Devon and Cornwall’s eight-strong team of Liberal Democrat MPs has called on newly appointed Minister for the South West, Ben Bradshaw, to set out his priorities for the two counties and set the Minister five tests of his commitment to the Westcountry.

Local campaigners, along with the Western Morning News, have long called for a Ministerial appointment for the region but local MPs are concerned that the move could prove to be ‘all spin and no delivery’.

Westcountry Liberal Democrats wrote to Gordon Brown before he was appointed Prime Minister highlighting the problems faced by local people in finding affordable housing, and in making ends meet as water bills soar across the South West.

Today, the group of MPs set out five challenges to the new Minister saying he should urge his colleagues in government to:

·        make more affordable homes available for local people

·        establish a fair system of water charges for the United Kingdom, which would see the whole country pay its fair share of Britain’s coastal cleanup

·        scrap the hated Council Tax and replace it with a fair local income tax, based on the ability to pay

·        end the threat to local post offices and rural deliveries

·        deliver a fair deal on funding formulas for schools and hospitals in the region

Commenting, North Devon MP Nick Harvey said:

“Whilst we welcome the idea of having a Minister to represent our region, we must now make sure that this translates to effective representation of the needs and interests of the Westcountry in government. We need to see him rising to the occasion and meeting the most pressing challenges to our region not just extending the hand of government.”

Commenting, North Cornwall’s MP, Dan Rogerson said:

“We welcome the principle of having a Minister to represent our region – but Ben Bradshaw must prove that his appointment is not a sop.  As the Exeter MP, he must know the problems we have here in the Westcountry.  If the Minister is to prove his worth, he must set about solving them.

Torbay MP, Adrian Sanders added:

“This new Ministerial position is only any good to us if Mr Bradshaw sets himself up as the voice of the Westcountry in government.  We don’t need a further voice for the government in the Westcountry.”