By Julia Penhaligon
The first shots in next May’s Cornwall Council elections were fired this morning when councillors spent more than an hour debating County Hall’s “manifesto” for the next 30 years – a document called “The Cornwall We Want” was approved by 72 votes to 28, with 17 abstentions.
The decision of the full council reverses that of a scrutiny committee last month.
The debate saw most Liberal Democrat, Labour, Mebyon Kernow and Independent councillors in favour of the document, with most Conservatives and some Independents against.
The “listening exercise” also built on public attitudes to Covid-19, with much of the feedback welcoming aspects of the lockdown in March, April, May and June and rejecting a return to the pre-Covid lifestyle.
But some councillors questioned the academic rigour of the public consultation exercise, claiming that the answers might have been influenced by the way the questions were asked.
Council leader Julian German said it had been the biggest public consultation ever, and he welcomed the commitment to increased diversity and local decision-making.
Mebyon Kernow leader Dick Cole said the document was “full of good intentions” while Labour’s Jayne Kirkham welcomed its commitments on climate change.
“It’s pretty broad-brush,” she said. "It’s hard to disagree with what’s in most of it.”
But Conservative group leader Linda Taylor criticised the political role played by council officials in drawing up the document. “No political stone has been left unturned,” she said. “It is a menagerie of data; the lifecycle of a political manifesto, except that nobody gets elected.
“No-one is against green energy, motherhood or apple pie.”
The Cornwall We Want now provides a template for council officials to interpret policy – at least, for six months.
Related Posts
- The Cornwall Reports Hall of Fame
Huge thanks to those who contributed to the Crowdfunding campaign, and/or made direct donations via…
- Councillors vote 9-4 against "The Cornwall We Want" saying it is the Cornwall we vote for that matters
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall councillors have rejected a series of reports based on one of…
- Covid-19 halts work on the Hall for Cornwall
By Anne North Covid-19 has halted renovation work on the Hall for Cornwall, posing a…
- The Cornwall We Want: County Hall's own report confirms an uncomfortable truth about tourism
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall’s residents have told County Hall to take action against the tourism…
I read somewhere that this consultation only managed to get comments from less than 1% of Cornwall residents and therefore cannot in any way be described as the wishes of Cornwall people.
The consultation took place while we were all in a panic as the Covid restrictions struck. I am registered on CC website but didn’t get an email about this consultation. In fact no one I know was consulted.
It seems to be a total failure at public consultation.