Tax compromises with big business are unacceptable

All governments need a sufficient resource to provide vital public services, to tackle problems in society such as unemployment and poor housing, to invest in key infrastructure, and to do so much more.

Such a resource comes principally from taxation, the importance of which has been summed up extremely well by the Australian community worker and writer Chris Middendorp:

“If you bother to reflect on the role that taxation plays in a democratic state, it's almost impossible not to conclude that it is what makes a civil society achievable. Not just by funding a police force, a fire brigade or a defence force. Not just by paying for roads, public transport, gardens and parks. Not just by building hospitals, libraries, schools and sewerage systems. But by funding practically everything that makes it possible for human beings to flourish.”

I fully endorse Mr Millendorp’s view, and that taxation must be progressive, with big business and the well-off paying their fair share.

And that is why I find it unacceptable that the Government has agreed a “sweetheart” deal with the giant multi-national company Google to pay just £130 million to cover a decade of unpaid taxes.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer described the deal as a "victory" for the government. It wasn’t. It has been pointed out by some opponents that the “effective rate of tax faced by Google” would be only three per cent, while the Independent newspaper has suggested that Google “may owe as much as £700 million in UK taxes.”

Unbelievably, HMRC has publicly declined to report how it calculated the tax liability of Google "for reasons of confidentiality" and I guess it is hardly surprising that a ministerial colleague of George Osborne has been reported as claiming that “a five-year-old could have done a better job with this deal.”

The deal has also been criticised by former Tory Chancellor Lord Lawson who described it as “profoundly unsatisfactory,” adding that it was wrong that tax had to be collected from large multinational corporations through “a series of ad hoc compromise deals.”

Put bluntly, I think it is a disgrace that central government is allowing big business and the super-rich to dodge taxes, while slashing public spending because it is failing to raise enough tax revenues.

This is a nonsense, especially when ordinary people are paying all their taxes (whether income tax, council tax, VAT, etc) while seeing many of their public services decline because of the same Government’s austerity measures.

[This will be my article in this coming week's Cornish Guardian].

Higher Fraddon latest … pre-application submission received by Cornwall Council

It has just come to my attention that the unitary authority has, this week, received a submission for “pre-application advice” for a potential planning application at Higher Fraddon.

Given the ongoing planning issues at Higher Fraddon, I thought it important to let everyone know as soon as possible.

The submission is speculative and, I understand, is not linked to the biogas plant.

The proposal states it would be for an “energy storage facility,” The potential site would be situated on the old pig farm units, located some three-quarters of the way up the Higher Fraddon road before the sharp corner.

The paperwork suggests there would be a single large building measuring 65m by 45m, with a height of nine metres.

The information is presently quite limited, which can be viewed on the Council’s planning portal. The application number is PA16/00186/PREAPP.

This is not a formal planning application, but I will further chase this up with the relevant officers next week and I will report back to local residents.

"Landscape we love may soon be lost"

MK member Michael Bunney has a letter published in today's Cornish Guardian under the above title. It was a great letter and for those of you who haven't seen it, it was as follows:

Julie Fox was absolutely right in last week’s Cornish Guardian about the lack of democracy in our planning system.

Carefully considered local decisions are overruled by planning inspectors based in Bristol or London.

The “local” plan, with its targets for house building, will be enforced on Cornwall by the Westminster Government. If the Government don’t like what Cornwall comes up with, it will simply throw it out.

The ability of the Government and planning inspectorate to overrule any plan we come up with in Cornwall makes the whole process a farce.

Cornwall is gradually being concreted over and in every parish there is a real battle to preserve our beautiful countryside and coast.

Cornwall is prevented from delivering robust plans for proper affordable housing for local people by a planning system that fails to understand our Duchy. 27000 local households are now on the waiting list for affordable homes, yet we are not allowed policies to prevent the hearts of our villages being turned into second homes.

Surely, now more than ever, we need a Cornish planning framework decided by local people to serve our housing and development needs. I fear that, in a generation, the beautiful Cornwall we know could be lost forever and still local people will be waiting for affordable homes.

Mebyon Kernow will be planning their campaign for the devolution of planning policy for Cornwall in St.Dennis on Friday 12th February. I will certainly be joining them.

I urge everyone who believes in local decision-making to join us before it is too late and we lose the Cornwall we love for ever.

Cornwall Council, the incinerator and air quality

Rod Toms – a leading member of the Cornwall Waste Forum – recently addressed a meeting of Mebyon Kernow members in St Austell.

He was very critical of Cornwall Council for failing to meet its responsibility to monitor air quality in the Mid Cornwall area. He told members how the incinerator at St Dennis was nearing completion and yet, Cornwall Council was failing in its obligation to assess background air quality in advance of the plant coming into operation.

Put simply, Cornwall Council as a principal local authority is legally obliged under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 to assess and review air quality. This is linked to the EU Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality.

He told our meeting that the unitary authority needed to demonstrate how it will meet the requirement of frequent tests, and added that he considered it was not possible to discharge its responsibility by getting a local community group to carry out tests.

Today at Full Council, three councillors raised this issue. MK councillor Andrew Long, plus independents Fred Greenslade (St Dennis) and John Wood (Roche) sought assurances about prompt and appropriate testing before the plant could be brought into operation.

The responses from the portfolio holder did not provide any additional information, and left us all very concerned about what is happening.

Obviously, there is much more challenging to do on this issue.

MK meeting in St Austell & Newquay Constituency: Friday 12th February

The next meeting for Mebyon Kernow members in the St Austell & Newquay Constituency has been arranged to take place on the evening of Friday 12th February. 

The meeting will take place at ClayTAWC in St Dennis and start at 7.30.



