Join MK in lobbying for greater recognition for Cornwall 3: Letter to the Prime Minister and Cornish MPs

On behalf of Mebyon Kernow, I have today sent a letter to the Prime Minister, copied to Cornish MPS, setting out my concerns that the UK Government is failing to act on the articles within the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

Why not join MK in lobbying on this important issue and send one yourself..

For information, my letter to the Mrs May was as follows:

In April 2014, the Coalition Government recognised the Cornish people through the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. The official governmental press release stated that “the decision to recognise the unique identity of the Cornish, now affords them the same status … as the UK’s other Celtic people, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish.”

This landmark recognition came after many years of campaigning and, as a consequence, was warmly welcomed across Cornwall.

But two years on, there is a growing frustration that central government is failing to act on the various articles within the Framework Convention.

I am therefore writing to writing on behalf of Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall to raise a number issues which, we believe, the UK Government needs to address.

CORNISH LANGUAGE FUNDING

With the UK Government having signed up to both the Framework Convention and the Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, it has an undeniable obligation to support and fund Cornwall’s distinct identity and culture, including the language.

The announcement in April this year that central government’s annual funding for the language (worth up to £150,000) had been removed came as a significant shock.

A five year programme of funding had actually been in the “devolution deal” agreed between the UK Government and Cornwall Council, until removed just before the document was finalised. We understand that the leader of Cornwall Council has since confirmed that, at that time, he had been “reassured” by the Department for Communities and Local Government that the removal of funding from the document “was a technical matter” and “that another funding route would be identified.”

You might be aware that over 10,000 people have already signed an on-line petition calling for this financial support to be re-instated, and we would ask that, in the spirit of the Framework Convention, the Government re-establish this much-needed and strategic investment in Cornwall’s national language.

PARLIAMENTARY VOTING SYSTEM AND CONSTITUENCIES ACT

As you will be aware, the UK Government passed the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act, which stated that the number of seats in the UK parliament should be reduced to 600 and – unless specified in the legislation – the electorates for seats should be within 5% of the various averages for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Sadly, the Act does not recognise the territorial integrity of Cornwall and, as the legislation stands, the outcome of Boundary Review (based on the provisions within the Act and the present electorate of Cornwall) would inevitably include the creation of a cross-Tamar “Devonwall” constituency.

We would wish to point out that it is since the Act was agreed, that the UK Government agreed the Cornish are covered by the auspices of the Framework Convention.

We would therefore contend that the legislation which guides the Boundary Review is in conflict with the Framework Convention which, as well as protecting the culture and identity of national minorities, also seeks to protect the political integrity of territories associated with such groups.

In the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act, the territories of other national minorities within the United Kingdom (namely the Scots, the Welsh and Northern Irish) are safeguarded and no seats can be proposed which would cross the land borders between England and Scotland or Wales.

I have already written to the Chris Skidmore, Minister for the Constitution, requesting that central government amend the Act, prior to completion of the parliamentary constituency review, in order ensure that all Cornish constituencies lie entirely within the boundaries of Cornwall (and the Isles of Scilly).

It is our view that it would be relatively simple for central government to do this. Only a few months ago, the Government agreed “emergency” legislation to extend the deadline for people seeking to register to vote in the referendum on the European Union following the failure of it’s registration website. The Government could likewise deliver a simple amendment to the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act, to respect the Framework Convention and Keep Cornwall Whole.

We would appeal to you, as Prime Minister, for your support for such a course of action.

THE BRITISH-IRISH COUNCIL

As noted above, the UK Government clearly stated that the recognition of the Cornish people through the Framework Convention afforded them the “same status … as the UK’s other Celtic people, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish.”

Such recognition has not been forthcoming and central government does not deal with Cornwall in the same manner that it deals with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. For example, Cornwall is the only Celtic part of the United Kingdom that is not represented at summits of the British-Irish Council held in Cardiff on 22nd July (see below).

As you will be aware, the summits are normally attended by politicians from the UK and Irish Governments, the Governments of Scotland and Wales, the Northern Ireland Executive, as well as the Governments of the Isle of Man (population 85,000), Guernsey (population 63,000) and Jersey (population 100,000).

