Business – Cornwall Reports

Newquay Spaceport is planning a party to celebrate the first launch of a rocket from Cornwall 8th August 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne Spaceport bosses have revealed they are expecting protests to accompany the first launch of a rocket from Newquay next month. No date has yet been confirmed for take-off, which ...
Newquay Airport secrecy: Cornwall Council’s failure to comply with Freedom of Information laws heading for Commission ruling 8th August 2022theboss
By Graham Smith Cornwall Council’s failure to explain what it is doing at Newquay Airport looks set for a showdown at the Information Commission. The airport’s new-look “consultative” committee is due to ...
More than 60 homes in Cornwall reserved for Londoners under “Seaside and Country” scheme 8th August 2022theboss
By Richard Whitehouse A housing association has explained why it is moving pensioners from London to Cornwall. Cornwall is one of 18 rural counties which provides properties for Londoners over the age ...
Lawyers threaten Judicial Review of £70 billion Penzance climate change contract claiming it is “a case study in poor procurement practice” 6th August 2022theboss
By Graham Smith The small private company based in Penzance which appears to have been put in charge of the government’s quest for “Net Zero” carbon reduction is now in danger ...
Race starts to spend Cornwall’s £132 million Shared Prosperity Fund 5th August 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne Anyone hoping to win a slice of Cornwall’s £132 million Shared Prosperity Fund will have to move fast to register their interest. Deadlines for applying close between 2nd ...
Spaceport’s £40,000 Farnborough exhibition stand should not have been charged to the museums’ budget, admits County Hall, claiming “human error” 5th August 2022theboss
By Graham Smith A £40,000 County Hall contract to design a build an exhibition stand for Newquay’s spaceport should not have been charged to Cornwall Council’s hard-pressed Neighbourhoods budget, the council ...
The curious case of the £57 million rail link from Newquay to Falmouth that will have to go via Par 4th August 2022theboss
By Graham Smith The government has said it hopes to announce the outcome of Levelling Up bids this autumn, which means Cornwall Council should not have wait long before learning the ...
Repairs to Helland Bridge, closed since December, now due to start next week 4th August 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Residents of Helland, near Bodmin, have been told repairs to their bridge over the River Camel are now due to start next week. The bridge has been closed ...
BBC Radio Cornwall audience figures continue strong recovery 4th August 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane BBC Radio Cornwall continues to enjoy a significant recovery in audience figures, according to the latest data published by the industry’s Radio Joint Audience Research (Rajar) organisation. The 32% ...
£57 million bid to upgrade Cornwall’s railway “will increase Truro-Falmouth passengers by 25%” says County Hall 4th August 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Richard Whitehouse and Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council has finally submitted its bid for government Levelling Up cash, after a chaotic process which saw an on-off attempt to secure funds for ...
South West Water “constantly reviewing” position as Cornwall’s reservoirs continue to shrink 3rd August 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The prospect of a hose-pipe ban is looming ever-closer as today’s (Wednesday’s) publication of Cornwall’s reservoir levels shows the South West is heading for a record-breaking dry year. Colliford ...
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water: company gives details of last week’s shark attack 3rd August 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The company which offers swimmers a chance to get close to sharks has issued a statement about an incident last week which resulted in a woman being bitten. ...
Bodmin’s women footballers evicted from Priory Park ground because the men now want to run two teams 3rd August 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane It looks as if any inspiration from the dramatic success of the England women’s football team on Sunday is going to take a while to reach Bodmin, where ...
Back to the Future: Wadebridge counts down to sport and leisure centre takeover 2nd August 2022theboss
By Graham Smith The community group which will take over the Wadebridge leisure centre has started “shadowing” the outgoing management company with a view to taking full control on 1st September. The ...
The curious case of the small Penzance company which has won a huge government contract to save the planet 2nd August 2022theboss
By Graham Smith A small private company based in Cornwall looks set to benefit from billions of pounds of government spending over the next 25 years as it tries to lead ...
Is a 2% increase in spending worth a mayor? Our Friends in the North offer clues as to what is in store for Cornwall 1st August 2022theboss
By Graham Smith Seven years after signing a “historic” devolution deal in Cornwall, government minister Greg Clark is in Yorkshire today (Monday) to sign another “historic” devolution deal – conditional upon ...
EXCLUSIVE: how Cornwall has found itself at the centre of a real-life Star Wars arms race 30th July 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne The first rocket due to be fired into space from Cornwall will carry a number of military satellites, putting the Newquay spaceport at the centre of a new ...
