Newquay & St Columb local news
Mates’ rates at Newquay Airport: good morning, FOI team
By Peter Tremayne To: Cornwall Council and Corserv FOI teams Please tell me if Cornwall Airport Ltd ever reported to auditors Westcotts the Steer Group findings of “inconsistencies across...
Newquay Airport: more questions than answers
By Peter Tremayne Among the many questions which should be asked by scrutiny councillors tomorrow (Wednesday) is when, precisely, did Cornwall Council leader Leigh Frost and his cabinet colleague...
Newquay-Gatwick: EasyJet flights to end next week despite full aircraft
By Peter Tremayne EasyJet flights between Newquay and Gatwick are due to end next week, despite initial evidence suggesting that the twice-weekly service was well-used. EasyJet leaped to fill...
The curious case of the watchdog that did not bark: how did council auditors miss key financial evidence about Newquay Airport, discovered in only a few weeks by independent consultants?
By Peter Tremayne As Newquay Airport’s request for a £9.7 million taxpayer-funded rescue hurtles towards next February’s Cornwall Council budget vote, a meeting of Cornwall Council’s audit councillors, scheduled...
Dodgy deals and reckless gambles: how not to run an airport
By Peter Tremayne When scrutiny councillors meet on Wednesday to consider two contradictory consultants’ reports about the future of Newquay Airport, they will be urged to hold at least...
Live by the sword, die by the sword: is the £35,000 Steer Group report on Newquay Airport the best value for money ever delivered by consultants?
By Peter Tremayne The Steer Group report on Newquay Airport really is essential reading for anyone who wonders why their council tax bills go up by the maximum 4.99%...
Newquay Airport needs £10 million a year from the taxpayer because its dodgy deals can exist only in secret
By Graham Smith In January 2022, County Hall bosses suddenly “decommissioned” the Newquay Airport Consultative Forum as a constitutional component of Cornwall Council. Members of the public (including councillors...
No wonder they wanted to keep it secret: the recommendations of “Independent Operational and Commercial Efficiency Review of Cornwall Airport” should be implemented in full and without delay
By Graham Smith It is an indication of the contempt with which senior Cornwall Council officials view elected councillors that the former thought the latter would approve an annual...
Early closing and job cuts at Newquay Airport – and a “drop off” charge for passengers
By Peter Tremayne The future of Newquay Airport could depend on a hastily-arranged meeting of County Hall scrutiny councillors next week. Cornwall Council bosses want taxpayers to fund an...
Minority Report: as Live Facial Recognition technology is deployed in Cornwall for the first time, civil liberties group warns you can now be arrested for looking a bit funny
By Harold Callahan Devon & Cornwall Police have started to use controversial live facial recognition (LFR) technology. While speed and car number plate cameras, and drones, have long been...
Boom! Or will Newquay’s spaceport continue echoing to the sound of silence?
By Peter Tremayne Excitement is growing at Newquay spaceport (really? – Ed) over the imminently-expected announcement of a development base for the hypersonic Invictus aircraft project, which is supposed...
Newquay drownings: holidaymakers had been fishing
By Harold Callahan A full inquest into the deaths of father and daughter John and Samantha Collins, of Doncaster, who drowned at Fistral beach, Newquay, on 26th July will...
Cornwall Council to sell Newquay’s Royal British Legion club
By Peter Tremayne The former Royal British Legion club at Newquay appears destined for takeover by a local community interest company. The building is owned by Cornwall Council. The...
Wings for Victory!
By Peter Tremayne Driving past St Columb on the A39 yesterday (Thursday) I was astonished to see a familiar sight in the skies above me: a Supermarine Spitfire Mk...
Newquay Airport passenger levy idea has merit, says council leader
By Peter Tremayne The suggestion of some sort of passenger levy to support Newquay Airport looks as if it could enjoy the support of Cornwall Council’s senior political leadership,...
Impose a passenger levy at Newquay Airport, say councillors
By Peter Tremayne Newquay Airport will not exist without a significant long-term subsidy, scrutiny councillors were warned this morning (Tuesday.) The question is who should pay that subsidy. Historically...