At our previous constituency meeting, it was felt that MK should run a wide-ranging campaign across the constituency on planning and housing, along with the need to secure greater control through devolution. It was felt that the campaign could cover a number of issues such as unsustainable developments and housing numbers, the non-local “Local Plan,” the government’s housing and planning bill, the growth in second homes, problems with affordable homes, etc.

This will be discussed in length at this next meeting and anyone from the St Austell & Newquay Constituency, who would be interested in attending and finding more about the campaign, can call me on 07791 876607 for more details.

My latest report to St Enoder Parish Council

The next meeting of St Enoder Parish Council is on Tuesday 26th January, when I will be tabling my “monthly” report.

The report covers a two month period from 23rd November 2015 to 24th January 2016, because the Parish Council does not hold a Full Council meeting in December.

I apologise for the length of the report, but I have been quite busy. It is as follows:

1. Council meetings

I have attended a range of formal meetings at Cornwall Council over the last two months.

These have included: Full Council (2), Cabinet, Scrutiny Management Committee, Planning Policy Advisory Committee (of which I am Chairman) and three associated briefings / pre-agenda meetings, Constitution and Governance Committee, China Clay Area Network meeting, a meeting of PAC Chairpersons and the Cabinet, a meeting of Group Leaders with the Local Government Boundary Commisson, and a number of member briefings on (i) the recent local government funding settlement, (ii) the council’s treasury management strategy, (iii) social care, and (iv) broadband coverage, plus two additional briefings in advance of Full Council meetings.

In addition to the meetings listed above, I have had numerous informal meetings with council officers and others to discuss a range of issues including the planning situation at Higher Fraddon and the lack of bus services in Summercourt.

2. Other meetings

I have also attended the Annual General Meeting of the Indian Queens Under-5s, as well as meetings of ClayTAWC (China Clay Area Training and Work Centre) at St Dennis, of which I am Chairman, the Rural Sub-group of the Local Enterprise Partnership, the South and East Cornwall Local Action Group, the St Austell Bay Economic Forum, and the Liaison Group for the incinerator.

3. Penare Pig Farm, Higher Fraddon and associated AD plant

There are a number of updates relating to the above ongoing planning applications and related matters. These include the following:

- Higher Fraddon Community Forum

Since November’s meeting of St Enoder Parish Council, there have been two meetings of the Community Forum which took place on 16th December 2015 and 13th January 2016.

The full minutes of the meetings are available on request.

Issues raised at the meetings continue to include the progress with the planning applications and feedback from statutory bodies, as well as complaints about the number of vehicles accessing the site of the biogas plant, the speed of traffic, smells and poor levels of communication from Greener for Life.

- Meeting with Highways England

Members of the Parish Council will recall that the two planning applications for the biogas plant were deferred at the November meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee. One of the reasons for the deferral was to explore an alternative access to the site from the A30.

A subsequent meeting was held with Highways England at the Cornwall Council Offices at Bodmin on 21st December 2015. I chaired the meeting. Also present were two representatives of Highways England (Alexis Field, Sally Parish) and one from their contractors Kier (Dave Ewings), three representatives from Cornwall Council (Nigel Doyle, Jeremy Edwards and Jim Holt) as well as Steve Double MP and his wife Ann, Dan Johns from the pig farm (plus a planning consultant for JMW Farms Ltd; Russell Dodge), David Manley (Greener for Life) and two representatives from the Higher Fraddon Residents Group; Anne Woolcock and Bella McCarthy.

At the meeting, the representatives of Highways England made it clear that they considered the A30 to be an important corridor to promote economic growth, which they wished to turn into an “expressway.” They also made it clear to us that they were not keen for additional junctions to be created.

They did however acknowledge that new junctions could be allowed in very exceptional circumstances, but advised that any justification would be very, very difficult to achieve. In spite of the Highways England view on a new access, they agreed to send additional information about their perspective on the trunk road network to local representatives.

Alexis Field from Highways England did visit Higher Fraddon after the meeting and I showed her around and explained the nature of the concerns of local people.

- Problems with the flare

In early December, there were a range of technical problems at the biogas plant which caused an "emergency" flare to be activated on numerous occasions. The resultant noise and vibration from the flare caused significant upset for local residents and their complaints prompted the Environment Agency to intervene.

The Environment Agency informed Greener for Life that they were not compliant with their environmental permit and served an enforcement notice. In an email in mid December 2015, the Agency stated it would require the company “to make improvements to rectify the noise issues” and they have “advised the company that they should minimise activities at the site that could lead to the flare being used …”

At a Forum meeting on 16th December 2015, representatives of Greener for Life confirmed that they would be minimising feedstock fed into the biogas plant for a four-six week period to sort out the issues with the flare.

A new flare has now been installed and Greener for Life are monitoring how it performs.

- Pig farm application

As stated in my last report, the application for the redevelopment of the pig farm was agreed at November’s meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee, subject to a range of conditions. The planning officers were given delegated authority to finalise the conditions – in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-chairman of the Committee, plus me.

I have commented in detail on the draft conditions which will include the insertion of bio-filters or equivalent odour treatment measures into all the livestock buildings and enhanced measures to control surface water.

This work is ongoing and it is likely that the conditions will be finalised over the next couple of weeks.

4. Bus services between Summercourt and Truro

Since the open meeting in Summercourt's New Memorial Hall in late summer, I have been in regular contact with Alex Carter of First Kernow about the continuing lack of bus services linking Summercourt to Truro.

He has been assessing the various options, exploring how he could divert either the 90 or 93 services to serve the village. I understand that it is his view that it is not possible to redirect the 93 service (which also goes through Indian Queens / Fraddon and Mitchell) throughout the day, because of the impact on timings. He is instead proposing to mainly use the 90 service for a new Summercourt service.

