One and all need to say no to Devonwall seat

The “Boundary Commission for England” (BCE) today opened its second consultation on proposals for new parliamentary boundaries across the UK – which include a “Devonwall” seat.

An initial 12-week consultation was held in Autumn 2016 and almost 20,000 responses were received. These have now been published and can be viewed on their consultation website: www.bce2018.org.uk.

The “Boundary Commission for England” has stated the following on their website: “You had the chance to tell the BCE what you thought about their proposals in the first consultation; this is now your opportunity to say what you think about other suggestions made during that consultation. You can support counter-proposals, highlight issues with alternative ideas and say where you think BCE’s original proposals are still the best solution.”

The consultation last until 27th March.

As the leader of Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall, I would appeal to everyone in Cornwall to redouble their efforts to oppose the creation of a cross-Tamar constituency.

We are fully aware that the Boundary Review process is dictated by the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011, which would inevitably lead to a cross-Tamar seat.

But the proposal for a “Devonwall” constituency would be a disaster for Cornwall, breaching our historic border which has existed for more than one thousand years.

Now is the time for everyone who believes Cornwall should be protected as a coherent national, cultural, political and economic unit, to lobby the Boundary Commission, local MPs and the UK Government, to show how strongly we feel about keeping Cornwall Whole.

And now is the time to increase the pressure on Westminster politicians to either modify the legislation to safeguard Cornwall’s territoriality or put an end to this Boundary Review in its entirety.

Please join us in this important campaign.

The above image is of MK members at the recent Polson Bridge protest against Devonwall.

My latest monthly report to St Enoder Parish Council

My latest monthly report will be presented to tomorrow’s meeting of St Enoder Parish Council. It covers the time period 16th January to 26th February 2017, and will be as follows:

1. Council meetings

I have attended a range of formal meetings at Cornwall Council in the last month.

These included: Full Council (2), Planning Policy Advisory Committee (which stretched over two days) and an associated pre-agenda session, Housing PAC (which reviewed the Council’s housing strategy), Transport PAC, Constitution and Governance Committee, Electoral Review Panel (3) and associated workshop, a meeting of members from the China Clay Area, another meeting of the China Clay Area Network and an associated briefing on the proposed link road between the A30 and St Austell, a number of briefings (4) at New County Hall, national minority working group, group leaders’ meeting, a summit on the economic impacts of Brexit (held at the Royal Cornwall showground) and planning training on design.

As well as the meetings listed above, I had some informal meetings with council officers at the unitary authority, and I have attended three meetings of St Enoder Parish Council and a number of sessions relating to the St Enoder Neighbourhood Plan.

2. Other meetings

I have also attended a meeting of the Board of ClayTAWC at St Dennis, of which I am Chairman, the AGM of Indian Queens Pit (as a trustee) and the South and East Cornwall Local Action Group,

3. St Enoder Neighbourhood Plan

Along with other members of St Enoder Parish, I have been very busy with the work relating to the distribution of the second consultation document for the Neighbourhood Plan (plus response sheet and freepost envelopes). I am grateful to everyone who helped to staple the questionnaires together (particularly on the evening of 17th January) and the actual deliveries. I also attended the three consultation events held at Indian Queens Victory Hall (Tuesday 31st January), Fraddon Village Hall (Tuesday 7th February) and Summercourt New Memorial Hall (Thursday 9th February).



4. Full Council; 21st February

Cornwall Council set its budget for 2017/2018 at this meeting, which included a 3.97% increase (of which 2.0% would represent an increase in funding for adult social care). A majority of councillors supported the budget, myself included.

As in the previous debate in November, the initial calculations showed that the unitary authority would raise an additional £14 million from council tax next year but, because of ongoing cuts from central government, the Council will, overall, end up with £2.5 million less to spend on services than in the previous year. The figures presented to this most recent meeting were somewhat different because of the rural 100% business rate retention pilot and that some highway maintenance capital grants had been redefined as revenue, but the underlying budgetary problems were the same which meant that a reasonable increase in council tax was necessary.

The budget also includes the decision to freeze car parking fees for the coming twelve months from April, which followed a campaign by my MK colleague Cllr Andrew Long and independent councillor Sally Hawken.

At this meeting, councillors also agreed their final submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) in terms of the number of elected members from 2021. The proposal for 99 councillors from the Electoral Review Panel was passed by 66 votes to 13, which I had originally proposed. An alternative size of 85, proposed by the Conservatives, was rejected by a similar margin.

I am uncomfortable with the reduction in councillors, but the LGBCE had made it clear that a reduction had to be made and that the Council’s initial suggested Council size of between 105 and 115 members would not be acceptable.

The Council’s documentation, and that submitted by third parties, will now be analysed by the LGBCE before it publishes its decision of the Council’s future size in May 2017. At this point, the focus will shift onto deciding the boundaries of the actual divisions.