Gardner-gate: the stain runs so deep, it merits rejection of the Corserv business plan
By Graham Smith A Cornwall Council scrutiny committee meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) should pose a serious test of council leader Leigh Frost’s June 2025 promise to clean up County Hall’s...
Gardner-gate: did Cornwall Council deliberately waste police time or conspire to pervert the course of justice?
By Peter Tremayne On or before 14th May 2025, former councillor Louis Gardner resigned from the post of Head of Future Air and Space with Corserv. On or before...
Newquay Airport: it gets worse
By Peter Tremayne More details have emerged about the financial crisis at Newquay Airport, as Cornwall councillors try to understand why taxpayers are being asked for £10 million a...
Would you like to know a secret? Newquay Airport saw a 27% drop in domestic passengers during May
By Peter Tremayne Among the data which should be described in the secret £35,000 consultants’ report about Newquay Airport are details of domestic passenger numbers. This data, once published...
I could tell you why I want you to give me £10 million a year for Newquay Airport, but then I would have to kill you…
By Peter Tremayne Cornwall Council officials, anxious not to explain why they want a £10 million a year taxpayer subsidy to operate Newquay Airport, are considering forcing scrutiny councillors...
Flying on fumes? Skybus axes Isles of Scilly – Newquay Airport route
By Peter Tremayne Skybus has pulled all flights between the Isles of Scilly and Newquay Airport. The troubled airline says it does not have enough aircraft or pilots. The...
How can we scrutinise airport study if we’re not allowed to see it? complains scrutiny committee
By Peter Tremayne Today’s (Tuesday’s) meeting of Cornwall Council’s “Sustainable Growth” scrutiny committee is struggling to make progress with the main item on its agenda – because it has...
Mid Cornwall Metro: is the £125,000 per month subsidy worth it?
By Peter Tremayne The new Mid Cornwall Metro rail service between Newquay and Par appears to be struggling for reliability since it was introduced on 16th May. Cornwall Council,...
£10 million a year to keep Newquay Airport flying, as consultants recommend a new name and colour scheme for the Aerohub
By Peter Tremayne Newquay Airport will require a taxpayer subsidy of at least £10 million a year for a decade, according to a long-awaited Cornwall Council report. A 41-page...
Working in the shadows: how the next Newquay Airport masterplan dodged public scrutiny
By Peter Tremayne The deadline for submitting public questions to Cornwall Council’s economy scrutiny committee expired at 12 noon today (Thursday) – with still no sign of the Newquay...
Newquay Airport: monkey business as usual
By Peter Tremayne Taxpayers eager to know what has happened to the latest long-promised Newquay Airport “masterplan” will just have to wait. Will we be promised more hotels,...
Football and politics: St Austell and Newquay MP Noah Law calls on FIFA World Cup boss to suspend England’s red card
By Julia Penhaligon Full marks to St Austell and Newquay MP Noah Law, whose swift response to last night's England World Cup footballing heroics have brought smiles to the...
Spaceport? What spaceport? We now have a “space cluster” – which is entirely different
By Peter Tremayne Cornwall’s spaceport appears to be positioning itself for a major rebrand as Cornwall Council consultants deliver a hard-hitting report on how Corserv can cut costs. County...
Skybus boss leaves company with immediate effect
By Peter Tremayne Skybus boss Jonathan Hinkles has left the company with immediate effect. Neither Skybus nor Mr Hinkles has said why, but Mr Hinkles has updated his social...
Newquay-Gatwick airlink restored
The first EasyJet return flight between Gatwick and Newquay completed successfully yesterday (Tuesday) despite a 35-minute delay caused by poor weather in London. The Airbus A319 is capable of...
Newquay Airport: running out of runway and why less could mean more
By Peter Tremayne Newquay Airport today (Thursday) announced good news for Cornwall’s atom scientists – cheap flights to Geneva, the Swiss headquarters of the CERN’s European Organisation for Nuclear...