I have received the following update from Mr Carter, which is as follows:

”Following our pledge to restore a regular frequency bus link between Summercourt and Truro, we have examined various timetable options built around our current network in the area.

”The one which works best operationally for FIRST is to divert the ‘fast’ 90 route via Summercourt. This service currently operates from Newquay via Quintrell Downs and Dairyland direct to the A30, then picks up the main route to Truro. It does not serve Trispen/St Erme village.

”The intention on journeys to Truro would be to run to Summercourt traffic lights, first serving the stop at Beaconside, then turn right at the lights and head out via Chapel Town to rejoin the A30.

”On journeys from Truro to Newquay, because of the exit arrangements off the A30 dual carriageway, the bus would slip off at the Summercourt turn, and then left over the bridge to the village traffic lights (allowing passengers to alight at Beaconside). It would then turn right at the lights, and head to Chapel Town where the bus would reverse near Clock Garage. It would then return to the lights, turn left, pick up as required at Beaconside, and then continue north on its journey to Newquay, via Dairyland and Quintrell Downs.

”This service operates hourly in each direction, Mondays to Saturdays. We acknowledge that there is a limited peak time facility on the 90, and we will look to divert some service 93 journeys (these run via Fraddon) at these times.

”I am presently working with Cornwall Council to finalise a revised timetable, though we do not anticipate provision of evening or Sunday journeys on these routes for Summercourt.

”These changes need to be properly registered with the Traffic Commissioner, and it is anticipated the agreed changes will be introduced in early April 2016.

”The Truro service described here would be additional to the two hourly St Austell-Summercourt-Newquay 25 service currently operated by us and financially supported by Cornwall Council, as well as the services provided by Summercourt Travel.”

I have tried to keep local people informed about this situation and I did place the above information on a leaflet, which I delivered around Summercourt village.

5. South West Water works at Trevarren

Parish councillors will be aware that I have been making representations on behalf of the residents of Trevarren for over a decade, because of the regularsurcharge of waste from the foul water sewer onto the highway through their hamlet.

Last year, I reported that South West Water were considering two options to ameliorate the flooding problems in Trevarren.

I can now confirm that South West Water has agreed plans to realign a section of the sewer near Trevarren and to add an attenuation tank into the system. This tank would be capable of holding 240,000 litres of water and it would control the water flows into the sewer system leading towards the Rosewastis pumping station further to the east.

South West Water are presently finalising the scheme and I am in contact with some residents on the western side of Trevarren who are seeking guarantees that the scheme has been appropriately designed to eliminate all risk of local flooding.

South West Water’s present timetable is to commence construction works in March 2016.

6. Grant application for new play equipment in the Indian Queens Recreation Ground

On behalf of St Enoder Parish Council, I have completed and despatched an application for funding from Cornwall SITA Trust Ltd towards the construction of a new play area in the Indian Queens Recreation Ground.

The application will be assessed and judged at a meeting on 22nd April 2016.

Other funding for the project will come from a one-off community payment from the developers of the solar farm at Burthy near Fraddon (secured through a legal undertaking linked to their planning application), and a contribution from a local developer in lieu of not providing a small play area on a local housing site (secured through a Section 106 agreement). I will detail the full funding package in the future when the full project costs have, hopefully, been secured.

I have been working with Amanda Kendall, the Parish Clerk, to liaise with two providers of play equipment who are presently revising schemes and associated quotes for the new play area, assuming an anticipated budget costs of £120,000.

These designs will then form the basis of a consultation with the local community (including Indian Queens Primary School and the playgroups) to guide what the final scheme will look like. This consultation will include a drop in session for children and parents, presumably at Indian Queens Victory Hall.

7. Kelliers

At the July meeting of the Parish Council, I reported that I had formally requested the freehold of The Kelliers be transferred to St Enoder Parish Council, instead of being leased as previously agreed following the refusal of the unitary authority to honour the Parish Councl’s arrangement with the former Restormel Borough Council.

I can now report that having spoken to the relevant portfolio holder and senior council officers, a fresh report has been written with the recommendation of a freehold transfer of the land to St Enoder Parish Council.

This has been forwarded to the relevant corporate director for final sign off. I have spoken to him and he has confirmed that the recommendation has his full support.

It has taken a lot of work, spread over six years, to get to this point, but I am very pleased that we will soon be able to finalise the transfer, and we can then focus on making improvements to this area, turning it into a countryside area for local parishioners to enjoy.

8. Devolution fund

Cornwall Council has set up a devolution fund totalling £608,000 to assist those town and parish councils, and local organisations, taking over assets and services from the unitary authority and/or to promote partnership working. 19 Community Network Panels.

I will be attending a meeting next week to discuss how the funding allocated to the China Clay Area should be spent.

9. Fairview Park, St Columb Road

In the period leading up to Christmas, I liaised closely with Kingsley Developers and Cornwall Council about the transfer of the land (on which a play area had not been provided) to St Enoder Parish Council. I can confirm that a solicitor acting on behalf of the developer has been in contact with the Parish Council to commence the transfer.

In association with this, a sum of £16,000 will also be passed to Parish Council and, as previously agreed, the Parish Council will use an element of this money to tidy up and landscape the area. As previously agreed, the remainder of the funding will then go towards the provision of play equipment in the Indian Queens Recreation Ground (see section 6 above).

10. Lindsay Fields, Fraddon

The owner of the land to the rear of Heather Meadow and Lindsay Fields, in Fraddon, has started the next phase of the estate which presently would comprise 23 housing units of which 13 would be affordable.

I have been contacted by a number of residents with concerns about boundary treatments between Lindsay Fields and Princess Park to the east, and I have asked the developer to meet with them to discuss their concerns.

