Rolling news
Dramatic increase in fines for not sending children to school
By Lee Trewhela A Cornwall Council meeting heard yesterday (Wednesday) that the number of fines issued to parents for school non-attendance by their children has increased by the thousands...
Corserv calls in online retail expert
By Peter Tremayne Corserv has a new chief finance and commercial officer. John Shute has spent the past seven and a half years working for the online retailer Amazon,...
Kate-gate: our silence about our missing chief executive is “reputationally damaging,” says councillor
By Graham Smith One of the members of Cornwall Council’s Chief Officers’ Employment Committee (COEC) has spoken about the wall of silence surrounding the continuing absence of chief executive...
A hard rain’s gonna fall – but when?
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall is now entering its third month of drought, complete with a ban on hosepipes and the risk of a £1,000 for those who ignore the...
Out of control: New Zealand was so last week – Newquay’s spaceport is now off to Germany
By Peter Tremayne No sooner has Newquay spaceport’s sole employee returned to base than he is off again. Ross Hulbert, whose job title is “Head of Engagement,” got back...
Truro’s Pydar project faces new delays, as Environment Agency fears flooding
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Treveth claims that construction at Truro city centre’s notorious “hole in the ground” might start by next summer have been dealt a blow by new concerns...
Up to our necks in muck and bullets: the race to mine tungsten on Bodmin Moor just got real
By Rashleigh MacFarlane You might not notice if you were simply out for a walk, but a remote part of Bodmin Moor, near Callington, is suddenly £7 million richer....
Cornwall’s Green councillors unhappy about their party conference vote on Zionism
By Lee Trewhela The leader of the Green Party group at Cornwall Council says his party’s adoption of a motion declaring Zionism is a form of racism has set...
Rachael Rothero quits Cornwall Council
By Graham Smith Rachael Rothero, service director for “People Commissioning” at Cornwall Council, has resigned. She is the wife of the council’s still-absent chief executive Kate Kennally. Ms Kennally...
That’s the way the money goes: County Hall digs itself deeper into debt at a rate of £12.8 million a month
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council’s debt increased by nearly £40 million between 1st April and the end of June, according to a new County Hall treasury report. The net...
Cornwall Council’s new approach to its £1.7 billion debt: we’re in a hole and we need to stop digging
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council’s debt, equivalent to a £5,800 burden on every local household and which requires weekly payments of £1.2 million to money-lenders simply to service the...
Food: the days of plenty are over and winter is coming
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall needs to store huge quantities of food in purpose-built “buffer depots” similar to those seen during World War 2, according to 150 experts who are...
Newquay spaceport’s 24,000-mile sales-pitch was paid for by UK taxpayers
By Peter Tremayne Newquay spaceport’s 24,000-mile roundtrip to New Zealand, which took place within days of a County Hall ban on all exhibitions and conferences which require travel outside...
The curious case of the missing chief executive: are we nearly there yet?
By Julia Penhaligon Hopes are growing at Cornwall Council that an announcement is imminent to end speculation about the curious disappearance of chief executive Kate Kennally, who suddenly went...
Two men charged with immigration offences following Mylor powerboat arrival
By Harold Callahan Police have said that two men have been charged in connection with the landing of a boatload of Albanian nationals at Mylor in the early hours...
Time for the mothballs? How much council tax would you like to pay for Cornwall’s hopelessly uneconomic airport?
By Peter Tremayne Newquay Airport is entering a crucial period. Next week Cornwall councillors get down to the serious business of scrutinising likely budget proposals – with the airport’s...
Doctors’ fury as computer glitch causes critical incident at Derriford hospital
By Anne North GPs whose patients are treated at Plymouth’s Derriford hospital have lodged a formal complaint with NHS bosses about a £67 million computer system which is failing...
Cornwall FA bids for synthetic all-weather pitch at Bodmin
By Peter Tremayne Cornwall Football Association has submitted plans for a new 3G pitch, community hub and headquarters to be built at Bodmin Town Football Club's Priory Park ground....
Who should pay for Cornish language lessons in the school classroom?
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall Council wants to hire a new senior officer to lead the development of a Cornish language curriculum in schools. The new post could have a...
Another secret Cornwall Council meeting to consider the curious case of the missing chief executive
By Julia Penhaligon The seven members of Cornwall Council’s Chief Officers’ Employment Committee have been called to another very-short-notice meeting tomorrow (Monday) for an update on their absent chief...
Duo involved in Truro “large knife” incident released on bail
By Harold Callahan Two men charged in connection with a violent disturbance in Truro city centre in August have been released on bail. Seyin Zurel, 24, and Sinjar Zurel,...
Is it time to re-invent Truro Gaol?
