Business – Cornwall Reports

Journalist Lee Trewhela quits Cornwall Council after only two months 23rd January 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The journalist Lee Trewhela is returning to Cornwall Live, only two months after joining Cornwall Council as a press officer. Mr Trewhela said he preferred being a “poacher ...
Cornwall’s Conservatives drop their election promise to restore recycling bins 23rd January 2022theboss
By Richard Whitehouse The Conservative administration at Cornwall Council has decided to break one of its election promises in order to stick to its budget cuts. In the run-up to last year’s ...
Covid-19: Cornwall’s cluster map looking brighter, as hospitality sector looks forward to the next “freedom day” 21st January 2022Anne North
By Anne North As Cornwall’s hospitality sector anticipates the next Covid “freedom day” on Thursday , the latest batch of official data confirms that new case numbers are continuing to decline. Cornwall’s ...
Cornwall Council will continue to pay Covid grants to second home owners 20th January 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council’s ruling Conservative group has confirmed that it will pay Covid grants to second home owners, repeating the policy which it criticised last year when the Liberal ...
Covid-19: Cornwall Council and Boris Johnson chose the same day to issue mixed messages over how to stay safe 20th January 2022Anne North
By Anne North Cornwall’s public health team is urging people to wear Covid face coverings, just as Boris Johnson announced that the rules are ending. Yesterday (Wednesday) the Prime Minister said the ...
Bluefin tuna tagged to let scientists know where they are 20th January 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Bluefin tuna have been tagged with state-of-the-art acoustic tracking tags for the first time in UK waters. The fish are still classed as endangered, but are a valuable ...
EXCLUSIVE: Energy company’s bid to force disclosure of Cornwall’s hot rocks secrets 19th January 2022theboss
By Graham Smith Energy prospectors are trying to force Cornwall Council to share secret drilling data from the “hot rocks” geothermal explorations currently underway at United Downs. Geothermal Engineering Ltd (GEL) hopes ...
Planners approve 36 “affordable” homes at Goonhavern despite objections 19th January 2022theboss
By Richard Whitehouse A new development of 36 “affordable” homes has been granted planning permission despite a parish council claiming that there are insufficient services to support them. Coastline Housing had applied ...
Cornwall Council declares “critical incident” in Adult Social Care and plans to get 100 elderly people out of hospital within the next two weeks – but does not know where they will go or who will look after them 19th January 2022Anne North
By Anne North Cornwall Council has declared a “critical incident” in adult social care after revealing that nearly 180 people cannot be discharged from hospital because there is nowhere safe for ...
Let’s flog it! Cornwall Council reveals list of assets it wants to sell, including libraries, centres for children, adults and families, and a long list of Corserv depots 18th January 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Much of Cornwall Council’s vast property portfolio is to be “released” – with the hope that receipts will exceed £22 million. The buildings are to be replaced with new ...
Climate protestors challenge Cornwall Council over “three years of hot air” 18th January 2022theboss
Dozens of climate change protestors staged a colourful demonstration at County Hall, Truro, this morning (Tuesday) to greet councillors as they arrived for a full meeting. The demonstration, led by ...
We have not flip-flopped on major housing projects, say Cornwall’s Tories 18th January 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall’s Conservative councillors had never been “whipped” to oppose major capital projects such as Truro’s Pydar redevelopment scheme, or the Langarth “New Town,” County Hall heard today (Tuesday.) The ...
Carry on trail hunting: Cornwall Council to take no action on 10,000+ petition calling for a ban 18th January 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council is to continue allowing fox hounds to take part in “trail hunts” across more than 23,000 acres of publicly-owned land. A meeting of the full council agreed ...
Cornwall’s Tories about to throw in the towel on paying Covid grants to second home owners 18th January 2022theboss
By Graham Smith Cornwall’s Conservatives are on the brink of paying Covid grants to second home owners, after lawyers warned cabinet members that they could be personally liable if they refused. County ...
Cornwall’s political parties take sides over how to define a second home 17th January 2022theboss
By Richard Whitehouse A government move to close a tax loophole exploited by some second homeowners in Cornwall has been welcomed but councillors say more should be done. What briefly appeared ...
EXCLUSIVE: So long, and thanks for all the fish – France and Cornwall will not pursue the idea of a direct trade deal 14th January 2022theboss
By Graham Smith Cornwall Council is to abandon the idea of direct trade links with France. The suggestion came out of talks between the Mayor of Brittany and the former council leader, ...