A number of residents have also reported concerns about water management in the area, which the developer has been attempting to manage. Looking to the future, I have asked the planners at the unitary authority and the developer to meet together to discuss in detail how surface water would be dealt with as the next stage of the development goes ahead.

I can also report that the developer will soon be transferring the open and landscaped area, associated to the previous phase of the scheme, to the unitary authority for future maintenance, etc.

11. Entrance to Heather Meadow, Fraddon

However, I am getting increasingly frustrated at how difficult it is proving to get Cornwall Council to tidy up the landscaped area at the entrance into the Heather Meadow estate. I have asked that Cormac’s environmental team tidy the area up, but the ownership technically lies with highways section and, because of funding cuts, they are only carrying out maintenance where there is a health and safety issue. I am trying to broker a deal to end with this impasse, but it is proving ridiculously difficult.

12. Planning and related matters

I have been actively involved with a large number of ongoing applications, as well as related planning matters. Listed below are a few examples, though this list is by no means exhaustive:

- Five dwellings near Manor Drive, Fraddon; planning appeal (PA15/00763)

As requested at a previous meeting, I produced a statement on behalf of the Parish Council, setting out opposition to this development, which was not policy compliant and did not include adequate affordable housing or at an appropriate sale price.

- Pines Tip, Fraddon (PA15/00955)

I have continued to keep in close contact with the relevant planning officers with regard to this application for three wind turbines on the western edge of the clayworks in our Parish.

This application had been on the agenda of the Strategic Planning Committee for November 2015 with a recommendation for refusal, but it was pulled from the agenda because the applicant stated that they wished to submit further information to address the concerns of the planning officers. Legal advice was sought and this stated that it would be premature to make a decision on the application.

This application will be going back to the Strategic Planning Committee within the next couple of months, following the recent reconsultation when the Parish Council restated its objection to the scheme.

- Kingsley Village, Fraddon (PA15/04129)

Following the decision to approve the redevelopment of Kingsley Village at the October meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee, I have been in regular contact with the case officer about the relevant wording for the conditions. At the time of writing, Cornwall Council and the applicant are still in negotiation about elements of these conditions and they have yet to be signed off.

I have also been continuing to seek clarification that the new owners (Consolidated Property Group) of the complex will definitely continue to provide a Post Office at the site.

I have received a letter from CPG which clearly states that, subject to “agreement with the Post Office,” a Post Office will be a feature of the site going forward.

In terms of the actual siting of the unit, the letter stated:

“I can confirm that CPG are in discussion with the Post Office and Marks and Spencer and seek to achieve the relocation of the existing facility within the redevelopment as a valuable service to the local community. The decision on whether to accommodate the post office within Marks and Spencer or in a new pod unit has yet to be taken as Marks and Spencer's fitting out plans have not been finalised.”

- Former Post Office, Fraddon (PA15/08012)

The change of use application to turn the former Post Office in Fraddon into a takeaway is proving quite controversial, with many people worried about the traffic and parking aspects of the proposal. Because of this, I have requested that it be referred to the Central Sub-Area Planning Committee for consideration. I do not have a date for the committee meeting yet.

- Wheal Remfry Clayworks, Fraddon (PA15/09670)

I have liaised closely with the planning officer on this “prior approval” under Class 17B of the General Permitted Development Order for the "processing, crushing and screening of aggregates" within the pit.

This was not a planning application as such, but a form of permitted development on which the local planning authority could nonetheless impose conditions.

I sought legal advice from within the authority that this application was being dealt with appropriately within planning legislation and I therefore, in consultation with the Parish Council, focussed on reviewing and seeking improvements to the proposed conditions.

In particular, I successfully secured:

- Additional noice monitoring.

- Further detailed information about the access road into the site from the Gaverigan roundabout.

- Improved road markings where a footpath crosses the access road.
- Enhanced screening at the entrance into the site and by the access road.

- Mobile homes on the Kelliers

Following the refusal of the second part-retrospective application for mobile homes on the Kelliers (PA15/06186), enforcement officers have been continuing their investigations into the site. I can confirm that a series of enforcement notices were served by the unitary authority in the first week of January 2016.

13. Full Council: 15th December 2015

Following a four-hour meeting of the Planning Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) at Cornwall Council on 17th November, the latest version of the Cornwall Local Plan was agreed by members on Full Council on 15th December.

This followed the first stage of the Examination in Public in May 2015, when a government inspector instructed the Council to make a series of changes to make the document “sound,” and therefore adoptable.

A number of changes were made which included increasing Cornwall’s housing target for the period 2010-2030 to 52,500. This was agreed because councillors knew that a lower figure would not be acceptable to the Inspector and it would stall the process.

The Council was also forced to reduce affordable housing targets to meet certain “viability tests” which means that the new target in Clay Country will only be 25% for allocated or infill sites. Obviously, this will make it more difficult to provide appropriate levels of affordable housing on future developments.
I was the only councillor to table an amendment at the meeting, when I moved that the so-called “eco-community” of 1,200 properties near St Austell be removed from the document. I told the meeting that the Planning Policy Statement which specified that Clay Country must have an eco-town had been withdrawn and councillors could therefore legitimately reconsider the allocation.

I also reminded them that the level of housing proposed for the China Clay Area – including the eco-community – was allowed to go forward, it would mean that the housing stock of Clay Country would increase by 87% over four decades (from 1991 to 2030), the highest level of growth in the whole of Cornwall.

It was extremely disappointing that only eight councillors supported my proposal; the four MK councillors and four independents.

Following a further consultation due to take place between 25th January and 7th March 2015, the document will be referred back to the Examination in Public which is expected to resume in May.