Newquay Airport: the next consultants’ report is due to land next month
By Peter Tremayne The future of Newquay Airport appears to rest on a consultants’ report due for publication within the next four weeks. Few aspects of Cornwall Council’s activity...
Sits Vac: but will Newquay Airport bother to seek a new boss?
By Peter Tremayne The resignation of Newquay Airport managing director Amy Smith has renewed focus on the looming financial crisis at the airport and the urgent need for a...
Er, that’s not the way the £100 million economic miracle is supposed to work: passengers urged to flock to Newquay Airport, so that they can escape Cornwall
By Peter Tremayne Newquay Airport has said its immediate focus is to concentrate on finding new routes for locals to enjoy winter sun and ski holidays. Confidential notes of...
Newquay’s cliffs continue to crack and crumble
By Rashleigh MacFarlane New studies of the Whipsiderry cliffs at Newquay have confirmed that there is virtually no prospect of developers ever being allowed to build holiday homes there....
Tourism: Newquay Airport’s latest “coals-to-Newcastle” deal is good for those seeking winter sun
By Peter Tremayne Spurious claims that Newquay Airport contributes more than £100 million to Cornwall’s economy – mostly by attracting tourists - have been somewhat dented by the launch...
Newquay Airport and Corduroy 2: nothing ever changes
By Peter Tremayne Cornwall Council is hoping that another “preferred private sector partner” is going to pump £300 million into its ailing Newquay Airport. County Hall says it is...
Newquay Airport facing cuts, warns councillor
By Lee Trewhela “Quite serious” cost-cutting measures are likely at Newquay airport, a Cornwall Council corporate finance committee meeting heard today (Tuesday, June 2). The council’s decision earlier this...
Mid Cornwall Metro: twice as many trains as last year, but only 25% increase in passengers
By Rashleigh MacFarlane A 100% increase in the number of trains between Par and Newquay during the first week of the new Mid Cornwall Metro might have contributed to...
Newquay Airport will be run by its press officer “until further notice”
By Peter Tremayne Corserv has no plans to advertise for a managing director for Newquay Airport, following the resignation in February 2025 of Samantha O’Dwyer. It was Ms O’Dwyer’s...
Three weeks is a long time in politics
By Julia Penhaligon With a new opinion poll suggesting that Labour might survive the Makerfield by-election, some local politicians are already wondering if an Andy Burnham-led government would grant...
Never a dull moment in the hangar of dreams: Newquay Airport has consumed more than £70 million in annual subsidies since Cornwall Council took charge
By Peter Tremayne These are exciting times at Newquay Airport. In fact, there is never a dull moment. Pulses are racing over the imminent individual decision by cabinet member...
Newquay activist who tried to get aid to Gaza returns to UK after her arrest by Israelis
By Harold Callahan A woman from Cornwall has arrived back in the UK after being arrested by Israeli forces while on her way to break the maritime blockade of...
Newquay Airport needs £9.19 million from local taxpayers
By Peter Tremayne The Cornwall Council subsidy required to operate Newquay Airport over the past 12 months has shot up to £9.19 million. It’s previous highest had been around...
Blue skies, Barney: veterans turn out in force to say farewell to WW2 Bomber Command hero
More than 100 people, many of them military veterans, attended the funeral yesterday (Wednesday) of Alfred “Barney” Barnett, of Bodmin, who died aged 104. The former Bomber Command airman,...
Mid Cornwall Metro suffered its first breakdown on Day 2
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Trains on the new Mid Cornwall Metro between Newquay and Par appear to be running on time today (Wednesday) after Monday’s problem with a broken down...
Passengers deserted Skybus in the final month of Newquay-Gatwick flights, as Stansted route continues to grow
By Peter Tremayne Data published this morning (Tuesday) by the Civil Aviation Authority shows that despite offering two flights per day, Skybus could persuade only 2,768 passengers to fly...