By Harold Callahan Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the closure of Bodmin Jail, Cornwall’s last prison. Criminals, and those awaiting trial, are now locked up hundreds of...
Magna Carta victory for Truro Crown Court jury campaigners
Photo: ITV The government has performed a partial U-turn on plans to curb jury trials, bowing to nationwide protests which have included demonstrations outside Truro Crown Court. Lord Chancellor...
Meltdown in Mylor: was there something about that Brittany “Memorandum of Understanding” that Cornwall failed to understand?
By Harold Callahan One of the details possibly overlooked by the triumphant “Memorandum of Understanding” recently celebrated by Cornwall Council leader Leigh Frost and the Vice-President of Brittany, Stephane...
Field of Dreams: free money! 3,000 jobs at Newquay spaceport! 3,000 jobs in renewable energy! Build it and they’ll come!
By Graham Smith Six Cornwall Council cabinet members are due to meet next week to decide how to spend the government’s £30 million Kernow Industrial Growth Fund. The fund...
That’s the way the money goes: the choice between “back to basics” and “unleashing potential” is for councillors to make
By Graham Smith Cornwall Council could save its under-threat school transport by cutting £80 million from its £2.1 billion capital spending programme, an analysis of County Hall spending plans...
Which small children will be forced to walk two miles to school along a dangerous country lane? It would be “premature” to tell you, says County Hall
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall councillors are being denied sight of a “hit list” of under-threat school transport routes while at the same time being told to cut school transport...
Computers reveal what would have happened if Cornwall’s most recent General Election had voted under the “Alternative Vote Plus” system
By Julia Penhaligon The pace of technological progress means that Cornwall’s political activists now have a growing and powerful arsenal of tools to calculate how small changes in initial...
This week’s “Fifth Nation” petition calls for a referendum on devolution
By Julia Penhaligon Less than one week after a Parliamentary petition calling for a “Cornish tick box” on the 2031 census failed to get even 1% of voters’ support,...
Hands up if you want Electoral Reform! Get ready for a blizzard of conflicting opinions about which system of proportional representation is best for Cornwall
By Julia Penhaligon Any attempt at electoral reform, likely to be presented in Labour’s manifesto at the next general election, would have particularly profound implications in Cornwall. Andy Burnham...
“Lock them up!” says North Cornwall MP, as South West Water fined almost £8 million after six years of sewage pollution
By Rashleigh MacFarlane South West Water has been fined £7,867,733 after admitting a series of pollution offences involving untreated sewage at sites across Devon and Cornwall. The company was...
Bogged down: there will be no Homes Cornwall business case before Christmas, admits County Hall
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The Homes Cornwall project, which aims to take around 8% of Cornwall’s publicly-owned farms and turn them into housing estates, appears to be running into serious...
How to dodge a bullet: stay on holiday until the shooting is over
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council cabinet member Tim Dwelly’s continuing absence from County Hall spared him having to deal with several hostile questions at today’s (Tuesday’s) economy scrutiny committee...
“We need a Harbours Board for Newquay Airport,” says councillor
By Peter Tremayne Pressure is growing on Cornwall Council to re-establish a properly-constituted committee to supervise Newquay Airport, as scrutiny councillors this morning (Tuesday) vented their frustration that they...
The cost of “unleashing Cornwall’s potential” is measured in air miles, hotel bills and suntans
By Julia Penhaligon It is only a week since Cornwall Council’s interim deputy chief executive (can’t we just call him the chief executive? – Ed) Andy Keeling told staff...
There may be trouble ahead: council tax vote could get bogged down in the saga of County Hall’s missing chief executive
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall’s Reform UK activists are agitating about the cost of hiring an “interim deputy chief executive” while the processing of Kate Kennally’s “extended leave of absence”...
Ten arrested after powerboat lands migrants at Mylor harbour
By Harold Callahan Ten people have been arrested after a powerboat carrying Albanian nationals arrived at Mylor Harbour, the Home Office has confirmed. The landing happened in the early...
Just a minute: the Newquay Airport development project is too important to be left to any councillor’s “individual” decision
By Peter Tremayne Scrutiny councillors meet tomorrow (Tuesday) for what is theoretically a routine run through of a couple of issues which County Hall officials think are safe enough...
First steps, but Cornwall is on track for its initial 1,500 tonnes of lithium
By Peter Tremayne The government is putting nearly £10 million into what will be Cornwall’s first lithium mine. Geothermal Engineering Ltd (GEL) aims to produce an initial 1,500 tonnes...
The 2,652 empty homes which Cornwall Council can now put to good use
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The government is giving councils the power to seize homes which have been left empty for more than six months. The move turns the clock back...