It is our view that Cornwall (Population 540,000), as a historic national component of the United Kingdom, merits much greater political recognition and a proper devolved settlement on a par with the other Celtic parts of the UK.

We would also welcome your support in this regard.

THE 2021 CENSUS AND A CORNISH TICKBOX

Mebyon Kernow is also concerned that public bodies are failing to give due weight to the Framework Convention.

We would, for example, bring your attention the response of the Office of National Statistics to the public consultation on topics for possible inclusion in the 2021 Census, which was published in May.

We were particularly disappointed that the ONS stated they were not minded to include a Cornish tickbox in the national identity section, suggesting that it was adequate that individuals could write-in Cornish. As a consequence, we have challenged this assertion and requested that the ONS urgently reconsider the inclusion of such a tickbox in this upcoming census.

It should be noted that, in the documentation from the recent consultation, the ONS did reference the Framework Convention, but we take the view that the ONS failed to give significant enough weight to it when coming to its view not to include a Cornish tickbox.

Surely, it would be ridiculous to provide a tickbox facility for three of the UK’s four national minorities (the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish) but deny the opportunity to the fourth (the Cornish).

We would welcome your support in persuading the Office of National Statistics to better recognise the needs of the Cornish national minority.

LETTER TO MPs
I have copied this letter to Cornwall’s six MPs in order to seek their support on the above issues and look forward to hearing from you in the near-future.

Join MK in lobbying for greater recognition for Cornwall 2: Cornish tickbox on 2021 census

In May, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) published its initial response to the public consultation on topics for possible inclusion in the 2021 Census. In this, the ONS stated that they were not minded to include the option of a Cornish tickbox, adding that there would be a further consultation on options for the census questions on identity in the near-future.

On behalf of Mebyon Kernow, I have written to the ONS challenging their view, pointing out that they have failed to give adequate weight to the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and formally requesting that they urgently reconsider the inclusion of such a tickbox in this upcoming census.

Why not join MK in lobbying the ONS on this important issue.

The relevant email address is:
2021census.consultation@ons.gov.uk

For information, my letter to the ONS was as follows:

I am writing to the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of Mebyon Kernow, a political party campaigning for greater self-government for Cornwall, with regard to the ONS’s initial response to the public consultation on topics for possible inclusion in the 2021 Census, which were published in May.

We were particularly disappointed that the ONS stated they were not minded to include a Cornish tickbox in the national identity section, adding that the provision of write-in options were adequate. We would challenge this assertion and request that the ONS urgently reconsider the inclusion of such a tickbox in this upcoming census.

People in Cornwall were very pleased when the ONS agreed that, for the 2011 census, a code was allocated to the Cornish so that everyone who chose to write-in their national identity as Cornish would have it properly recorded. This was an important step forward at that time, but there has been a significant shift since then with the decision of the UK Government to recognise the Cornish as a national minority.

The ONS will recall that, at the time of the announcement, the Government stated: “The decision to recognise the unique identity of the Cornish, now affords them the same status under the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities as the UK’s other Celtic people, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish.”

We note that in its response to recent consultation the ONS did reference the Framework Convention in a number of places, but we take the view that the ONS failed to give significant enough weight to the Framework Convention when coming to its view to not include a Cornish tickbox.

The inclusion of the Cornish within the auspices of the Framework Convention was a landmark ruling which, we consider, it would be illogical and unjust for the ONS to ignore. It is clear to us that the national identity question on the 2021 census must therefore treat the Cornish in the same manner as the “UK’s other Celtic people, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish.”

Indeed, it is our view that the case for a tickbox for Cornish is overwhelming. Surely, it would be ridiculous to provide a tickbox facility for three of the UK’s four national minorities (the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish) but deny the opportunity to the fourth (the Cornish).