Government statement should help Cornwall Council tell the difference between a second home and a holiday let 14th January 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Richard Whitehouse and Julia Penhaligon The government’s claim to be “cracking down” on second homes in Cornwall is at the centre of a political row over the way County Hall ...
Branson’s rocket reaches the skies: next stop Newquay 14th January 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne Richard Branson last night (Thursday) successfully launched his rocket into orbit in the skies over California. It is his third successful launch and paves the way for Virgin ...
Council leader should rule on whether or not to ban trail hunting, say County Hall officials 13th January 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Julia Penhaligon County Hall officials have said that Cornwall Council leader, councillor Linda Taylor, should decide whether or not to ban trail hunting on council-owned land. Although trail hunting is not ...
Cornwall Council takes the axe to its budget: planning services “on a knife edge” 13th January 2022theboss
By Richard Whitehouse Senior officers at Cornwall Council have expressed their concerns about the authority’s latest budget plans. The council is currently scrutinising the budget for the next financial year which will ...
Branson says his rocket is “Go For Launch” tonight 13th January 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne Richard Branson says he will launch his rocket this evening, with the California take off then clearing the way for his next launch – from Cornwall – “in ...
Branson delays again – his rocket launch now rescheduled to tomorrow 12th January 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne Nerves are jangling at Newquay’s spaceport over Richard Branson’s next attempt to launch a satellite. The tycoon had been due to take off from California today (Wednesday) but has ...
“We’re sorry we didn’t tell you why we subsidised cheap flights or how we considered the climate impacts” council officials apologise to members 11th January 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Julia Penhaligon Two senior Cornwall Council officials have apologised, formally, to councillors for failing to keep them properly informed during the process which led to the award of a cheap ...
New “business plan” promised for Cornwall’s car parks 11th January 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall’s Conservatives appear on the verge of leaping into the politically-dangerous waters of car parking charges, promising a major review with the intention of lowering costs and raking ...
Call for study to identify the cost-benefit impact of a tourism tax on Cornwall 11th January 2022theboss
By Graham Smith Cornwall Council should commission a study to find out the economic benefits of a tourism tax, councillors heard today (Tuesday.) Green Party councillor Tamsyn Whiddon called for the study, ...
Council can shed 410 jobs “without too many compulsory redundancies” 11th January 2022theboss
By Graham Smith The latest round of job cuts at Cornwall Council should be achieved without “too many” compulsory redundancies, a senior manager told councillors today (Tuesday.) Around 410 staff posts are ...
Flights to Cornwall should be carbon-neutral by 2040, say councillors – but officials urge caution 11th January 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council is to debate the impact of Newquay Airport on climate change. It will be the first time councillors have been able to challenge the assumptions which ...
Swingometers at the ready: St Just prepares to vote on a neighbourhood development plan which has divided opinion over second homes 10th January 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Julia Penhaligon Promoters of the St Just neighbourhood development plan are fighting a last ditch campaign to win approval in a local referendum on Thursday (13th January.) The plan covers the ...
The changing face of Cornwall’s countryside: landowners will be offered millions of pounds for “re-wilding” and helping the revival of threatened species 9th January 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Landowners in Cornwall are being encouraged to apply for participation in a new government scheme to “re-wild” Britain – backed with millions of pounds which had previously been ...
EXCLUSIVE – Cornwall’s satellite gets the go-ahead, with UK Space Agency “confident of launch at the earliest opportunity” 7th January 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne The government has approved the business case for Cornwall’s first-ever satellite. The Kernow Sat-1 was given the green light on 3rd December, but so far there has been ...
Councils get £700 million to “exercise their discretion” over Covid grants to small businesses – so how much will Cornwall give to second home owners? 7th January 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council is today (Friday) expecting to receive millions of pounds from the government to hand out to small businesses which have suffered because of Covid-19 – with ...
It’s up to local councils to decide how they spend their Covid business grants, says tourism minister, as Cornwall ponders just how much to give to second home owners 6th January 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Julia Penhaligon The government has again insisted the local councils have discretion over how they award Covid grants to small businesses, particularly in the tourism sector. The reminder comes as Cornwall ...
No country for the old and the sick: why the government has an uphill struggle to convince England that its Covid policies are better than those of Scotland or Wales 5th January 2022Anne North
By Anne North The political debate over Britain’s Covid policies seems certain to focus on hospital activity in the coming weeks as the “daily new cases” evolve into “daily new admissions.” On ...