Historic departure of first Mid Cornwall Metro train – a new, hourly service between Newquay and Par
By Peter Tremayne Nearly 50 passengers enjoyed the thrill of riding on the first Mid Cornwall Metro train when it rolled out of Newquay at 9.52 this morning (Sunday.)...
Newquay-Gatwick relaunch remains on schedule, says EasyJet
By Peter Tremayne EasyJet has this morning (Thursday) confirmed the launch of its new Newquay-Gatwick flights from Tuesday 23rd June. The twice-weekly service starts at £35.99 for a single...
Revealed: Newquay Airport’s completely new-look comprehensive masterplan for redevelopment will go on show in Leeds before Cornwall councillors get a chance to see it
By Peter Tremayne Unknown to elected Cornwall councillors, who have so far seen no suggestions for how Newquay Airport might be developed into a supersoaraway business and/or retail park,...
Skybus pauses Exeter-St Mary’s flights
By Peter Tremayne Isles of Scilly airline Skybus has suspended flights between Exeter and St Mary’s, claiming damage caused by Storm Goretti on 8th January has led to a...
Floating offshore wind farms and that £9 million gamble: we haven’t made up our minds yet about another Newquay Airport shed, insists County Hall
By Peter Tremayne Cornwall Council today (Wednesday)insisted that no decision has yet been made about a £9 million “floating offshore wind farm co-ordination centre” to be built at Newquay...
If the war goes on: airlines now say they can keep flying for another month
By Peter Tremayne The prospect of any potential fuel shortages affecting flights to and from Newquay Airport should become clearer within a few weeks. Last month several airlines warned...
“National context” to blame for Labour’s dismal result in Newquay by-election, says MP
By Julia Penhaligon The three “establishment” political parties – Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats – have spent the weekend mulling Thursday night’s Cornwall Council by-election result in which the...
After Newquay: two party politics are back, but it’s not the two parties we used to think of
By Graham Smith The candidates and their supporters can enjoy a bit of a rest today (Friday) but when they reflect on what happened at the Newquay’s Porth and...
Cornwall Council by-election: Reform holds on in Newquay but Greens a close second
By Graham Smith Reform UK won the Newquay Porth and Tretherras by-election last night but with a smaller share of the vote than 11 months ago and only because...
Gardner-gate: it was not against the rules for councillors to question the circumstances surrounding resignation of former spaceport supremo
By Peter Tremayne Former Cornwall councillor and cabinet member Louis Gardner has failed in his attempt to bring “Code of Conduct” complaints against two of his ex- colleagues who...
Polling stations open in Newquay, as another councillor quits Reform UK
By Julia Penhaligon Polling stations are open until 10pm this evening (Thursday) for the Cornwall Council Newquay Porth and Tretherras by-election. Reform UK is defending the seat it won...
Gardner-gate: one year later, the former “Head of Future Air and Space” at Newquay Airport is now setting up a DronePort, just down the road at St Merryn
By Peter Tremayne To say that it has been an interesting 12 months would be an understatement. This time last year Newquay’s Louis Gardner was still a Conservative Cornwall...
Whatever happened to our £2.1 million Skybus contract? Er, we’ll get back to you on that, says council
By Peter Tremayne Cornwall Council has confirmed it is “in talks” with Skybus over what should happen to £2.1 million of taxpayers’ money awarded last November for what should...
Newquay by-election: the home straight
By Julia Penhaligon With only one more campaigning day to go in the Cornwall Council by-election at Newquay Porth and Tretherras, candidates and their supporters are reflecting that a...
Don’t blame me for letting Trump use our airport, says council leader
By Peter Tremayne Cornwall Council was not consulted about the use of its civilian Newquay airport by a huge US Navy C130 transport aircraft last month. Council leader Leigh...
After Newquay this Thursday, voters will next week be invited to have their say in Bude and St Ives
By Julia Penhaligon Two more town council by-elections are set to test the grassroots’ strength of Cornwall’s political parties. Polling will be on Thursday 30th April in both Bude...
