime commissioner who is actively looking at extra funding this year for Bodmin.

I have particularly worked on some contentious planning applications and enforcements and have found having good conversations and a good working relationship with Officers to be invaluable and this has enabled me to bring many cases to satisfactory completion. There is a huge amount of passion surrounding the Halgavor Moor application, and I have worked away in the background to represent my residents who wish to preserve this valuable area for carbon sequestration and protected species of wildlife and flora.

I am under no illusion that we face an uncertain future and face huge problems, such as finding a solution for our housing crisis without destroying Cornwall and overburdening our already creaking services. Finding a way through all this is not going to be easy and a real challenge. My aim has been to make Cornwall and my ward a great place to live in and one where everyone can be the best they possibly can be and live their best life in safety and harmony.

Cllr Jenny Cruse, Cornwall Council member for Lanivet, Blisland and Bodmin St Lawrence.