5. Planning Policy Advisory Committee; 20th & 24th February

This meeting was the longest that I have ever chaired. It had a lot of business, which included an Allocations Development Plan Document (housing for the main towns), a DPD for Mineral Safeguarding, Community Infrastructure Levy, update on Environmental Growth Strategy, guidance notes on some Local Plan policies including infill & rounding off, holiday conditions, air quality and design, and more.

The meeting started at 10.00 on Monday 20th January and lasted until past 4.00, when we adjourned. The meeting was reconvened on the following Thursday, lasting from 10.00 to 1.15.

Specific matters of interest to residents of St Enoder Parish included the following:

-  The Allocations DPD included the key employment site at Moorland Road, Indian Queens.
-  The Mineral Safeguarding DPD included the aggregate plants in Melbur and Wheal Remfrey, as well as Treliver Farm in St Columb (where testing recently took place for a tin / wolfrum mine). I also asked that the safeguarding buffer around the working area of the china clay deposits be modified to remove as many domestic properties from it as possible.
-  The guidance notes on infill & rounding off and holiday conditions were discussed but deferred for more work.

6. The threat to local Police Community Support Officers

The Police and Crime Plan (2017-2020) for the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary was published in early February.

Local press reports stated that the Police intended to recruit “100 new uniformed officers, 50 civilian investigators and 30 record-takers.” But the downside is that more than half of the Police Community Support Officers working across the force area will be “phased out” during the next four years.

I was particularly concerned to read a statement in the Cornish Guardian which stated that “no decision has yet been taken on which communities are likely to lose a PCSO” but that “large towns and cities are expected to see little change.” I immediately queried where this would leave communities, such as ours, which do not happen to be a large town or city?

Back in August 2016, I had attended a meeting of the China Clay Network which included a presentation from the Commissioner’s Strategy and Planning Manager. One of the key issues raised at the meeting was the importance of PCSOs in our area. There was a strong consensus that the local officers had been very effective in their work and had built strong working relationships with Parish Councils and other bodies. I was therefore very disappointed to see that our views had not been listened to.

I have written to Alison Hernandez and asked her to rethink her approach to PCSOs and community policing. The letter I have received back says that no decisions have been made about which communities will lose their PCSOs. However, there was no clear repudiation of the published comment about “large towns and cities.”

At the most recent meeting of the China Clay Area Network (Monday 20th February), we raised further concerns with Andrew White, the Chief Executive for the Police and Crime Commissioner. There was a strong consensus in support of the PCSOs and it was unanimously agreed to write to the Chief Inspector to express our concerns.

6. Biogas plant at Higher Fraddon

On 14th February, I met with staff at Cornwall Council for an update on what is happening with the various conditions relating to the consent for the biogas plant.

Here is a summary, which I hope will form a useful update.

Condition 1 states that the dome on the secondary digester should be reduced by 3.1m and this must be completed within nine months of the date of the planning permission (which was granted on 28th September 2016).

Greener for Life are in breach of condition 4 which states that: “Within four months of the date of this permission, a detailed ‘Construction Management Plan' … shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority (LPA) for the reduction in height of the secondary digester and other necessary construction works including surface water drainage and the commissioning phase of the anaerobic digester plant.” This should have been sent in by the end of January, but this has not yet been received.

Condition 6 deals with surface water management. Information has been submitted and there have been detailed discussions with the Council’s drainage officer. She requested additional information earlier this month and the discussions continue.

Condition 14 deals with traffic movements and the unitary authority has been unhappy with what has been submitted by Greener for Life. The information that has been submitted is not consistent with what they said during the previous application and appeal processes. Discussions with the Council’s highway officers are ongoing.

Condition 16 covers the need for a vehicle management policy. The Council raised some concerns about the initial submission from Greener for Life and a revised scheme was received [on 14 February]. This has been referred to the Highways team for feedback.

Condition 17 meanwhile covers landscaping. The Council’s landscaping team felt the proposed scheme left a lot to be desired and requested a revised scheme about two weeks ago.

Finally, condition 20 relates to the odour management plan. A revised document has been received and has been referred to the Council’s Public Health and Protection team. This includes: “details of covered storage on site for all imported material for approval … covered storage means that all waste and biocrops imported by lorry shall be stored either inside the main reception building or that the outside storage bays where the biocrops are currently stored shall be roofed and walled.”

It is clear that Greener for Life have no intention of storing the “biocrops” in their main building and their latest odour management plan includes the details for the covering of the external storage area.

In addition, Greener for Life have submitted a new planning application to increase the number of “staff/other vehicle movements (Light Goods Vehicles) from 7 per week to an average of 17 staff/other vehicle movements (Light Goods Vehicles) per week (over a 4 week monthly period) to a maximum of 24 in any given week (Monday to Sunday) in the 4 week period.”

The reference number is PA17/01086 and the information can be viewed on the Council’s planning portal.

