It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Chancellor Rishi Sunak to Ilfracombe. The Chancellor visited the Pall Corporation to welcome their fantastic announcement of £60M investment into the Ilfracombe site, along with 200 new jobs.
The Chancellor then joined a private event at The Landmark Theatre where he met many local business owners and residents and heard their views, concerns and answer questions. So many local businesses have benefited from government support, and it was great to hear them thank the Chancellor directly.
Questions ranged from concerns about local housing and finding staff, as well as the cost of living, levelling up the south west, energy pricing and the pace of trying to reach net zero.
I strive to bring ministers to North Devon and the south west, to see all of the wonderful things we have to offer, and also to understand the support that we too need in levelling up, and how our remoteness and rurality brings different challenges (as well as joys) to more urban areas.
I appreciate that many people are concentrating more on where the Chancellor was not, rather than where he was. This was a planned visit to a major employer in North Devon and having come a considerable distance I was delighted that his schedule facilitated meeting other businesses and residents to hear what they had to say.
There is more going on in this country than what is happening in the Westminster bubble and I believe it is vital that ministers see and experience that first hand whenever they have the opportunity.
Selaine Saxby MP
(pic The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak meeting with Roshni and Vic Mahajan of Aramis Rugby, South Molton)