14. Highway issues

Since the last meeting of St Enoder Parish Council, I have been following up on a number of highway-related issues. A few examples are listed below:

- Schemes sent to the Asset and Design team

I have had it confirmed that two potential schemes have been referred to the above team for consideration. These are (i) improvements to the drains through Fraddon and (ii) measures to deal with a problem of rising water coming up in the pavement to the east of Queens Garage.

- Speed checks

I have requested a number of speed checks around the Parish in order to up evidence to better assess local problems with speeding traffic. Three checks have been carried out at:

Chapeltown, Summercourt
Newquay Road, St Columb Road
Sea View Terrace

The results are available on request.

- Accident at New Road to the west of Penhale

Prior to Christmas, I was contacted by residents about an accident outside their properties, when a visiting family member’s car, parked in front of the rural terrace, was hit by a van. Thankfully no-one was hurt, but the car was written off and the wall to the front of one of the properties was knocked down.

A number of years ago, I did manage to get some slight improvements in terms of road markings and signage, but it has clearly been proved not to be adequate. This is the second car that has been written off since the improvements and there has also been a near-miss with a pedestrian in the locality.

I am making additional representations on this matter, along with Sea View Terrace to the south of Fraddon where residents have similar concerns.

- Requests for traffic schemes

I have reported before as to how Cornwall Councillors were asked to put forward traffic schemes to be considered as possible projects by Highways officers, though we were left under no illusions about the lack of funding within the authority.

My proposed schemes included traffic calming measures at entrance points into the main built-up areas of the Parish and other key locations, measures relating to the expansion of Indian Queens Primary School (as set out in the School Travel Plan by Hyder Consulting), traffic management measures around the Co-op at St Columb Road, a pedestrian crossing at Summercourt crossroads, and a 20 mph speed limit by Summercourt Primary School.

I have been in regular contact with the officer leading on this project and it seems that none of the schemes I have out forward are being deemed worthy of prioritisation.

It would be helpful if St Enoder Parish Council were to write a letter to Cornwall Council in support of my representations.

15. Flooding / water run-off

Over the last two months, I have been contacted by residents about issues with water run-off and/or flooding. These have included locations such as the entrance to Gaverigan Manor Farm (over-flowing road ditch), Lindsay Fields, Fraddon (as noted above), St James View, Fraddon (water run-off from “village green” into properties), the Drang, Indian Queens (blocked drain), the A3058 south of Summercourt (flooded section of road), and east of St Dennis Junction (flooded section of road).

I have reported these incidents to the relevant staff at the unitary authority and I am continuing to follow-up on their responses.

16. Knotweed

I am continuing to put pressure on Cornwall Council to be more proactive in contacting landowners who are not dealing with knotweed on their land.

17. Local playgroups
I have been in regular contacts with both the Indian Queens Under-5s and the Wesley Pre-School. I am assisting the Indian Queens Under-5s with general advice and funding support, and I am also helping the Wesley Pre-School with guidance on their fundraising for their new building project.

18. Broadband coverage in Summercourt

I am also making representations on behalf of people in Summercourt who are not able access superfast broadband. The majority of the village is well-served from the west, but a small number of homes on the eastern side of the village, and the primary school, are unable to get a decent broadband service. This is because they are linked to the exchange in Fraddon, a significant distance away.

On Friday 22nd January 2015, I met with representatives of the Cornwall Development Company and British Telecom to raise the concerns of the School and their immediate neighbours. I will report back more fully in the near future.

19. Boundary Commission
Three representatives of the “Local Government Boundary Commission” visited Cornwall in late November 2015 and met with the leaders of the various political groups on the unitary authority. They told us that we had to commence a boundary review immediately; to review the number of councillors and agree new divisional boundaries for the 2017 council elections.

All members were aghast at the meeting, especially as the so-called “devolution deal” signed with government stated that a Boundary Review would not be commenced until after the 2017 elections.

However, Cornwall Council made representations and has now received a letter from the Local Government Boundary Committee which has agreed to extend the deadline for the upcoming Boundary Review.

This means that the review will now take place over a two year period and not be rushed through in the next twelve months. It also means that the 2017 elections will be fought on the existing boundaries.

The revised timetable for the review may be broadly summarised as follows:

· The consideration of council size (ie. the number of councillors) will take place in 2016 with the council’s preferred option submitted to the Commission by 3rd March 2017. The final decision on this will be made by the Commission in May 2017.

· The consideration of divisional boundaries will be undertaken throughout 2017, with the target date for the consultation on the draft recommendations being 24th October – 19th December 2017.

· The target date for the publication of the final recommendations is presently 27th March 2018, with the order down to be laid in parliament in April 2018.

· The new boundaries would then be first used in the local elections planned for 2021.

20. Inquiries

Throughout the last two months, I have also helped numerous people with advice and guidance. Issues have included housing problems, speeding traffic, various enforcement matters and more.

21. Newsletter

I am presently working on a newsletter which I hope to deliver during the month of February. Any help with the distribution would be greatly appreciated.

Fair funding for rural areas

In the 2015 General Election, would-be Conservative MPs across the United Kingdom pledged fair funding for rural areas, but the actions of David Cameron’s administration show such promises to have been hollow.

Just look at the latest local government funding settlement, which was announced just before Christmas.

Government ministers have claimed that increases to the “Rural Services Delivery Grant” will benefit non-urban local authorities, but the reality is that any gains are more than out-weighed by other cuts.

And overall, the settlement will actually shift funding from rural to metropolitan areas, and it has been condemned by the Rural Services Network as “fundamentally unfair for rural communities.”

In a House of Commons debate on 11th January, Conservative MPs even lined up to criticise their own government on this issue.

In the debate lead by Graham Stuart MP of the Rural Fair Share Group, former minister Owen Paterson MP described the settlement as “still extraordinarily unfair” while Simon Hoare MP stated that “it would reduce local government to being neither sustainable nor deliverable.”