7. Pines Tip

As reported at the Parish Council’s Planning Meeting on 10th January 2017, the appeal into three proposed wind turbines on Pines Tip near Fraddon has commenced. I have completed the production of a detailed representation from the Parish Council in objection to this scheme, which had been strongly opposed by local people and was unanimously turned down by the unitary authority’s Strategic Planning Committee. The document ended up being 9,500 words in length.

8. Traffic matters

- Double yellow lines

As reported in my last monthly report, I wrote to the local Highway & Environment Manager from Cormac about the condition of double yellow lines. I received the following reply:

I can confirm that the faded yellow lines for St Columb Road are already on the countywide list of defects and I have asked the highway steward to inspect the bus stop markings adjacent to Victory Hall and Carworgie Way to confirm whether they still require attention. I have also asked him to confirm specifically where the double yellow lines are faded in Fraddon.

The faded markings and signs for the waiting restrictions are added to a countywide list of sites where lining and signs requires renewal. The sites are then ranked and prioritised by Cornwall Council's Civil Parking Enforcement team. Due to reducing budgets, we are unable to accommodate the renewal of all waiting restrictions that require attention across the county, therefore the sites must be prioritised accordingly. In the meantime, if we are able to include the renewal of the lining as part of any other highway work, we will endeavour to do so, which is how the double yellow lines on Chapel Road / top of The Drang, Indian Queens were renewed.

The objectives of Civil Parking Enforcement are: reducing congestion, to maximise safety and to support economic regeneration. With these objectives there are set priority routes of enforcement patrols based upon on the Council's sensitive route network and enforcement is concentrated on the following categories: the most sensitive urban towns, commuter network, extended seasonal network, local freight network and key bus corridors. These are routes that are vital for supporting and facilitating the County's economic regeneration and for addressing mounting congestion problems. Parking Services have limited resources and have to prioritise the routes which are key to supporting the economy and communities within Cornwall. Whilst there is concentration on the priority routes, when there is contact from the public that parking contraventions are becoming an issue and causing problems on routes not usually patrolled. Parking Services will respond (whenever resources are available) and sending officers to enforce. I have forwarded your recent email to them, for consideration.

With regards to the requests for new restrictions to be added to the highway network, I have the locations mentioned on a list for consideration when a budget becomes available. I regret there are currently no funds to carry out this type of improvement work from the maintenance budget since the Councillor highway improvement funding was removed.

I have since contacted the Civil Parking Enforcement team and sent them additional information. An officer will be visiting the Parish in the near future to review the extent of the defects with the lines, particularly in St Francis Road and around the Co-op.

- Additional funding

In October, central government granted £2.9 million to Cornwall Council for a range of a range of resurfacing, drainage and road marking schemes.

In our area, I can confirm that these ongoing works have included:

-  Resurfacing of the road near Melbur blockworks.
-  Improvement of white lines (mostly around junctions) at Fraddon, Indian Queens, St Columb Road and Summercourt.
-  Drainage maintenance in a number of areas including around Retyn and Trevuzza, plus Highgate Hill and Moorland Road at Indian Queens.

- Road surfacing improvements

In addition, I have had it confirmed that Cornwall Council is planning further improvements in a number of locations, which are time-tabled in for the 2017/2018 financial year. These include the following:

-  Carnego Lane, Summercourt.
-  Road to Carvynick, Summercourt.
-  Road from A3058 towards Goonabarn and Trendeal.
-  Approaches to Halloon Roundabout, St Columb Road.
-  Limited length of approaches to Highgate Roundabout, Indian Queens.
-  Moorland Road, Indian Queens (around and to east of roundabout near industrial estate).
-  The road through Trevarren Village.
-  From Black Cross along Watery Lane.
-  Trefullock Moor, Summercourt.

I have also raised concerns about a number of areas, where the road surface is showing significant wear. These include Carworgie Way, St Columb Road; Pocohontas Crescent, Indian Queens, and Toldish. The officers are continuing to monitor these areas and have confirmed in the latter two locations that they have been nominated for surface treatment but these works will not be programmed until a later date.

- HGVs along Moorland Road towards Ruthvoes

In addition, I have asked Cormac to investigate an upsurge in problems with large lorries which are mistakenly driving east along the old A30 into St Columb Parish, where they turning around and causing significant problems for local people. Enquiries are being made and I will report again when I get a further update from the local Highway & Environment Manager.

- HGVs and Barton Lane

The local Highway & Environment Manager is also investigating problems at the entrance to Barton Lane, where HGVs have damaged two properties in recent months and have also caused some congestion problems.

- Possible asset schemes

I have also requested further information about possible capital works that have been discussed in the past; namely, (i) problems with rising water on Chapel Road to the east of Queens Garage, (ii) drainage issues on the old A30 through Fraddon, and (iii) drainage works at entrance to Gaverigan Farm.

I have been told that the Cormac’s design group believe they have a solution for Chapel Road / Queens Garage and will be finalising the design in the next couple of weeks.