That’s the way the money goes: County Hall puts itself at the top of its SPF shopping list 29th July 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council has won the race to start spending the government’s £132 million Shared Prosperity Fund – by spending nearly £2 million of the cash on itself. County Hall ...
On the buses with the baroness: but Cornwall Council refuses to say if the £23.5 million subsidy has increased passenger numbers 28th July 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne Cornwall Council is refusing to say if its much-hyped “bus revolution” has led to any increase in passengers. County Hall says the information is commercially confidential. The council launched ...
Cornwall’s health and social care sectors are now “integrated” – so how long before we see improvement? 28th July 2022Anne North
By Anne North Cornwall’s new Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) got through its first formal board meeting today (Thursday) with few clues as to how it is going to solve the crisis ...
Cadgwith’s fishing community secures permanent protection of vital buildings 28th July 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The small community of Cadgwith, on The Lizard, has declared “victory” in its campaign to secure fishing buildings in the village and protecting them against redevelopment as second ...
Winners and losers: the County Hall department which is now responsible for museums has just spent more than £40,000 promoting Newquay’s spaceport at the Farnborough air show 27th July 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne Cornwall’s spaceport spent £40,000 on the design and construction of an exhibition stand at the Farnborough air show last week, according to a Cornwall Council contract. The cost ...
Computer says no: It’s all going frightfully well, as Cornwall’s bid for Levelling Up cash has still not been seen by the “zombie” government 27th July 2022theboss
By Graham Smith “Technical issues” have delayed Cornwall’s application for “Levelling Up” funds from the government. Cornwall Council first announced its Levelling Up Fund (LUF) bid on 5th May, but was forced ...
Cornwall’s trains at a standstill as unions take action 27th July 2022theboss
All rail services in Cornwall are at a standstill today (Wednesday) because of strikes. The RMT, Aslef and TSSA unions are all taking industrial action in protest at the lack ...
Cornwall facing a delay in tackling scourge of second homes 27th July 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Richard Whitehouse and Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council is not set to get new powers to charge extra council tax on second homes until at least 2024 and possibly not until ...
Farmers fear for harvest as Cornwall’s reservoirs continue to shrink 26th July 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Water companies and the Environment Agency will meet again tomorrow (Wednesday) to consider how and when they should respond to the prolonged dry weather, which in Cornwall has ...
Plans for 29 “affordable” homes at Newlyn rejected by Cornwall Council 26th July 2022theboss
By Richard Whitehouse Cornwall councillors have refused planning permission for a development which would have provided 29 “affordable” homes for local people. The application was turned down as councillors were concerned ...
Brave New World: the future of adult social care in Cornwall will involve telling elderly people to stay at home and look after themselves 25th July 2022Anne North
By Anne North Cornwall is about to adopt a radical new approach to adult social care, encouraging elderly people to stay in their own homes as much as possible rather than ...
Cornwall Council gives its offshore wind company £2.5 million “cash-flow” bail-out – just four months approving its “commercial” business plan 25th July 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall’s offshore wind company has been given a £2.5 million County Hall bail-out to help avoid a cash-flow crisis threatening the future of the firm. Celtic Sea Power has ...
Truro’s Royal Cornwall Museum “encouraged” by talks with council chiefs 24th July 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Truro’s Royal Cornwall Museum says it is “really encouraged” by talks with council chiefs which seem certain to ensure the facility does not close, despite the loss of ...
Opportunity knocks – Brexit-backer Jacob Rees-Mogg goes out of his way to avoid Dover 23rd July 2022Julia Penhaligon
By Julia Penhaligon The Minister for Brexit Opportunities, Jacob Rees-Mogg, sought sanctuary from the chaos at Dover yesterday (Friday) by visiting Falmouth. At a distance of 343 miles it was almost as ...
Where’s the business plan? Newquay will see only two Branson rockets a year for the next five years, according to spaceport’s environmental consultants 23rd July 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall’s spaceport will launch only one rocket this year, and only two per year for the next five years, according to an Exeter University report designed to reassure ...
EXCLUSIVE: Cornwall’s surf tax is now deep blue, but still costs more to administer than it raises 23rd July 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne Eight years after it was introduced, Cornwall’s controversial “surf tax” almost certainly costs more to administrate than it raises, according to a Freedom of Information answer from County ...
Three weeks to tell the Civil Aviation Authority what you think about the environmental impact of letting Richard Branson fire rockets into space from Newquay 22nd July 2022theboss
By Peter Tremayne Members of the public have a little over three weeks to register their thoughts about the environmental impact of launching space rockets from Newquay. The Civil Aviation Authority has ...