He made it clear that he could not support it and, in colourful language, added that in his county of Dorset the local council in making cuts had not only “trimmed off” the fat, but “we have gone through the surface of the bone and, in some instances, are sucking out the marrow.”

Cornish parliamentarians were present and St Ives MP Derek Thomas rightly recounted how rural areas had consistently received “less money per person” than in urban areas.

He added: “This has affected our ability to care for our elderly, educate our children, provide public transport, deliver our health services, care for people with severe learning difficulties, police our streets, invest in our infrastructure and deliver council services … all have suffered as a result of years and years of underfunding.”

I was however very disappointed at the comments of South East Cornwall MP Sheryll Murray, who seemed more interested in moaning about the lack of “Labour Members representing urban areas” taking part in the session.

I would remind her that the United Kingdom has a majority Conservative Government. It is made up of 330 Conservative MPs in Westminster and these MPs have the collective ability and power to deliver fair funding for rural areas such as Cornwall.

So let’s have action on this issue, instead of just an angst-filled Commons debate.

[This will be my article in this coming week's Cornish Guardian].

Why not join Mebyon Kernow today?

This week, Mebyon Kernow challenged the Westminster political parties to make 2016 “the year of Cornish recognition.”

If you agree with our campaign for political recognition, the recognition of Cornwall’s territoriality and the recognition of our distinct identity and language (as reported by the Cornish Guardian below) – and are not already a member of Mebyon Kernow – why not join MK today?

We have already had the good news, this week, that there will not be a “rushed” Boundary Review for the unitary authority. It means that we know what the divisions will be for the 2017 local elections and we can start planning in earnest for these contests.

If you want to help us get more pro-Cornwall councillors elected in fifteen months time - why not join MK today and help us win seats in 2017?

Individual membership only costs £15 per individual (waged) or £8 (unwaged); family membership is £20 per household, while life membership is a bargain at £300 per person.

Members get Cornish Nation magazine three times a year, as well as the opportunity to attend numerous local events and take part in campaigns to win a better deal for Cornwall.

You can join online at:
https://www.mebyonkernow.org/support/membership/

Alternatively you could send a cheque made out to Mebyon Kernow to me at Mebyon Kernow c/o Lanhainsworth, Fraddon Hill, Fraddon, St Columb, TR9 6PQ.

I would certainly love to hear from you.

Letter of support in the Cornish Guardian

Many thanks to Julie Fox for her letter of support for MK’s work and our continuing opposition to the so-called eco-community. If you haven’t seen it, her letter was as follows:

I was extremely disappointed to read the editorial in last week’s Cornish Guardian, which gave support to the eco-town near St Austell. 

I cannot understand why the Guardian would prefer to support the interests of large businesses, rather than the 1,000 people who have opposed the development.

Why is it that, whatever local people say, these large housing schemes always seem to have a momentum of their own?

I also seem to remember that during the general election, local candidates for MP of all political colours were falling over each other to show their opposition to the eco-town: but when Clay Country councillors Dick Cole and Matt Luke tried to get the eco-town removed from the Local Plan, their initiative was only supported by Mebyon Kernow councillors and a handful of independents.

It is a disgrace that the larger political parties have gone against when they said during the election. Where is the democracy in this?

A new timetable for the Council's boundary review

Cornwall Council has today received a letter form the Local Government Boundary Committee which has, following representations from the unitary authority, agreed to extend the deadline for the upcoming Boundary Review.

This is very good news and means that the review will now take place over a two year period and not be rushed through in the next twelve months.

It also means that the 2017 elections will be fought on the existing boundaries and a total of 123 councillors will be elected.

The revised timetable for the review may be broadly summarised as follows:

The consideration of council size (ie. the number of councillors) will take place in 2016 with the council’s preferred option submitted to the Commission by 3rd March 2017. The final decision on this will be made by the Commission in May 2017.

The consideration of divisional boundaries will be undertaken throughout 2017, with the target date for the consultation on the draft recommendations being 24th October – 19th December 2017.

The target date for the publication of the final recommendations is presently 27th March 2018, with the order down to be laid in parliament in April 2018.

The new boundaries would then be first used in the local elections planned for 2021.

FIRST KERNOW: Bus services for Summercourt village … UPDATE

Since the open meeting in Summercourt's New Memorial Hall in late summer, I have been in regular contact with Alex Carter of First Kernow about the continuing lack of bus services linking Summercourt to Truro.

He has been assessing the various options, exploring how he could divert either the 90 or 93 services to serve the village. I understand that it is his view that it is not possible to redirect the 93 service (which also goes through Indian Queens / Fraddon and Mitchell) throughout the day, because of the impact on timings. He is instead proposing to mainly use the 90 service for a new Summercourt service.

I have received the following update from Mr Carter, who would also like to apologise that it has taken him longer than he intended to come back with a proposal to serve the village. His message is as follows:

Following our pledge to restore a regular frequency bus link between Summercourt and Truro, we have examined various timetable options built around our current network in the area.

The one which works best operationally for FIRST is to divert the ‘fast’ 90 route via Summercourt. This service currently operates from Newquay via Quintrell Downs and Dairyland direct to the A30, then picks up the main route to Truro. It does not serve Trispen/St Erme village.

The intention on journeys to Truro would be to run to Summercourt traffic lights, first serving the stop at Beaconside, then turn right at the lights and head out via Chapel Town to rejoin the A30.

On journeys from Truro to Newquay, because of the exit arrangements off the A30 dual carriageway, the bus would slip off at the Summercourt turn, and then left over the bridge to the village traffic lights (allowing passengers to alight at Beaconside). It would then turn right at the lights, and head to Chapel Town where the bus would reverse near Clock Garage. It would then return to the lights, turn left, pick up as required at Beaconside, and then continue north on its journey to Newquay, via Dairyland and Quintrell Downs.