In Fraddon, the design group has been out to the site during very heavy rain and, at the moment, have recorded the system working well, with all gullies and channels in a clear state. I have been told that the scheme is still on the programme but it is a lower priority than the other schemes being progressed. Some further investigatory work is to be carried out to access the main drainage line through this area to better understand past problems. I have requested a meeting with this team to discuss these potential works in detail.

Works at Gaverigan are to be nominated for a scheme to be worked up and to take place in 2017/18 budget.

- Clodan Mews

I have again raised the very poor condition of garden area in Clodan Mews, St Columb Road. The local Highway & Environment Manager is waiting to hear back from their environmental team and I will update with a further report when I hear more.

9. Traffic on access to incinerator

There have also been complaints about the number of waste lorries backing up on the road leading to the access road in the early morning. I will be attending a meeting at the incinerator to discuss these problems this coming Wednesday.

10. Indian Queens School

In my last report, I recorded how I had met with the headteacher of the School, Jane Scown, in December 2016 to discuss a number of issues and had a further meeting with the appropriate officers at Cornwall Council on 9th January 2017. This related to specific proposals in the travel plan included a new footway between the School and the Harvenna Heights housing estate, and a further path from the School through the Mowie to the Carworgie Way / Halloon Avenue estate. I am chasing Cornwall Council, but have yet to hear back in detail from this.

However, the pine trees at Ocean View have been taken down as requested by local residents who had ongoing problems with the amount of pine needles that end up in their guttering and on their gardens.

11. Kelliers

It has taken over seven years, but on 10th February 2017, the ownership of the land known as the Kelliers, near Indian Queens, was transferred from Cornwall Council to St Enoder Parish Council.

The grant of £4,950 from the unitary authority to help fund the work to improve the Kelliers as a countryside area has also been received, and I look forward to the Council taking this project forward in the coming months.

12. Post Office at Fraddon

With the redevelopment of Kingsley Village into a retail park including a Marks & Spencers, I have made regular representations about the need for a Post Office in Fraddon. The developers have reaffirmed to me that they will have a Post Office in the new complex. I am also continuing to press the present owners to maintain a Post Office (albeit as a temporary unit in a car park area) during the construction period for the new shops, as promised during the planning application stage.

I will report back more when I have further confirmation on what will be happening.

13. Inquiries

During the last month, I have also helped numerous people with advice and guidance on a range of problems which have included housing and traffic concerns.

In addition, I have received a number of calls about an increase in anti-social behaviour in parts of the Parish and I have liaised on this matter with our local PCSOs.

Update on “eco-community” planning application

Eco-Bos Development Ltd has submitted a host of additional information to Cornwall Council in relation to their proposal for 1,500 so-called “eco-community.”

The unitary authority is reconsulting local residents on this new paperwork, which can also be accessed on the Council’s planning portal under the existing reference of PA14/12186. 

See "eco-community" proposal

It is also my understanding that senior officers are pushing for the application to be referred to a meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee in late March.

Everyone knows that I have strongly opposed the scheme for many years, but it was nonetheless included in the Cornwall Local Plan. This, in effect, means the principle of the development is established.

On a related note, last week’s Planning Policy Advisory Committee discussed the content of “Allocations” Development Plan Document, which included a section on the “eco-community.” Though we were not in opposition to get it struck out – as it is allocated in the Local Plan – we were able to get a couple of slight changes to the document which will be referred to the Council’s Cabinet on 16th March.

In particular, the document stated that the Great Treverbyn Sky Tip would definitely be retained, and we have been able to also ensure that the smaller sky tips to the south of the site by Ruddle Pit (see above) will also be guaranteed protection.

Fair funding for local government and economic regeneration

My article in this week’s Cornish Guardian will be as follows:

Last week, a majority of councillors backed the unitary authority’s budget for 2017/2018, which had been put forward by the Independent and Liberal Democrat administration. This included a 3.97% increase in council tax, of which 2.0% represented a specific increase in funding for adult social care.

I supported the increase, as did my MK colleagues, due to the ongoing reduction in funding due to central government’s continuing austerity measures and the increasing cost of providing local services.

Indeed, the pressures on the finances are such that none of the other political groups, including the main Conservative opposition, felt able to put forward an alternative budget.

Local Tories have instead preferred to criticise individual spending decisions, mostly through the media. Some council decisions might be unwise, such as the proposed recruitment of a Head of Communications and Engagement at £70,000, but the parlous state of our public finances should not be denied.

I find it frustrating that the some local Conservatives seem to be continuously condemning the present administration for “pleading poverty for vital everyday services” while suggesting that loads of money is being wasted on their “own vanity projects.”

What a contrast to the leader of Devon County Council, who will be defending his record as leader of a Conservative-run authority at May’s elections. He has hit out at his own government’s approach to the funding of local government as “absolutely a shambles.”

