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New action plan to help North Cornwall’s coastal towns

Conservative proposals to create a renaissance in seaside towns

SIAN FLYNN, the prospective Conservative MP for North Cornwall, has welcomed an innovative action plan from the Conservatives to bring new life to Britain’s coastal towns, a scheme that could bring much-needed benefits to North Cornwall.  The plan, ‘No longer the end of the line’, outlines how an incoming Conservative government intends to end the recent history of deterioration in seaside towns under the current Government.

Residents in most coastal towns across Britain have fewer jobs, poorer health and worse transport links than those inland.  North Cornwall is no exception, with towns like Bude and Padstow facing the additional hardship of a declining fishing industry.   Conservative proposals include:

·           Shake up the Common Fisheries Policy to encourage sustainable practices and give local communities a greater say over the future of their fishing industry

·           New tax breaks for local firms to help regenerate coastal economies and encourage employment; and

·           Cancelling Labour’s council tax revaluation which would slap a higher council tax for on houses with sea views.

Sian said: “For too long, our coastal towns have been ignored by Labour policy-makers.   Seaside and fishing communities like those in North Cornwall have been hard hit by a succession of ill thought-out moves from this Government.  I firmly support the belief that smaller artisanal fishing communities need more help. 

“Greater local control and a devolvement of the control of fisheries to a local level could really help.  Fishing remains an integral part of our economy and heritage, and continues to attract tourism and investment across Cornwall.

“I am delighted that this new Conservative initiative plans to help and support local fishing as part of the plans to revive seaside towns.  I also welcome the aim to support smaller fishing communities through encouraging integrated tourism initiatives.  For example by linking sea angling and tourism initiatives such as happens elsewhere in Europe.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For more information, please telephone Sian Flynn on 07973 189480

Picture:  Sian with Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Wildlife, Richard Benyon

CONSERVATIVE PLAN FOR SEASIDE TOWNS

The Conservative plan on coastal plans No longer the end of the line was published on 18 December 2009.

http://www.conservatives.com/~/media/Files/Downloadable%20Files/CoastalTowns.ashx?dl=true (PDF)

The policy proposals include:

Encouraging enterprise

• A new power for local authorities to levy business rate discounts and consult on allowing privately owned listed seaside-heritage attractions, such as piers, to apply for Lottery funding.

• Give councils the opportunity to come together and develop their own enterprise partnerships, replacing distant Regional Development Agencies.

• Cut the main rate of corporation tax from 28p to 25p and reverse the Government’s planned increase in the small companies’ rate from 20p to 22p.

• New businesses will pay no national insurance on the first ten employees they hire during their first year.

• Introduce a simple and fair Business Increase Bonus so that councils which encourage enterprise are rewarded; and promote new house-building by matching local authorities’ council tax take for each new house built for six years – with special incentives for affordable housing.

Getting coastal towns working

• Introduce ‘the Work Programme’ ensuring that anyone who is out of work receives tailored help to get them into a job, and including a ‘Work for Yourself’ programme to help people start businesses by offering them loans and access to business mentors.

• 400,000 apprenticeship and training places across the country – over two years – and a £2,000 bonus for each apprenticeship at a small or medium-sized enterprise.

• A £100 million fund to support young people across the country who are not in education, employment or training.

• Shake up the Common Fisheries Policy to encourage sustainable practices and give local communities a greater say over the future of their fishing industry.

Fair funding for coastal towns

• Give an existing independent audit body a new duty to report to Parliament on the draft local government finance settlement each year, and ask this body to consider alternative measures, such as National Insurance Number registrations and GP enrolments, in assessing councils’ need.

• Cancel Labour’s plans for an expensive and intrusive council tax revaluation which would tax sea views.

Help for homeowners

• Abolish stamp duty for first time buyers on properties worth up to £250,000.

• Create local homes trusts, new bodies which can build homes solely for use by existing residents.

• Give social tenants with a good record of tenancy a 10 per cent equity share in their social rented property, which can be cashed in when they leave the social rented sector.

• Create a ‘Community Right to Buy’ for threatened community assets and a ‘Right to Bid’ to take over the management of publicly owned community assets.

• Ensure as many householders and property owners as possible who live near the coast have access to flood insurance.

18th January 2010