Newquay-Gatwick passenger numbers fell 32% in February
By Peter Tremayne The doubling of daily flights between Newquay and Gatwick in February could not hide the fact that passengers were continuing to desert the route, according to...
Who remembers November’s “cheap flights to Gatwick” triumph? Skybus contract to be quizzed at full council meeting
By Peter Tremayne It has become routine for Cornwall Council officials to hide behind “commercial confidentiality” as an excuse for not talking about anything in public. But November’s £2.1...
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few
Spitfire enthusiasts from across Cornwall ignored the double-yellow lines around Newquay Airport this morning as they parked as close as possible to view an historic Spitfire fighter aircraft complete...
7 days to go and 500 votes could win it: Newquay by-election and the not very subtle art of tactical voting
By Graham Smith An anti-Reform tactical voting website is recommending people in next week’s Newquay Porth and Tretherras by-election to support the Liberal Democrats. The advice, from Forward Democracy’s...
Cornwall’s educational space camps “paused” due to budget cuts
By Peter Tremayne Cornwall’s spaceport has ended its educational role for local schools, as a result of budget cuts. The spaceport says its educational programme is “paused” but cannot...
Ten days to go: Newquay by-election in pictures
With polling in this Cornwall Council by-election on Thursday 23rd April, Reform UK appears to regard the Green Party as its most serious challenger. But there are six candidates...
Aviation fuel shortages threaten to mothball Newquay and St Mary’s airports
By Peter Tremayne Aviation experts around the world are warning that jet fuel shortages caused by Donald Trump’s attack on Iran could lead to airports closing in only three...
Newquay Airport: should Corserv’s long-delayed business plan be looking at a future in uniform?
By Peter Tremayne There are signs that the very long, 9,000-foot runway at Newquay Airport, part of the civilian infrastructure since 2008 and maintained entirely at the expense of...
Election spat in Newquay as Reform and Greens appear to lead the race
By Julia Penhaligon Although every candidate in the Newquay Porth and Tretherras Cornwall Council by-election claims to be in with a chance, to residents wading through the leaflets which...
Whatever happened to…the world’s deepest swimming pool, promised at Newquay Airport five years ago?
By Peter Tremayne Promised in June 2021, and leading nearly all of the local media’s headlines, the world’s deepest swimming was supposed to have been open for business by...
Growing concern at ‘ghost’ estate following armed police incident
By Lee Trewhela Concern and frustration is growing in a Cornish village at a ‘ghost’ estate which has remained empty since it was built around ten years ago. One...
That’s the way the money goes: Cornwall’s economic masterminds celebrate their latest triumphs
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Newquay’s surfer statue is finally in place – after years of debate. The £250,000 bronze sculpture was gifted by a local charity to celebrate the town’s...
If you’re ever lost on the battlefield and wondering how to escape, there’s a training course in Cornwall which can help
By Harold Callahan The remarkable rescue of a US airman shot down in Iran could focus attention on a little-known aspect of a military base in Cornwall. The UK...
Newquay-Gatwick: Skybus bails out early, posing new questions for Cornwall’s airport
By Peter Tremayne The Skybus service between Newquay and Gatwick will fly for the final time today (Thursday) – two months earlier than scheduled. The news means there will...
One battle after another: as fuel costs soar, Newquay Airport can only watch and hope for a swift end to the war in Iran
By Peter Tremayne For nearly two decades Cornwall’s taxpayers have wondered why they subsidise a small regional airport at Newquay, of interest mainly to holidaymakers and second-home owners. It...
Newquay by-election: three weeks to go
By Julia Penhaligon A week in, and the script for the Cornwall Council by-election is progressing much as expected. Reform UK looks like the party which everyone else claims...
To infinity and beyond: it’s not our money, so let’s not worry about getting back to basics just yet
By Peter Tremayne Another blank page in the diary, still no sign of anyone wanting to launch a rocket, so let’s head back to Colorado. These trips for Newquay...