And what a contrast to the chairman of the Local Government Association, also a Conservative, who has condemned the latest funding settlement from central government. This will not provide any new funding for councils in 2017/18 and he has stated that this would leave a local government funding gap of £5.8 billion by 2020, pushing many authorities “perilously close to the financial edge.”

Cornwall Council’s budget for the coming year was first debated in November, when calculations showed that the unitary authority would raise an additional £14 million from council tax but, because of cuts in grants, the Council would, overall, end up with £2.5 million less to spend on services.

The figures presented to this most recent meeting were somewhat different because of the rural 100% business rate retention pilot and the redefinition of some highway maintenance capital grants as revenue, but the underlying budgetary problems were broadly the same. This meant that elected councillors needed to come together to safeguard the council’s finances.

It is indeed a very difficult time for Cornwall, especially with central government’s announcement that Cornwall is only going to receive £18 million from the latest Growth Fund, when £127 million had been requested.

This is a disaster for Cornwall. It shows that the investment priorities of the Westminster Parliament are failing Cornwall and surely local politicians should be uniting to demand fair funding for Cornwall.

Great FCNM Conference in Penzance

Well done to everyone involved with the Cornish language festival presently take place in Penzance.

Yesterday’s Conference “The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the European Charter and the Cornish Language” was a splendid event, and it was great to meet up with the Council of Europe’s Dr Tove Malloy.

Dr Malloy chaired the Advisory Committee group of experts when they visited Truro in March 2016 to consider whether the UK Government and other public bodies were adhering to the various articles in the treaty. With the opinion report being only days from publication, it was certainly helpful to hear Dr Malloy’s perspective on the Framework Convention and the issues affecting the Cornish national minority.

All the presentations were well thought-out and all credit must go to Angela Angove, Gail Bishop, Merv Davey, Merryn Davies-Deacon, Andrew George, Jane Howells, Alan Kent, Sarah Tresidder and Mark Trevethan, plus the compere Adam Killeya.

Penzance, culture and the Framework Convention

My article in this week’s Cornish Guardian publicises the upcoming Cornish Language Festival in Penzance and gets a bit political. It will be as follows:

Cornish culture has certainly been in the headlines with the disagreements over the bid for Truro (Cornwall) to be European city of culture in 2023.

And in this week’s column, I would like to focus on the fantastic news that the charity Cornish Quest is hosting a Cornish Language Festival in Penzance between 25th February and St Piran’s Day.

Funded thanks to a successful application to the National Lottery’s “Celebrate” programme, the festival includes a host of lectures, workshops, discussion groups and walks. Performances will include the play “Trevithick” with the amazing team of Ed Rowe (Kernow King) and Mary Woodvine, plus a concert with acclaimed group The Changing Room, who often sing in Cornish.

At the heart of the festival will be a conference this coming Saturday, which will focus on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

This is a very timely intervention.

Readers of the Cornish Guardian will undoubtedly recall that, in April 2014, the UK Government bowed to years of pressure and recognised the Cornish people as a national minority through the Council of Europe – a separate body to the European Union and not affected by Brexit.

In March 2016, the relevant Advisory Committee from the Council of Europe visited the UK to assess how central government, local government and public bodies were adhering to the various articles of the treaty.

The keynote speaker at the Conference will be Dr Tove Malloy, from the Advisory Committee’s group of experts.

The Committee’s opinion report has been drafted and is currently with the UK Government, which is producing its own response to the report.

It is anticipated that this document will be formally published later this month, and many people are assuming that it will be critical of the UK Government’s approach to Cornwall and its national identity, culture and language.

It was shocking that, just after the Advisory Committee had visited Cornwall, funding for the Cornish language was cancelled. This was contrary to both the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages and the Framework Convention, to which the Government was a signatory.

And when challenged they said Cornwall Council could “allocate the necessary resources … if they wish.” Yet when the draft opinion report from the Council of Europe was sent to Westminster, it was only shared with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – not the unitary authority in Cornwall!

This lack of co-operation is concerning, though the Department of Communities and Local Government has promised to send extracts of the draft opinion report to Cornwall and recently announced a Cornish Culture Fund through which £100,000 would be spent over the next two years – even though that is much, much less than the language funding they previously stopped.

The UK Government seems more than a little confused about its approach to Cornish culture and I am very interested to hear Dr Tove Malloy has to say.

A reply from the Police and Crime Commissioner on PCSOs

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote to the Police and Crime Commissioner about the new Police and Crime Plan (2017-2020). As a councillor for the China Clay Area, I raised concerns about the proposed reduction in Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and how that might impact on our area.

In particular, I referred her to newspaper reports that stated “no decision has yet been taken on which communities are likely to lose a PCSO” but that “large towns and cities are expected to see little change.” I obviously asked where that would leave communities, such as the China Clay Area, which do not happen to be a large town or city?