This service operates hourly in each direction, Mondays to Saturdays. We acknowledge that there is a limited peak time facility on the 90, and we will look to divert some service 93 journeys (these run via Fraddon) at these times.

I am presently working with Cornwall Council to finalise a revised timetable, though we do not anticipate provision of evening or Sunday journeys on these routes for Summercourt.

These changes need to be properly registered with the Traffic Commissioner, and it is anticipated the agreed changes will be introduced in early April 2016.

The Truro service described here would be additional to the two hourly St Austell-Summercourt-Newquay 25 service currently operated by us and financially supported by Cornwall Council, as well as the services provided by Summercourt Travel.

I have placed this information on a leaflet, which I have delivered around much of Summercourt today. There are some places still to do and I intend to be out again on Wednesday.

Make 2016 the year of Cornish recognition

Mebyon Kernow has released a press release following its first National Executive meeting of 2016. It was as follows:

Mebyon Kernow press release: Make 2016 the year of Cornish recognition

MK has challenged the Westminster political parties to make 2016 “the year of Cornish recognition.”

At the first meeting of the Party’s Executive in 2016, party members expressed concern that central government had failed to build on the recognition of the Cornish people through the Framework Convention on National Minorities in April 2014.

MK Deputy Leader Cllr Loveday Jenkin said: “It is almost two years since the British government bowed to years of pressure and recognised that the Framework Convention on National Minorities covered the Cornish.

“But they have since failed to act on this important Convention in terms of the political recognition of Cornwall, and the protection of its distinct territoriality. They have also failed to properly invest in Cornwall’s distinct culture and identity.

“Mebyon Kernow believes that 2016 must be the year that Cornish recognition – in terms of politics and governance, territoriality and culture – becomes a mainstream issue across the UK.”

The Party for Cornwall is preparing a detailed representation which will be sent to the leaders of the Westminster political parties. It will challenge them to act on MK’s concerns.

Political recognition

MK economy spokesman Cllr Andrew Long has added that “national minority status was a landmark ruling,” but it “must help lead to the people of Cornwall achieving greater control over their “political and economic lives through the creation of a legislative National Assembly of Cornwall.

“I repeat MK’s call for a new democratic settlement which recognises and respects Cornwall’s status as one of the historic nations of the United Kingdom.

“Cornwall merits stand-alone legislation for meaningful devolution of significant powers to a National Assembly of Cornwall, within the framework of the United Kingdom.”

Recognition of Cornwall’s territoriality

MK members remain extremely concerned about the refusal of central government to recognise Cornwall as a “distinct national community for all forms of governance, administration and service provision.” 

Cllr Long added: “Public services for Cornwall should be run from bodies based in and committed to Cornwall. It is not right that civil servants in Exeter, Bristol and London have more say than democratically elected politicians in Cornwall.

“We are also angry that Cornwall’s national border is not respected by this Government, and we give notice today that we will be redoubling our efforts to challenge the legitimacy of the upcoming parliamentary boundary review which would lead to a cross-Tamar Devonwall seat.”

Recognition of Cornwall’s distinct identity and language

Mebyon Kernow is also increasingly nonplussed at central government’s seeming unwillingness to respect, recognise and invest in Cornwall’s distinct identity and language.

Cllr Loveday Jenkin added: “Cornwall has a unique national identity, grounded in its culture, language, traditions and history, as well as a distinct constitutional position.

“But while central government accepts our national minority status it appears disinterested in supporting our culture in a manner appropriate to the schedules of the Framework Convention.

“It is particularly unbelievable that they have yet to make any announcement on whether there will be any money for the promotion of the Cornish language.”

Support for Junior Doctors

It is clear to me that the vast majority of people treasure the National Health Service, and the historic values that it represents of a universal service, free at the point of use for one and all.

As someone who stood in the 2015 General Election, I do recall that the future of the NHS was the issue raised most often with the candidates.

The concerns were varied and included a particular fear at the creeping privatisation of the NHS and the associated ideological tinkering with what is our greatest public service.

I continue to very much share these views, and the recent failings of the private company delivering cleaning services for the Royal Cornwall Trust do show that there is no place for profit in the provision of healthcare.

And this week, junior doctors went on strike, for the first time in over forty years, in a dispute about a new contract being put in place by the Government.

The British Medical Association has made it clear that “industrial action” was always the “last resort” for the medical profession but, in this case, the alternative was a contract that “threatened patient care.”

At the Mebyon Kernow Conference in November, our party members were addressed by Hannah Brotherstone, a junior doctor at the Royal Cornwall Hospital. She was utterly convincing and briefed us on the threats to the National Health Service from the proposed changes and the alterations to the working conditions of doctors.

We were all very impressed with Hannah and her narrative was compelling. What is more, her focus was entirely about the safeguarding the National Health Service.

To me, it was a massive contrast to the approach of the Health Minister Jeremy Hunt, who is playing politics on this important issue, and is now threatening to take the “nuclear option” of imposing a new contract on junior doctors without their consent.

I am heartened that the public has seen through the misdirections of central government and are clearly supportive of the junior doctors, with a recent MORI showing 66 per cent of people backing the doctors.

I even saw one report with a doctor recalling that: “We had grandparents bringing us hot coffee on the freezing picket line, mums and their pre-schoolers bringing us homemade cakes, and so many honks of support from the passing cars it was almost deafening.”

Surely such supports shows it is time for central government to think again.

[This will be my column in this week's Cornish Guardian.]

My next Cornish Guardian article ... a council boundary review?

In this coming week’s Cornish Guardian, I have written about the upcoming boundary review for Cornwall Council. I covered this topic on my blog prior to Christmas, but the article is posted here in the spirit of completeness.