Cornwall Council’s new boss sees his first attempt to cut waste get lost in space
By Peter Tremayne Seven days ago Cornwall Council’s so-far-unblemished interim deputy chief executive Andy Keeling issued a stern memo to more than 5,500 staff. We need to save money,...
Devonwall: Cornwall’s youngsters need cross-Tamar help to bid for government jobs’ cash
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall Council is to submit a joint bid with Devon for funds from the National Jobs Guarantee programme to help teenagers categorised as Not in Education,...
How much is your mansion worth? Cornwall braces for details of new property tax
By Julia Penhaligon All eyes will be on the Labour Party conference in Liverpool tomorrow (Monday) when chancellor John Healey makes his major set-piece speech – in which he...
Who wants an early General Election?
By Julia Penhaligon Andy Burnham might have ruled out a general election until 2029, but Conservative and Reform are continuing to prepare for a snap poll – particularly if...
Devolution: be careful what you wish for, as Burnham says new local taxes “are on the table”
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall looks set to remain very much in the slow-lane of devolution, with government plans to transfer power out of Whitehall to anywhere west of the...
Kate-gate INSIGHT: the disappearance of its chief executive will be the defining crisis of this Cornwall Council administration
By Graham Smith “At the moment,” said one veteran councillor, “this is being driven by HR and legal. There’s a process and I think we all get that. But...
Devon and Cornwall police are a “cause of concern” says His Majesty’s Inspectorate
By Harold Callahan Devon and Cornwall police are getting worse, according to His Majesty’s Inspectorate. Already criticised for failings across a range of required competencies, the police have become...
Lighting a large open fire and using gunpowder to celebrate burning Catholics still looks quite dangerous, says Truro City Council
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Truro's bonfire night and fireworks’ display will not go ahead this November, Truro City Council has confirmed, marking the second consecutive year the event has been...
It’s official – even Cornwall Live now accepts that journalism has value
By Graham Smith The Cornwall Live local news website is to relaunch its “premium” subscription service in a bid to maintain some revenue. Published by Reach PLC, Cornwall Live...
12 o’clock high: the most likely explanation of how an American bomb came to pose such a threat to Falmouth
By Peter Tremayne Navy explosives experts have given more details of the bomb which they removed from close to Falmouth docks yesterday (Wednesday.) It was a 113 Kg AN...
Kate-gate: damned if you do, damned if you don’t
By Graham Smith The residents of Cornwall are not the first to wake up one morning to discover that the highly-paid chief executive of their local council has suddenly...
Living by numbers: how the Kennally years changed Cornwall
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council’s interim deputy chief executive Andy Keeling attended his first cabinet meeting this morning (Wednesday) – having first had to walk past a large TV...
Falmouth’s UXB and those plans to dredge Falmouth Bay: what could possibly go wrong?
By Harold Callahan For a town already locked in a bitter fight over what lies beneath its harbour, Monday’s discovery of an unexploded Second World War bomb feels less...
Cornwall Council’s “arms-length” companies: what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas
By Graham Smith Cornwall Council was unable to give a straight answer this morning (Wednesday) to a public question about Newquay Airport and its audited annual accounts. The question...
Where’s Tim?
By Graham Smith Questions are often much more fun than the answers. One question, heard with increasing frequency around County Hall, and often accompanied by a mischievous wink and...
The ”Dear Father Christmas” letter that Cornwall Council hopes will rescue its Truro New Town project
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall Council leader Leigh Frost might have to prepare to get “bloody livid.” He has previously warned that his patience is running thin as he watches...
UXB: Falmouth told to prepare for mass evacuation
By Harold Callahan More than a thousand people in Falmouth are likely to be evacuated from their homes this morning (Wednesday) as Royal Navy explosive experts deal with a...
Don’t talk about Kate, says Andy, as he tries to stem the flow of cash haemorrhaging out of County Hall
By Lee Trewhela The new interim boss at Cornwall Council has urged staff to avoid speculating about the absence of chief executive Kate Kennally. Andy Keeling has also told...
A trans-woman is a woman, insist Lib Dems
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall’s Liberal Democrats are divided over their party’s conference vote last night (Monday) to campaign in favour of allowing trans-women access to women-only spaces, such a...
Falmouth UXB will be moved – but experts cannot say when
A 300-metre cordon remains in place around the WW2 unexploded American bomb found close to Falmouth Docks. Disposal experts say they have decided to move the ordnance before attempting...
Falmouth UXB: it might be more than 80-years-old, but making it safe is not something that can be rushed
By Harold Callahan The huge unexploded bomb found near Falmouth docks could take a while to deal with. Some homes have been evacuated and roads closed while Royal Navy...
UXB: homes evacuated and roads closed as Falmouth remembers D-Day – but not in a good way
By Harold Callahan Emergency services are pondering how to deal with a suspected unexploded ordnance device discovered in the water near Falmouth Docks on Monday morning. The response so...