I have received a reply, which fails to address the key concern that I raised and I have already written to her again asking for further clarification. I have also asked that my concerns also be extended to the Chief Constable.

In addition, I will be at the China Clay Area Community Network meeting in St Stephen on Monday night, when the Commissioner’s Chief Executive will be present. I certainly have plenty of questions.

Her letter to me was a follows:

Since taking office last year I have been listening to the views of the public across Devon and Cornwall. What is overwhelmingly clear is that whilst the vast majority of the public support their police, they feel at times too distant from the police and call for greater connectivity. This was the case even in areas where they voiced strong support for their existing PCSOs. I have sought to address this desire for greater connectivity in my new Police and Crime Plan.

My new Police and Crime Plan provides a direction to help communities become safer, more resilient and better connected and makes a Local Policing Promise to ensure that policing is accessible, responsive, informative and supportive. To support this I have been able to unlock additional funding, including releasing a significant sum from our reserves.

However, decisions regarding the shape and make up of the workforce are made by the Chief Constable. He has now set out his outline plans and I have supported this on the condition that the enhanced structure fully delivers my police and crime plan which has connectivity at its heart. Through the investment that I have provided the Chief Constable has proposed to increase police officer numbers by 94 to over 3000, appoint 50 new criminal investigators and employ a team of 30 police staff who will directly support front line policing, for example by taking witness statements over the telephone. We expect that this investment in statement takers alone will free up 60,000 police officer hours – which is the equivalent of another 30 police officers on our streets.

The Chief Constable also proposed to make a significant reduction, over time, in the number of PCSOs working within our communities. No decisions have yet been made about where PCSOs will be deployed in the future and I have made it clear to the Chief Constable that I expect him to engage with communities, as well as the workforce, to inform him as he moves forward.

The Chief Constable is preparing a connectivity plan that will set out publically how he intends to fulfil the requirements set out in my plan and I shall be ‘signing off’ a set of service standards that the police will be required to meet. Connectivity for me is about building and keeping a strong link between the community and the police. At the moment that link for many people comes primarily from your PCSO – but we need to ensure that our links with the community are wider and stronger than just one person.

Over the coming years the shape of policing in Devon and Cornwall needs to alter – to reflect the changing nature of crime but also to help us respond quickly to emergency calls across our rural and our urban areas. We also need to improve the connection between the public and the police. It is for the Chief Constable to decide the composition of his workforce and to make decisions on how those resources are deployed.

While PCSO numbers will be reducing over time, it is the intention that existing PCSOs will move into these new roles, as police officers or other staff roles. I have the Chief Constable’s assurances that there will be no redundancies over the next twelve months and that redeployments will only take place following engagement with those localities that will be affected. As your representative, I will be resolute in holding the Chief Constable to account on behalf of the pubic particularly for the increased connectivity that the people of Devon and Cornwall have said is important to them.

I fully appreciate that you will continue to have concerns as to what local policing will look like in your area in the coming years. I would encourage you to write to the Chief Constable to let him know your concerns. I am sorry that I am unable to attend the upcoming Community Network meeting on 20th February. Andrew White, my CEO, will be attending on my behalf and will be able to talk to you further about this issue and answer any further questions.

Latest on biogas plant at Higher Fraddon

Today I met with staff at Cornwall Council for an update on what is happening with the various conditions relating to the consent for the biogas plant.

Here is a summary, which I hope will be useful.

Condition 1 states that the dome on the secondary digester should be reduced by 3.1m and this must be completed within nine months of the date of the planning permission (which was 28 September 2016).

Greener for Life are in breach of condition 4 which states that: “Within four months of the date of this permission, a detailed ‘Construction Management Plan' … shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority (LPA) for the reduction in height of the secondary digester and other necessary construction works including surface water drainage and the commissioning phase of the anaerobic digester plant.” This should have been sent in by the end of January, but this has not yet been received.

Condition 6 deals with surface water management. Information has been submitted and there have been detailed discussions with the Council’s drainage officer. She requested additional information earlier this month and the discussions continue.

Condition 14 deals with traffic movements and the unitary authority has been unhappy with what has been submitted by Greener for Life. The information that has been submitted is not consistent with what they said during the previous application and appeal processes. Discussions with the Council’s highway officers are ongoing.

Condition 16 covers the need for a vehicle management policy. The Council raised some concerns about the initial submission from Greener for Life and a revised scheme was received earlier today. This has been referred to the Highways team for feedback.

Condition 17 meanwhile covers landscaping. The Council’s landscaping team felt the proposed scheme left a lot to be desired and requested a revised scheme about two weeks ago.

Finally, condition 20 relates to the odour management plan. A revised document was received last Friday and has been referred to the Council’s Public Health and Protection team. This includes: “details of covered storage on site for all imported material for approval … covered storage means that all waste and biocrops imported by lorry shall be stored either inside the main reception building or that the outside storage bays where the biocrops are currently stored shall be roofed and walled.”