Broken Barnet starts to heal – but Cornwall looks set to continue its ideological “EasyCouncil” approach to services 22nd July 2022theboss
By Graham Smith The local authority which has “inspired” much of Cornwall Council’s approach to providing services has finally abandoned its aggressive outsourcing and privatisation. Barnet Council styled itself “Britain’s first EasyCouncil” ...
Don’t ask about Newquay Airport, council chiefs tell the scrutiny committee which set up a major strategic review of Newquay Airport 21st July 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne A Cornwall Council scrutiny committee is being asked to set its own work programme for the next six months without any specific scrutiny of Newquay Airport. The council’s Customer ...
Cornwall’s reservoirs lost another 4% of their water last week 20th July 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall is likely to see the first formal moves into “drought” status within the next few weeks unless there is significant rainfall, according to the latest reservoir data ...
Falmouth’s Ships & Castles leisure centre now has six months to get a deal 20th July 2022theboss
By Graham Smith Falmouth’s leisure centre has been thrown a last-minute lifeline after Cornwall Council’s ruling cabinet agreed this morning (Wednesday) to pursue devolution talks with the local town council. Falmouth Town ...
Council chiefs lobbied as they arrive at County Hall for crucial leisure centre decision 20th July 2022theboss
By Richard Whitehouse About 30 protesters gathered at New County Hall this morning (Wednesday) with a clear message for Cornwall Council’s cabinet – “Hands off our headland.” People from Falmouth were at ...
Will a bronze statue really make everyone in Newquay £500,000 richer? Town council public consultation masks a deeper, more complex debate about the value of tourism 20th July 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Residents of Newquay have been asked if they would like to become £500,000 richer by embracing the idea of a 16-feet-high bronze statue depicting a surfer. The suggestion that ...
Last-minute lifeline for Falmouth’s Ships & Castles leisure centre? 20th July 2022theboss
By Graham Smith Falmouth’s Ships and Castles leisure centre could get a last-minute lifeline today (Wednesday) if Cornwall councillors agree to “devolve” responsibility for it to the local town council. The idea ...
Could the on-off-on-off Truro stadium bid be back on again? Government surprises councils and invites more bids for Levelling Up cash 19th July 2022theboss
By Graham Smith Cornwall Council officials are scrambling to think up last-minute pitches to a new round of Levelling Up applications, after another government U-Turn changed Whitehall’s rules and allowed Members ...
When does a crisis become an emergency? Probably when you realise you’ve just put the people responsible for leisure centres and museums in charge of housing 19th July 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall’s housing crisis should be better described as an “emergency” councillors heard this morning (Tuesday) amid concern that County Hall’s fragmented approach is failing to deliver results. Members of ...
County Hall prepares to resume work on Penzance’s creative cluster 19th July 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne County Hall is hoping to get work on its £6 million “Penzance Creative Cluster” back on track by appointing a new contractor, following the demise of Midas earlier ...
Chiverton Cross cycle bridge over A30 inches closer 19th July 2022theboss
Cornwall Council is hoping to hire civil engineers Costain to build a cycle and pedestrian bridge over the A30 at Chiverton Cross. County Hall says the contract is being prepared ...
Responsibility for Cornwall’s housing crisis moves to County Hall’s “neighbourhoods” directorate – but don’t tell councillors 19th July 2022theboss
By Graham Smith The bosses of Truro’s Royal Cornwall Museum are to hold a meeting with Cornwall Council officials to consider how a £150,000 gap in this year’s funding can be ...
Falmouth’s leisure centre campaigners question council over sell-off proposals 18th July 2022theboss
By Graham Smith The 10-month battle for Falmouth’s Ships and Castles leisure centre is due to reach its climax on Wednesday when Cornwall Council’s ruling cabinet considers a recommendation to declare ...
More problems for Flybe, the airline which was once the foundation of Cornwall’s aviation sector 17th July 2022Peter Tremayne
By Peter Tremayne Flybe has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights because the company does not have enough aircraft. The airline had for many years been a major part of Cornwall’s ...
Cornwall’s “Voice” newspapers the subject of takeover talks, says owner Pete Masters 14th July 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall’s “Voice” group of newspapers is the subject of interest to three rival takeover bids, according to the newspapers’ owner, Truro businessman Pete Master. The industry trade journal Hold ...
Cornwall can see shrinking reservoirs and vanishing rivers – but will there be a drought? 14th July 2022Rashleigh MacFarlane
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall’s reservoirs have lost around 3% of their capacity in a week, according to South West Water data. Colliford reservoir has fallen from 56% to 53.2% while Stithians has ...