EXCLUSIVE: Your leisure centre meeting is cancelled and you can’t talk about it, County Hall officials tell elected local councillors 5th January 2022theboss
By Graham Smith Cornwall Council officials have intervened to prevent people in the Wadebridge area from meeting to discuss the future of their local leisure centre. An extraordinary meeting of the Wadebridge ...
Cornwall Council to keep daytime meetings for councillors, despite concern about impact on candidates with full-time jobs 5th January 2022theboss
By Richard Whitehouse A councillor has claimed that holding all of Cornwall Council’s meetings during the daytime has led to the authority being less diverse than it should be. The council’s constitution ...
Covid-19: South West hospitalisations have increased by 73% since Christmas 5th January 2022Anne North
By Anne North The number of Covid patients in South West hospitals has increased by 73% since Christmas Day, according to NHS data. The total number of NHS hospital beds lost to ...
Cornwall in space? Kernow Sat-1 is still on the drawing board, as countdown continues to June launch 4th January 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne Cornwall Council is promising to release more details of the Kernow Sat-1 satellite project next month, as doubts grow that it will be ready to launch from Newquay ...
Application to change use of farm land to campsite 4th January 2022theboss
Planners have been asked to consider a change of use from agricultural land to a campsite at Tredinnick Farm, Luxulyan, near Bodmin. The application seeks permission for 20-30 pitches, with ...
Covid-19: No escape, as Cornwall’s average rate of infection enters the danger zone 4th January 2022Anne North
By Anne North Cornwall now has so many “red list” Covid clusters that the county average is over the threshold that would have marked it as “most dangerous” – if the ...
Devolution or corporate takeover? Gove bags Cornwall for his first major experiment 3rd January 2022theboss
By Graham Smith Cornwall is to be one of only 13 areas in the country where the government tests its proposed “Partnerships for People and Place.” Michael Gove’s Department for Levelling Up, ...
Covid-19: Cornwall’s infection rate rises another 9% in just 24 hours 3rd January 2022Anne North
By Anne North The provision of schools, hospitals and public transport are all on a knife-edge as Cornwall emerges from the Christmas and New Year festive period, following another 9% increase ...
EXCLUSIVE: How Cornwall Council told itself it was being “green” by subsidising cheap flights to London – and why there is still no such thing as “Jet Zero” 2nd January 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne Cornwall Council’s £439,000 annual subsidy to Eastern Airways is not as “green” as the government has claimed – because the so-called “sustainable” aviation fuel trumpeted for the London ...
Visit Cornwall boss Malcolm Bell gets MBE for services to tourism in New Year Honours’ list 1st January 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Julia Penhaligon Visit Cornwall chief executive Malcolm Bell has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year’s honours’ list, published last night, ...
We’re still expecting Branson’s rocket in Cornwall this summer, say space chiefs 29th December 2021Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne Officials at the UK Space Agency are still expecting Richard Branson to launch a satellite from Cornwall this summer, despite the tycoon’s pre-Christmas social media announcement of a ...
The town where one property in seven is empty: could the St Just neighbourhood plan be rejected because of its failure to deal with second homes? 28th December 2021Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Residents in St Just in the far west of Cornwall are preparing to vote on their local neighbourhood plan – amid concern that it does nothing to discourage ...
Party like it’s 1999, but don’t forget your Covid vaccination passport 28th December 2021theboss
By Anne North Cornwall Council’s ability to protect public health against Covid infection will be tested in the next few days, following the English government’s refusal to follow the examples of ...
Where is the “imminent” seasonal workers scheme that might have saved Cornwall’s daffodil crop? 26th December 2021Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The government’s paralysis over Covid, and potential leadership challenges to Boris Johnson, appear to have doomed Cornwall’s daffodil industry – desperate for workers needed to harvest the 2022 ...
Branson says his rocket is not coming to Cornwall until 2023 – and he is working for spooks, rather than the promised environmental concerns 24th December 2021Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane There is further uncertainty over whether Richard Branson will launch a satellite from Cornwall in June, after his Virgin Orbit company Tweeted news that it is planning “as ...
Fly-tipping in Cornwall: from east to west, by parish and numbers of incidents 23rd December 2021theboss
By Richard Whitehouse New figures suggest that the number of fly-tipping incidents on private land in Cornwall has dropped significantly this year. Cornwall Council has provided details of requests received about fly-tipping ...
From dog bans to litter – Cornwall Council handed out dozens of fines during 2021 22nd December 2021theboss
By Richard Whitehouse Dozens of people have been fined by Cornwall Council this year for everything from littering to breaking dog beach bans. The council has the power to issue on the ...