Newquay-Gatwick: cheap flights are back this summer without taxpayer subsidy
By Peter Tremayne EasyJet has announced cheap flights between Newquay and Gatwick this summer. The airline will fly twice a week from 23rd June – without any direct subsidy...
Greens can win Newquay by-election – but it will be very close
By Graham Smith It is increasingly said that the biggest fault-lines in British politics in the 21st century are no longer driven by social class - but age and...
Cornwall space cluster firm told to publish accounts or face dissolution
By Peter Tremayne The Canadian firm which took over a Newquay Airport hangar once used by Cornwall’s Museum of Military Aircraft is in danger of being struck off the...
Whatever happened to…the £30 million hotel promised for Newquay Airport?
By Peter Tremayne Students of Cornwall Council hyperbole have just celebrated the first anniversary of a County Hall press release which announced plans for a Marriott hotel at Newquay...
Voodoo economics: Newquay Airport really is very valuable but we can’t explain why, says Cornwall Council
By Peter Tremayne The “strategic assessment” which claims that Newquay Airport contributes nearly £100 million a year to Cornwall’s economy is now a secret document that County Hall is...
TACO: Newquay’s aeroplanes can carry on flying, for now
By Peter Tremayne Signs that US President Donald Trump might have “blinked first” in his war against Iran could be good news for Newquay Airport. The airport’s jet fuel...
“You can’t build houses there – our rockets might explode (if we had any)” – what spaceport bosses told the planners
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The fragility of Cornwall’s “spaceport” licence has been underlined by a recent planning application for a significant expansion of nearby St Columb Major. Newquay Airport was...
Newquay Airport: it’s never too early to prepare for Christmas
By Peter Tremayne Newquay Airport is promoting a Christmas special “get away from Cornwall” trip to Lapland. With prices starting from £699, a day-trip from Newquay promises to include...
Newquay-Gatwick: Skybus has just found out that January really is the cruelest month
By Peter Tremayne The number of passengers who flew between Gatwick and Newquay airports in January was less than half the previous year, despite Skybus doubling flights half way...
The centre folds: pollsters say Reform UK and Green Party are now the main choice
By Julia Penhaligon The latest YouGov opinion poll suggests that Reform UK has a six point lead over its nearest rival – now the Green Party. Applied to a...
Tactical voting: Newquay set to pose a severe test for any candidates who fail to inspire
By Julia Penhaligon If the recent experience of the St Columb Minor and Colan by-election is any guide, the Labour and Conservative parties could be in for a torrid...
Date set for Newquay by-election
By Julia Penhaligon Polling in the Cornwall Council by-election at Newquay will be on Thursday 23rd April. Nominations for candidates who want to represent the Porth and Tretherras division...
Campaigning already underway for Cornwall Council by-election at Newquay
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall’s political parties are scrambling to identify potential candidates to contest the Newquay Porth and Tretherras divison Cornwall Council by-election, caused by the death last month...
South West Water: lawyers to attend a Newquay public meeting to challenge a public nuisance
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Lawyers are inviting the residents of Newquay to a public meeting later this month to consider legal action against South West Water. London law firm Leigh...
Here comes the Newquay by-election
By Julia Penhaligon The starting gun has been fired for a Cornwall Council by-election in Newquay, following the death of Reform UK councillor Kevin Towill last month. No date...
Sheds R Us – after the spaceport with no rockets, County Hall now plans to build a “windfarm co-ordination centre” with no windfarms
By Graham Smith Cornwall Council has now answered a Freedom of Information question about its ambition to build a £9 million “marine co-ordination centre” at Newquay Airport, in the...
Kevin Towill funeral
By Graham Smith St Michael’s church, Newquay, is likely to be packed tomorrow (Tuesday) for the funeral of Cornwall councillor Kevin Towill. Councillor Towill, a former mayor of Newquay,...
That’s the way the money goes: council pays GWR £4.5 million to run near-empty trains to Newquay
By Peter Tremayne Cornwall Council has just paid Great Western Railways £4.5 million to double the number of trains it runs on the Par-Newquay branch line. GWR is worried...