IF there’s one thing I hear time and again from people across South East Cornwall, it’s that getting around our area simply isn’t as easy as it should be.

Whether it’s travelling to work or school, taking the children out, getting to appointments, or visiting friends and family, people just want to be able to travel around their local area without it becoming costly or difficult.

A major barrier for our local communities accessing essential services are the Tamar crossings. We are frustrated with having to pay each time we go across to Plymouth. Local residents and businesses have also raised concerns about the state of the crossings, rising costs, and reliability of access.

That’s why I was proud to stand alongside local people at the Tamar Bridge Protest to call for change.

Since my first day as South East Cornwall’s MP, I've been raising this in Parliament, holding a debate on the issue, writing to and meeting with all relevant Ministers, and working with the Tamar Crossings as well as local residents and organisations because I know South East Cornwall deserves a fairer deal, and I will continue to fight for it.

I'll continue to build on the work I have been doing in Parliament and work with all stakeholders to find a better solution in the short term as we aim for a toll-free Tamar in the long term. Thank you to the Tamar Toll Action Group for organising the protest and for their continued commitment to highlighting the issue.

I am also often speaking with local residents about bus services in our area. They are not up to scratch, routes often end before people have finished work, there are long waits between services, and some buses don’t even turn up at all!

It’s clear we need to take action, and I am glad that Cornwall has been leading the way with the bus franchising pilot. It looked at the way buses operate in other areas, and how we can apply those principles to rural communities like ours. I am looking forward to seeing how this model could improve bus services in our area.

There’s also brilliant announcements from this Labour government to support cheaper bus services. The Great British Summer Savings scheme is now in effect throughout August, which will help families with the cost of getting around this summer by providing free bus travel for five to 15-year-olds in England. I am also glad that the £2 bus fare cap will come into effect from January next year, easing cost-of-living pressures.

This is about more than transport. It’s about ensuring people can access opportunities, stay connected to their communities and enjoy the best of what South East Cornwall has to offer. Local people and businesses have been clear about what they want: crossings that are fair, buses that are reliable, and infrastructure fit for the modern age. Improving our transport network is essential to the future of South East Cornwall, and I will continue making that case.