Stephen Gilbert MP

Local MP Stephen Gilbert has backed the Surfers Against Sewage's call to reduce pollution in the sea by signing up to their Protect Our Waves petition.

The aim of the petition is to reduce pollution, marine littering and over development that are causing damage to water quality, marine life and beaches.

Stephen Gilbert, local MP for St Austell & Newquay, has launched an online blog in order to keep in touch with his constituents.

Commenting, Stephen Gilbert said:

"When I was elected, I promised to always put local people first and to keep in touch all year round. My new online blog is an important tool to help me stay in regular contact with my constituents and to provide timely updates on my work in Westminster and here in Cornwall."

Stephen Gilbert MP is urging communities in Cornwall to apply for the new £6m First World War: then and now fund, which the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has launched.

HLF is making at least £1m available per year until 2019 to provide grants of between £3,000 and £10,000. The money will enable groups across the UK to explore, conserve and share their First World War heritage and deepen their understanding of the impact of the conflict.

Local MP Stephen Gilbert will raise funds for a Multiple Sclerosis charity in his constituency by parachuting from a plane this summer. Mr Gilbert, who has a fear of heights, hopes to raise over £2,500 in donations for the Merlin MS Centre based in Hewas Water.

The charity provides a range of expert care, support and therapies to improve the lives of those with Multiple Sclerosis and other neurological conditions, their families and their carers.

MP for St. Austell & Newquay Stephen Gilbert has hailed the government's commitment to take further action to tackle anti-social behaviour in Cornwall, announced in today's Queen's Speech.

The news comes as figures reveal that the number of incidents of anti-social behaviour inDevon and Cornwall has already fallen by over 33%since the Coalition Government came to power thanks to measures supported by the Liberal Democrats.

A new £2m scheme has been launched by the Coalition Government to help boost childcare businesses and help women back into work.

From this week, people who want to set up a nursery can apply for grants of up to £500 to help cover things like legal and insurance costs, training, equipment and adaptations to buildings. The scheme is aimed to launch up to 6,000 new childcare businesses across England.

Stephen Gilbert MP has commented on the fire which destroyed a number of buses at the Western Greyhound depot in Summercourt overnight.

"It's clear that this was a significant fire that caused real damage and I want to pay tribute to the firefighters that tackled the blaze and prevented loss of life.

"The result of the fire will be significant disruption to local bus routes and I will be working with the company to see what can be done to minimise the impact.

Thousands of pensioners stand to benefit from today's Queen's Speech, with a fair flat-rate pension for all.

The Queen announced a reform of the pensions system, ending the confusion state pension provision by introducing a single, flat-rate pension.

This is in addition to the triple lock, championed by the Liberal Democrats, which has ensured record rise in the state pension of £12.50 a week since 2010. The triple lock will continue to safeguard an increase in the state pension in line with earnings, inflation or 2.5% - whichever is higher.

Stephen Gilbert, MP for St Austell & Newquay, has commented on the Liberal Democrat's May's election success for Cornwall Council:

"I'd like to thank the people of St Austell and Newquay for putting their trust in the local Liberal Democrat team.

"In Newquay, the Lib Dems have worked closely with residents' groups and others to clean-up of our town and tackle the excesses of the night time economy. In St Austell, we have fought against inappropriate and unwanted over development of St Austell and stood up for what local people want to see in our town. Over the coming years I will continue to work with the new Town and Cornwall Councillors to continue to ensure that the wishes of local people are put first and will continue to fight for our area.

Today is pay day for millions of people across Britain, which means they will receive their first pay slip since the Income Tax personal allowance was raised from £8,105 to £9,440. When Liberal Democrats came into power in 2010 this was just £6,475.

Raising the tax-free allowance is the Liberal Democrats' flagship policy and has so far seen Income Tax bills slashed by £600 a year for millions of low and middle income workers compared to what they were paying under Labour. As a result, more than 2m people on low pay have been lifted out of paying Income Tax altogether.