Joanna meeting the folk of Boscoppa today.
Compassion, Community, Competence: Joanna is your Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate!
My home is in this constituency and I have served it here for over 20 years.
My family first came to Cornwall in the early 1900s, though I was born in Bushey near Watford where my father taught. My parents met in Newquay, we always spent our school holidays here and in 1970, my parents moved the family home to Pentire. With a degree in mathematics from Trinity College, Dublin, like many of Cornwall’s young people, my career took me to London where I worked in finance, audit and computers in BT for 30 years. I qualified both as an accountant and as a solicitor. While I never practiced as either, both have proven very useful in the world of politics.
In 2000, I retired early to come home to Newquay when I was needed to be a full-time carer for my mother. It was from that time I first became involved in local politics; my love of my local beach Fistral causing me to organise and win a campaign to ensure that we had proper swimming areas for bathers. From there it was a natural progression to join the Liberal Democrats, clearly the Party who were most effective in local issues; being honoured to be elected the Mayor of Newquay in 2005.
In the Newquay community I was a magistrate for fifteen years and served on many charity committees. I have served at all levels of Local Government, being a founder member of Cornwall Council in 2009, and as part of the Lib Dem/Independent administrations that ran the Council for 2013 to 2021, I was chair of the Audit Committee and a vocal member of the Central Planning Committee.
Contact me by email here.
Joanna discussing local issues at the recent Pride day in St Austell
Despite the Psychodrama playing out in Westminster this weekend, most local people are more interested in the issues that affect them – something I am getting back from talking to residents, consultation returns and public festivals.
Above all, the state of the NHS plus the related problems of social care, lack of NHS dentists and mental care provision are right at top of the list closely followed by Cost of Living, Housing and, never forget, Climate Change.
Despite the recent publicity on Immigration, the total failure of the Government to get anywhere near their frankly silly not to mention economy damaging manifesto commitments, local people seem largely indifferent apart from those businesses and farmers directly suffering from being unable to get the right people in place for their seasonal needs.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) reported in mid May that 11 million people in the UK are battling to keep up with bills and credit repayments; that's a 40% increase on a year ago. 5.6 million people have missed loan or bill payments over the same period.
Cornwall has suffered disproportionately according to Liberal Democrat surveys in the St Austell and Newquay Constituency.
Liberal Democrat PPC (Proposed Parliamentary Candidate) Joanna Kenny reviewed the surveys the local Lib Dem team undertook across the Constituency over the last year.
Joanna said “60% of those surveyed had suffered over £20 increase in weekly food costs and 80% had cut back on food purchases. We all know how poor public transport is in Cornwall and how we have to rely on our cars to get about. Only 24% of those surveyed use the bus and 69% use no public transport. 60% of respondents to the survey had experienced increases in the cost of running their car by over £20 per month. One respondent had to spend over £250 a month more on essential car journeys. On energy prices, 92% had been adversely affected with 25% of respondents seeing over £100 increase in their energy costs per month”.
Joanna added “The cumulative cost increases are hitting everyone hard. Even when inflation falls from its present 10% level (inflation for food is running at almost double this figure), costs will still be rising and debts will still need to be repaid.”
Another key issue in Cornwall is access to affordable housing for locals.
When asked, 90% of respondents said second homes, particularly those taken out of the rental market to be an Air BnB business, represented a negative impact on housing availability with 42% having been directly affected. 85% want more social and affordable housing. 81% believe Cornwall Council should be taking more action. 70% have experienced difficulty in securing accommodation. In some areas of the Constituency, the unanimous view was that there was no need for more open market housing.
Joanna said “Housing and Cost of Living were two of the top issues raised by residents at the recent Community event in Newquay. As the PPC, I am starting a new series of consultations, it will be vital to see whether the community views have improved or deteriorated over the last few months.”
Just track what Liberal Democrat Lake District MP, Tim Farron says – voting Lib Dem in Cornwall will increase the pressure for reform in Westminster.
The fast-approaching General Election is a real opportunity for our constituency. Speaking to voters tells me of general disenchantment with the Tories and not much enthusiasm for the alternative. While clearly national issues such as Climate Change, the NHS and Social Care will play a key role in any campaign, for this constituency, I’m well aware of the issues that are important to local people: Housing for our young people (as well as the lack infrastructure to support all our new building), protecting our cliffs, making sure our local police force have the resources to tackle crime.
I believe I am well qualified to represent all our residents in Westminster. I have served at all levels of Local Government, being a founder member of Cornwall Council in 2009, and as part of the Lib Dem/Independent administrations that ran the Council for 2013 to 2021, I was chair of the Audit Committee and a vocal member of the Central Planning Committee.
Currently I am the chair of Newquay Town Council’s Planning & Licensing Committee, but you won’t find me letting up on that role during the campaign. One of my proudest achievements was to drive through the Newquay Neighbourhood Plan and I was personally responsible for our cliff protection policies now adopted for the whole of our Cornwall coastline; Newquay still has the only CCMA (Coastal Change Management Area) in Cornwall. Sadly current events at Whipsiderry show just how important this is to preserve our precious but vulnerable coastline – as relevant to St Austell Bay, Mevagissey and Fowey as it is to our North coast.
And right across our Constituency, inland or coastal, we are faced with a cost of living crisis particularly affecting our most vulnerable neighbours. Our priority will be to mend the fractured relationship with Europe and repair the damage done by Tory policies, in particular to our tourism industry, our farmers and our fishermen.
You will not see me promising miracles but what I can do, I will.
Joanna Kenny
Lib Dem PPC for St Austell & Newquay