We would also point out that in the 2011 census, a total of 83,499 people from across Cornwall, England and Wales, used the “write-in” option to identify as Cornish. Within Cornwall itself, 73,200 people described themselves as Cornish on the form, equating to 13.8% of the population. This is comparable to the 14% of people in Wales who wrote-in Welsh in the 2001 census, prior to the inclusion of a Welsh tickbox in 2011. It is also particularly telling that, once a Welsh tickbox had been included, some 66% of respondents from Wales described themselves as Welsh.

As shown above with this simple comparison between Cornwall and Wales, if a Cornish tickbox were not to be included it would mean that the number of people with a Cornish national identity would be massively under-recorded.

It is our view that there should be parity between all national minorities within the United Kingdom, which would also give greater value and surety to the overall statistics.

We also note that the ONS previously confirmed that there would be a further consultation on options for the identity questions in the near-future, and would ask when this is likely to happen and we can make further representations on this issue.

Please look again at including a Cornish tickbox in the 2021 census.

The Government has got its housing policies wrong

In this week’s Cornish Guardian, my article addresses the ongoing failures in the housing policy of central government. It was as follows:

As a local councillor, an increasing proportion of my workload comes from helping people experiencing housing problems.

But this is hardly surprising as Cornwall – like many other parts of the United Kingdom – has a dysfunctional housing market, which successive governments have simply failed to deal with.

The sell-off of council houses in the 1980s and the loss of so much social housing was a key catalyst which made the housing market very unbalanced. Such problems were deepened by past and present governments which preferred to see houses as “investments” rather than homes, for which they should be censured.

They should likewise be criticized for much of their approach to housing which, in recent decades, has variously included the active promotion of house price inflation and an end to rent controls, plus tax breaks for rich individuals who wish to own multiple properties.

Recent policy shifts such as the massive reduction in investment in affordable properties and the re-invigoration” of right-to-buy are equally misguided.

The cost of housing has certainly gone up and up, making it more difficult for millions of ordinary people across the UK.

A particularly worrying report has just been published by the National Housing Federation (NHF) which shows that, last year, private landlords received £9.3 billion from housing benefit payments, more than twice what they received a decade ago.

And for me, one of the most telling statistics in the report is that “nearly half (47%) of all families claiming housing benefit” in the increasingly expensive private rented sector are in work, but not earning enough to meet their housing costs.

In launching the report, the Chief Executive of the NHF said it was “madness” to “spend £9 billion of taxpayers' money lining the pockets of private landlords rather than investing in affordable homes."

This led to the inevitable war of words between the NHF (which represents housing associations), government spokespeople and the National Landlords Association (which represents the private sector). The head of policy at the National Landlords Association even accused the NHF of taking a “cheap shot at landlords” because of the failings of central government.

It is my view that the Government has still got its housing policies badly, badly wrong and I cannot fathom why they are so untroubled about subsidising expensive rents through benefit payments.

The Government has even increased the cost of new rental properties from Housing Associations, through their so-called “affordable rent” model which is also driving up the bill for housing benefit.

Anyone who has looked on the Cornwall Homechoice website over the last few days will have seen three newish “affordable rent” units available at between £640 and £660 a month, but “social rent” properties of a similar size were available at less than £400.

It all makes no sense and MPs really need to rethink their approach to housing as a matter of urgency.

Join MK in lobbying for greater recognition for Cornwall 1: No to Devonwall seat

In less than one month, the Boundary Commission will be announcing its provisional proposals for the new parliamentary boundaries for the 2020 General Election.

The Review is being driven by the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act and, as the legislation stands, it would inevitably mean the creation of a Devonwall constituency.

On behalf of Mebyon Kernow, I have written to the new Minister for the Constitution, Chris Skidmore, pointing out that the Boundary Review process is against the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and asking that he promote the modification of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act to ensure that the territorial integrity of Cornwall is not breached.

Why not join MK in lobbying Mr Skidmore on this important issue.

His address is:

Chris Skidmore MP
Parliamentary Secretary (Minister for the Constitution)
Cabinet Office
London
SW1A 2AS

For information, my letter to him was as follows:

The Parliamentary Boundary Review; Cornwall and the implications of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities

In April 2014, the Coalition Government recognised the Cornish people through the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. The official governmental press release stated that “the decision to recognise the unique identity of the Cornish, now affords them the same status … as the UK’s other Celtic people, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish.”