It is clear that Greener for Life have no intention of storing the “biocrops” in their main building and their latest odour management plan includes the details for the covering of the external storage area.

Greener for Life are pushing for a decision on this. The details can be found on the planning portal under the planning reference PA16/11310. If you have any comments on this – let me know what you think.

In addition, Greener for Life have submitted a new planning application to increase the number of “staff/other vehicle movements (Light Goods Vehicles) from 7 per week to an average of 17 staff/other vehicle movements (Light Goods Vehicles) per week (over a 4 week monthly period) to a maximum of 24 in any given week (Monday to Sunday) in the 4 week period.”

The reference number is PA17/01086 and the information can be viewed on the Council’s planning portal.

It will come as a surprise to no-one that the information in this new planning application contradicts what Greener for Life were saying in the period before they were granted planning permission.

I can further report that St Enoder Parish Council will be discussing the application at its meeting on 28th February, which will take place at Fraddon Village Hall. The meeting will start at 7.00.

The Housing White Paper: Not impressed!

My column in this week’s Cornish Guardian looks at the latest policy statement on housing from the UK Government. It will be as follows:

Progressive politicians, housing charities and people living in low income households have known it for years. But now it is official: central government has admitted that the UK housing market is broken. It has even named its new White Paper: “Fixing our broken housing market.”

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Sajid Javid has claimed that the document represents a new “bold, radical vision” and is about ensuring that the “housing market works for everyone, including people on lower incomes, renters, disabled and older people.”

But the proposals in the document do not live up to the spin. The White Paper has been widely criticised, with even a former Conservative housing minister Grant Shapps – who one magazine cheekily pointed out “used to get booed at housing conferences” – stating that the White Paper would not “make that much difference.”

The document does mention the mismatch between wages and house prices, and the need for affordable housing, but the lack of any meaningful changes in policy show that it is platitude-heavy.

What we must not forget is that this present Government and its immediate predecessor have made some pretty fundamental and regressive shifts in terms of affordable housing, which are re-affirmed in the new White Paper.

The White Paper promises no new money and there are numerous areas which I feel need to be criticised, but I will focus on only two.

The Government has stopped investing in “social rent” properties, and has dictated that Housing Associations must focus on their new “affordable rent” model that sets rents at 80% of the inflated cost of private sector rents.

This may sound a technical matter, but the costly reality of these changes can be seen, week after week, on the Homechoice Cornwall website, which advertises properties for rent.

Last week, alongside two-bed social rent properties costing around £400 a month and three-bed social rent homes with monthly rents of £362-£365, there were also some affordable rent units. These included a three-bed property with a monthly rent of £617 and a two-bed bungalow at £575.

Such hikes are counter-productive, and lead to the ridiculous situation where some low-income families are struggling to pay these so-called affordable rents.

What is more, the Government is continuing to push on with its plans for starter homes. These allegedly “affordable” homes are defined as new properties for first-time buyers which cost no more than £250,000, with the scheme designed for households with an annual income of up to £80,000. It is frankly nonsensical.

Until central government comes up with alternatives for its affordable rent properties and starter homes, and increases investment in local-needs housing, it will be failing communities across the whole of the United Kingdom.

Cornish Nation no. 74 … out now

Mebyon Kernow has just published its latest edition of Cornish Nation magazine, which is in the process of being sent out to all party members.

It includes features about the opposition to the creation of a Devonwall parliamentary constituency, an update on disastrous government plans pushing for a SW regions, the K 4 Kernow campaign, the work of Dr Joseph Toms and much, 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.

Next MK meeting in St Austell & Newquay Constituency is Friday 17th February

The next meeting for Mebyon Kernow members in the St Austell & Newquay Constituency has been arranged to take place on Friday 17th February.

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

The main reason for the meeting will be to plan our campaigns for those members selected to stand as Cornwall Councillors in May. 

Anyone from the St Austell & Newquay Constituency, who would be interested in attending the meeting and / or finding out more about MK and its local campaigns, can call me on 07791 876607 or email me on dickcole@btinternet.com.

St Enoder Neighbourhood Plan

More than 2,000 surveys have been delivered across St Enoder Parish in recent weeks by parish councillors and volunteer helpers.

The document sets out the Parish Council’s preferred “direction of travel” for a Neighbourhood Plan, which itself will set out local planning policies for the period to 2030. It is based on the findings of a previous parish-wide questionnaire,

St Enoder Parish Council is keen to hear from local residents and a response sheet has been included with this document, which can be returned in a freepost envelope.

I would like to thank everyone who has helped with the distribution of the surveys. All homes should have had one delivered but, if for any reason, one has not been delivered to you please get in contact.

The document can be requested from me on 07791 876607 or the Clerk of St Enoder Parish Council Amanda Kendall on 01726 883614.

What about community policing in Clay Country?

My article in this coming week’s Cornish Guardian will focus on the new Police and Crime Plan and the threat to Police Community Support Officers in areas such as Clay Country.