This will be as follows:

On 23rd November 2015, three representatives of the Local Government Boundary Commission came to Cornwall and informed councillors that an immediate boundary review had to undertaken for the 2017 council elections.

Such a review would consider the number of councillors as well as the boundaries of the individual electoral divisions.

Most councillors were shocked by the announcement as the so-called “devolution deal,” recently agreed between Cornwall Council and central government, stated that the next such review would commence in 2017 for the 2021 elections.

Many of us also believe their proposed 12-month timetable for the process is totally impractical, especially given the nature and extent of the consultation processes that they themselves have specified.

Indeed, a similar review for Devon County Council was commenced in early 2014. It is ongoing and, by the time it is competed, it will have taken around two years.

I believe it is right that Cornwall Council has made a strong representation to the Boundary Commission, seeking that the next boundary review is not rushed and takes place on the originally agreed timetable. And I hope the Commission does respond positively to this submission

I have to say that I have also been saddened at the initial wave of press coverage on this issue, and the oft-repeated assumption that Cornwall has too many elected councillors.

One recent Cornish Guardian report stated: “The size of Cornwall Council, which has 123 councillors, has been a cause for concern,” adding that the “Welsh Assembly has only 60 members and the Scottish Parliament is not much bigger than Cornwall Council, with 129.”

This is a ridiculous comparison as the unitary authority is a local council, not a national legislature, and the reality is that Cornwall (population 535,000) has fewer councillors than most other areas.

Prior to the creation of the unitary authority, Cornwall had 331 councillors on principal local authorities.

Scotland (population 5.3 million) does indeed have 129 parliamentarians, but it also has 1,222 councillors on 32 principal authorities. And Wales (population 3.1 million) does have 60 assembly members, but at local government level it has 1,254 councillors on its 22 unitary authorities.

The contrast with the local government arrangements in the neighbouring English counties of Devon and Somerset is also very stark, with Cornwall having less elected members per head of population. Devon (population 1.4 million) has 492 councillors on county, district and unitary councils, while Somerset (population 915,000) has 425 councillors.

Cornish Nation magazine no. 71 ... out now!

Mebyon Kernow has just published its latest edition of Cornish Nation magazine, which has recently been sent out to all party members.

It includes features about the decision of Michael Bunney to join MK, a review of the so-called “devolution deal,” numerous news updates, a tribute to Stan Stevenson, and much more.

Anyone who would like a complimentary copy of the magazine – either as a pdf or in hard copy – can request one from me at dickcole@btinternet.com.

MK meeting in St Austell & Newquay Constituency: Friday 15th January

The next meeting for Mebyon Kernow members and supporters in the St Austell and Newquay Constituency has been arranged for the evening of Friday 15th January.

The meeting will take place in the function room of the White Hart Hotel in St Austell, and will start at 7.30.



Issues for discussion at the meeting will include our campaign priorities for 2016, looking ahead to the 2017 local elections and raising the profile of Mebyon Kernow in Mid Cornwall.

Anyone from the St Austell & Newquay Constituency, who would be interested in attending and finding more about MK, can call me on 07791 876607 for more details.

My Cornish Guardian column on the so-called "eco-community"

In my first column for the Cornish Guardian in 2016, I have written about the proposal for an eco-community near St Austell. I believe there are a number of aspects of recent debates which have not received enough coverage in the local media.

The article will be as follows:

The proposal for a so-called “eco-community” of 1,500 new properties in the China Clay Area has been in the news in recent weeks.

The petition to safeguard the sky-tip (that lies within the development area) secured a significant amount of coverage in UK-wide newspapers, such as the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror, and this was followed by a splurge of publicity from Eco-bos, the company which is promoting the scheme in partnership with Cornwall Council.

Eco-bos are now claiming that the sky-tip is not under threat and in a pre-Christmas press release stated the historic feature would be a “focal point” as part of a “heritage park" near the new housing.

Their spokesman actually said: “To be absolutely clear, Eco-bos has never proposed removing the sky-tip so its future is not in doubt …”

Such a statement is not accurate.

Only 18 months ago, there was a consultation from Cornwall Council and Eco-bos which contained possible three scenarios for the “eco-community.”

In two of the scenarios, the sky-tip was to be removed. In the third, the consultation claimed – with unforgivable double-speak – that the feature would be “retained” albeit “transformed to improve safety for ease of public access and sculpted to provide a new viewpoint.” Put simply, it would have been reprofiled making it unrecognisable.

As a long-standing opponent of the “eco-community,” I challenged the whole scheme at a meeting of the unitary authority in mid December, when the final draft of Cornwall’s planning blueprint for the period until 2030 – known as the Local Plan – was agreed.

I moved an amendment that the “eco-community” be removed from the Plan. This was seconded by MK councillor Matt Luke, who represents Penwithick & Boscoppa.

In my contribution to the debate, I pointed out that the central government Planning Policy Statement, which stated that there must be an “eco-town” near St Austell, had been cancelled in March 2015. I argued that this meant councillors could legitimately reconsider whether such a proposal was appropriate.

I further argued that the “eco-community” did not have local support, as it had been opposed by over 1,000 people plus two local parish councils and St Austell Town Council.

And I added that, if the level of housing proposed for Clay Country (including the eco-community) did go ahead, the housing stock of the area would increase by 87% between 1990 and 2030 – the highest level of growth in the whole of Cornwall.

I felt it right to describe this amount of housing as “excessive.” It would, for example, be three times the level of housing growth experienced in South East Cornwall and much more than double that of a number of other areas including West Penwith, Falmouth & Penryn, and Wadebridge & Padstow.

It was therefore extremely disappointing that my amendment was only supported by eight councillors – all four Mebyon Kernow councillors plus four independents.