Slow train coming: the official on-the-record story of how we got to where we are today and how it remains the most likely explanation of why Cornwall’s taxpayers are today paying County Hall for two chief executives
By Julia Penhaligon Prior to the sudden, unexplained departure of Cornwall Council chief executive Kate Kennally in late August, there had been three crucial meetings of County Hall’s Chief...
CCTV footage shows how racist vandals attacked Cornwall’s only mosque
Recorded at 11.27pm on Thursday night, the CCTV captures a car being repeatedly reversed into the gates at the Islamic Community Centre, Carnon Downs, near Truro
Cornwall rallies to support Islamic Community Centre damaged by racially-aggravated vandalism
By Harold Callahan A fundraising appeal to help repair racially-aggravated criminal damage to Cornwall’s only mosque has already raised nearly £1,500. The cash is to repair gates at Cornwall’s...
Jam first: nearly 2,500 Cornish cream teas set a new world record
Recognised officially by the Guiness Book of Records as the largest-ever gathering of people to eat a Cornish cream tea, a total of 2,483 came together at the Royal...
Newquay’s Boardmasters festival had negative impact on town’s night-time economy, say local businesses
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The Boardmasters music festival in Newquay last month cost some local businesses more than 20% of their trade, according to feedback collated by the town’s Business...
Are you Cornish? 99% couldn’t care less about the census tick-box campaign, according to Parliamentary petition
By Julia Penhaligon Campaigners for a Cornish tick-box on the next national census have only a few more days to persuade people to support their Parliamentary petition. It closes...
Paul Holmes
By Graham Smith Many tributes have been paid to councillor Paul Holmes, whose funeral will take place at Illogan parish church on Friday following his death last month at...
Coughing-up for Kate: the curious case of the missing chief executive and County Hall’s wall of secrecy
By Graham Smith There will be more attempts this week to identify the reason why Cornwall Council’s £230,000-a-year chief executive is no longer at work. Kate Kennally disappeared suddenly...
Police investigate racist attack on Cornwall’s only mosque
By Harold Callahan Police are treating as racially aggravated criminal damage an attack on Cornwall's only mosque. The entrance gate was smashed and a combustible liquid, thought to be...
Matters arising: will Cornwall Council’s auditors remember what happened last time?
By Peter Tremayne Very few people try to get elected as local councillors with any desperate ambition to become an auditor. To say it is unglamorous would be an...
Cornwall Council’s missing chief executive: a week is a long time in politics
By Graham Smith Usually you have to wait months for a meeting of Cornwall Council’s Chief Officers’ Employment Committee (COEC.) And then you get two in a fortnight. Next...
Second homes and holiday lets: a part of Cornwall’s housing crisis which costs local council taxpayers more than £15 million a year
By Julia Penhaligon Tax-dodging second home owners in Cornwall are fighting a last-ditch battle to avoid paying more than £15 million in business rates. The issue appears to be...
87% reject plan for Falmouth docks’ redevelopment
By Rashleigh MacFarlane A planning decision about proposals to redevelop Falmouth docks appears to have been delayed again. The £150 million plan was originally supposed to have been determined...
The shape of things to come: will South West Water become known as Devonwall Water?
By Rashleigh MacFarlane South West Water bosses are waiting to see how the government proposes to exert control over the company through the creation of a new board which...
Cornwall Council’s debt forecast to exceed £1.7 billion by March
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council’s borrowing has reached £1.626 billion, according to County Hall’s latest treasury update. This is an increase of nearly £55 million over 12 months –...
That’s the way the money goes: County Hall set to write off more than £900,000 in bad debts
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council is preparing to write off bad debts totalling £903,234.59. The sum is much larger than usual and comes before a meeting of the council’s...
How Cornwall Council plans to spend more than half of the government’s Kernow Industrial Growth Fund on itself
By Peter Tremayne The clock is ticking down towards an individual decision by Cornwall Council cabinet member Tim Dwelly about the future development of Newquay Airport’s 650-acre estate. Council...
Councillors told next Langarth business plan could include Truro City’s “Milestone” project
By Rashleigh MacFarlane No decisions have been made about Truro City’s ambitious £60 million development project on land earmarked for housing at Langarth, Cornwall Council leader Leigh Frost said...
Cornwall’s tourist tax proposals will be debated in the council chamber before they are implemented
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall councillors will get the opportunity to vote on any tourist tax before it is introduced, council leader Leigh Frost promised yesterday (Tuesday.) More details of...
Cornwall Council is about to spend two years tinkering with its arms-length companies
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall Council’s labyrinth of arms-length companies are to be reorganised into a single commercial “vehicle” in an attempt to streamline their activities, make them more coherent...