It will be as follows:

Initial coverage of the local Police and Crime Plan (2017-2020) was largely positive in last week’s Cornish Guardian.

The editorial stated that the “new policing plan does represent the best way forward,” while an associated article covered how the local constabulary will recruit “100 new uniformed officers, 50 civilian investigators and 30 record-takers.” The Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer was quoted as saying this would “reconnect communities with the force,” while the Police Federation was reported as backing the “overhaul.”

The downside to the Plan from the Police Commissioner Alison Hernandez – which means I cannot support it – is that more than half of the Police Community Support Officers working across the force area will be “phased out” during the next four years.

I was particularly concerned to read the statement that “no decision has yet been taken on which communities are likely to lose a PCSO” but that “large towns and cities are expected to see little change.”

But where does that leave communities which do not happen to be a large town or city?

Last August, I attended a meeting of councillors and community representatives from across the China Clay Area. It took place in St Dennis and the main agenda item was a presentation from the Commissioner’s Strategy and Planning Manager.

One of the key issues raised at the meeting was the importance of PCSOs in our area. There was a strong consensus that the local officers had been very effective in their work and had built strong working relationships with Parish Councils and other bodies.

We expressed our fear that any loss of PCSOs would lead to a devastating reduction in community policing and we sought a guarantee that this should not be allowed to happen.

The Strategy and Planning Manager stated that she was unable to give any guarantees, but then attempted to reassure us by stating that the Commissioner was keen to link policing back to the local community. She also said that she would ask Ms Hernandez to report back to us on this issue.

I have looked at the on-line leaflet which is promoting the Police and Crime Plan. It states that the key priority is “Connecting Communities and Policing” through their “Local Policing Promise.” But I cannot see how this priority can be achieved while there is such uncertainty hanging over areas such as the one I am proud to represent as a councillor.

I have written to Alison Hernandez and asked her to rethink her approach to PCSOs and community policing.

Article 50, the vote and Cornwall

This week, MPs in the Westminster Parliament voted by 494 to 114 to back the second reading of the “European Union (Notice of Withdrawal) Bill” to give authority to the Prime Minister to trigger article 50 and commence the process to deliver Brexit.

My article in this week’s Cornish Guardian, somewhat predictably, focussed on the recent Supreme Court ruling, and the debate in parliament. It was as follows:

I am someone who lives and breathes politics, but I often fail to understand the supposed logic that underpins political processes and how past and present governments make their decisions.

I am certainly perplexed by the twists and turns of Theresa May’s approach to the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union.

The PM’s decision to proceed without parliamentary approval led to the pantomime of the challenge to the High Court which, in early November, ruled that the UK Government was acting unlawfully – a position confirmed by the Supreme Court last week (Tuesday 24th January), which stated that Brexit needed an act of parliament.

I could not understand why the UK Government was so keen to bypass the House of Commons, and did not seem to mind getting caught up in a legal fight lasting some three months.

Conservative MPs are lined up to vote to trigger the formal process of withdrawal, and with the leader of the official opposition instructing his MPs to back the Government, it is not like there is even the slightest chance that the necessary legislation not getting passed.

Indeed, the “European Union (Notice of Withdrawal) Bill” had been tabled within 48 hours (Thursday 26th January) of the Supreme Court judgement and given its First Reading.

The Bill itself is not complex and only stretches to 137 words, merely stating that “the Prime Minister may notify, under Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union, the United Kingdom’s intention to withdraw from the EU.”

It now all seems to be progressing along quite speedily with the second reading debate taking place this week and then the committee stage next week. It does make you wonder why the Government was so fixated on the legal fight.

What I have noticed about the recent debates surrounding the nature of Brexit is that they have involved the devolved administrations, with leading politicians from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, pushing for a greater say in the process and what they think is best for their respective countries.

And as a consequence, central government has instituted a Joint Ministerial Committee to work with the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies on this issue.

By contrast, it saddens me that – unlike the other Celtic parts of the UK – government figures and senior MPs mention Cornwall so infrequently, which is surprising given the local risks from the loss of structural funding.

But, at least, it is to be welcomed that the Select Committee on Exiting the EU, chaired by Hilary Benn MP, will soon be taking up an invitation to visit Cornwall to find out more about the needs of our area and our local businesses.

I did view some of the parliamentary debate and thought the contrast between the MPs from Cornwall and Scotland was quite telling. Many SNP MPs spoke about protecting the best interests of Scotland, while those Cornish MPs who spoke in the debate gave their full support to Brexit but did not use the opportunity to demand that Cornwall’s best interests be specifically safeguarded as the new arrangements are delivered.

In addition, I attended a “Brexit Summit” at the Showground at Wadebridge, at which “A Catalyst for Change: Implications, Risks and Opportunities of Brexit for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly” was launched.

I have plenty to say on this and related issues, which will address in a future blog entry.