I did my first constituency surgery on Friday in Truro. Lots of people with very varied issues, but it was good and productive and I’m looking forward to the Falmouth surgery on Friday, August 30, in the morning. I’m going to start touring the villages from September too. Carnon Downs or Playing Place first. Contact [email protected] to know more.

I have caught up with the people who run the NHS in Cornwall, including RCHT Hospital, Treliske. The hospital is, of course, part of Truro and Falmouth constituency. Groundworks started a while ago on moving buildings and carparking and potentially in preparation for the new Women and Children’s Unit. However, we discovered that sign-off on any further works was halted back in April! The previous Conservative government obviously hadn’t budgeted for the increasing costs of Boris Johnson’s rashly promised ‘40 new hospitals’ and put a stop on work back in the Spring. Hence, the whole programme is now having to be reviewed. I have reiterated to the new Secretary of State for Health just how important this unit is to Cornwall and will be pushing it forward with the support of Cornwall’s five other MPs.

We have finally been allocated an office in Westminster – nicknamed the Cornish Embassy – and will continue to fly the flag of St Piran loud and proud in the bowels of the palace!

Councillors in Edinburgh have voted to consult in the autumn to raise a transient visitor levy (known commonly as a tourism tax) to be paid by visitors to the city. They are considering setting it at 5% of the cost of hotels, B&Bs, self-catering accommodation and properties let through websites such as AirBnB. They would intend to use part of the estimated £50 million raised for new housing and part for the upkeep of the city and to improve cultural and heritage assets. Edinburgh also introduced new regulations for AirBnB-style properties in October last year in an attempt to curb the expansion of short-term letting accommodation. Hosts must licence their homes if renting them as short-term lets, or face a fine of up to £2,500.

Manchester introduced a £1 per room, per night visitor levy last year. It was estimated to have raised about £2.8-million in its first year and cities like Berlin, Barcelona and New York have been doing it for some time. It’s an idea that has been considered on and off in Cornwall for a long while. The Labour government has promised to bring in licensing for short term lets and AirBnbs across the country, which would help with establishing how the visitor levy could be collected. Devolution enables nations and local authorities the freedom to take this kind of action which is why Edinburgh and Wales have been ahead of us on taxing and licensing second homes and holiday lets. As devolution expands across the country under this government’s new Devolution Bill, more places affected by the expansion of short term lets and second homes could take advantage of these kind of measures, if they chose to.

Jayne Kirkham

Labour MP for Truro & Falmouth