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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
My commitment
to West Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly
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.
n 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.
A little about me:
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 feel a deep personal commitment to West Cornwall
which is why I want to serve as the Member of
Parliament.
n I have experience in local government both as
a Parish Councillor and former Penwith District
Councillor. I have also served as a School
Governor.
n 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.
n 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
My commitment
to Health and Social Care
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.
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.
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:
n 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.
n 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.*
n 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
My commitment
to jobs and skills
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.
n 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.
n 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.
I will work to ensure we create more skilled jobs.
To achieve this we need to:
n 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’.
n 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.
n 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?
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
My commitment
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
My commitment
to support regeneration and
provide local housing
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.
The regeneration of Mounts Bay
I will work to ensure we provide homes that people
need and can afford.
n 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.
To achieve this we need to:
n 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.
n 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.
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:
n 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.
n 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.
I will work to secure investment in Mounts Bay after years of neglect
AN INTERVIEW WITH DEREK THOMAS
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?
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.
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
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.
With Education Secretary
Nicky Morgan
For more information about Derek Thomas go to derekthomas.org
I am ready for
DEREK
THOMAS
the task ahead
Your Prospective Member of Parliament
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:
n Create more jobs and better pay - This will
improve living standards and make it easier to
buy a home.
n Improve transport links - so we can access
public services more easily and improve job
opportunities.
n Improve connectivity for West Cornwall and the
Isles of Scilly - I am on the case for better mobile
phone signals and broadband capabilities.
n Healthier high streets - I want our town centres to
be the heart of our communities.
n Support Town and Parish Councils - as they
take on a greater role in delivering local public
services.
n Create equal opportunities for all - so that
everybody has a chance to get on.
Small Business of the Year St Ives
n Achieve meaningful integration between health
and social care - to ensure vulnerable and older
people feel safe and valued.
n Fight for more funding and improvements to our
schools - so that our children can get the best
start in life.
n Secure the investment needed to regenerate our
tired areas - to take pride in our assets such as
Penzance Harbour and the Promenade.
‘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