This landmark recognition came after many years of campaigning and, as a consequence, was warmly welcomed across Cornwall.

But two years on, there is a growing frustration that central government is failing to act on the various articles within the Framework Convention.

In particular, I am writing to you as the new Minister for the Constitution with regard to the Boundary Committee’s review of parliamentary constituencies for the 2020 General Election.

As you will be aware, the previous (Coalition) Government passed the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act, which stated that the number of seats in the UK parliament should be reduced to 600 and – unless specified in the legislation – the electorates for seats should be within 5% of the various averages for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Sadly, the Act does not recognise the territorial integrity of Cornwall and, as the legislation stands, the outcome of any Boundary Review (based on the provisions within the Act and the present electorate of Cornwall) would inevitably include the creation of a cross-Tamar “Devonwall” constituency.

We would wish to point out that it is since the Act was agreed, that the UK Government agreed the Cornish are covered by the auspices of the Framework Convention.

We would therefore contend that the legislation which guides the Boundary Review is against the spirit and intent of the Framework Convention, which, as well as protecting the culture and identity of national minorities, also seeks to protect the political integrity of territories associated with such groups.

In the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act, the territories of other national minorities within the United Kingdom (namely the Scots, the Welsh and Northern Irish) are safeguarded and no seats can be proposed which would cross the borders between England and Scotland or Wales.

We would therefore request that central government amend the Act, prior to completion of the parliamentary constituency review, in order ensure that all Cornish constituencies lie entirely within the boundaries of Cornwall (and the Isles of Scilly).

It is our view that it would be relatively simple for central government to do this. Only a few months ago, the Government agreed “emergency” legislation to extend the deadline for people seeking to register to vote in the referendum on the EU following the failure of the Government’s registration website.

The Government could likewise deliver a simple amendment to the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act, to respect the Framework Convention and Keep Cornwall Whole. And we would appeal to you to take this course of action as the Minister for the Constitution.

We look forward to hearing from you and would welcome the opportunity to make further representations to you if that would be helpful.

Government statement on EU funding: what does it mean?

My article in today’s Cornish Guardian looked at central government’s recent announcement on EU funding. It was as follows:

In recent years, I have been in the fortunate position to be involved with some EU funding initiatives in Cornwall and to see a range of regeneration projects brought forward.

From 2011-2015, I was Chair of the Clay Country Local Action Group (LAG), which supported a range of small businesses and community groups with EU funding via the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE). I have since been appointed to the successor South and East Cornwall LAG which covers an area from Summercourt to Saltash.

And last week, I was present at a LAG meeting discussing Community Led Local Development (CLLD) funding, which looks to target investment from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) towards projects in and around some of Cornwall’s most deprived communities.

But as you would imagine, there has been a great deal of concern about this funding following the vote to leave the European Union.

I was therefore very pleased to see the headlines over the weekend which stated “Government guarantee for post-EU funds.”

But on reading the detail of the statement from the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, I was not sure exactly what had been agreed.

Hammond emphasised the need for “stability and certainty,” while adding that “the government will match the current level of agricultural funding until 2020.” He also confirmed that “structural and investment funds projects signed before the Autumn Statement and Horizon research funding granted before we leave the EU will be guaranteed by the Treasury after we leave.”

At this stage, I am concerned that the statement only guarantees those projects signed off in the next few months. It is unclear what the full impact of this deadline will be for Cornwall, which had been due to receive significant amounts of structural funding through a range of mechanisms.

Ministers from the UK’s devolved administrations were certainly quick to challenge Philip Hammond on his statement.

The First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, told the media that the Government’s guarantee only covered “about half of the regional funding due to Wales” and did “not provide the long-term certainty” that was needed.

A representative of the Scottish Government meanwhile described the Government announcement as “a limited guarantee for some schemes for a few short years” which would leave “Scotland hundreds of millions of pounds short.”

At this time, we need greater clarity from central government and their MPs about what the guarantee will actually mean for Cornwall and whether they will agree to safeguard the full extent of funding that would have been received prior to Brexit.