Last week, the results of the recent consultation for the devolution deal for Cornwall were published. Of the 6105 responses, there was general support for a package of measures which included further powers and funding for Cornwall Council to be able to address issues like housing and social care. However, 69% of those who responded disagreed with the proposals for a Mayor. As a result, the Council will no longer be pursuing a so-called ‘Tier 3 Devolution Deal’ and the required Mayor, and instead switch to focus on a new Tier 2++ deal, further enhancing our powers with no changes to governance.
Consultations such as these are important for properly understanding public opinion on an issue without being as divisive as a referendum. It is important that we gauge public opinion and respect the outcomes, so it is positive that Linda Taylor and her team have listened. Sometimes people are sceptical about consultations of this nature, but this shows that they are heeded and this one has been accepted as giving a good indication of what Cornish people are thinking.
Throughout this process, I have been genuinely quite agnostic on the idea of a Mayor and could see both sides. On the one hand, having a directly elected leader, or perhaps Ledyer in Cornish (pronounced "Readier") could have created in one individual a powerful "voice for Cornwall" and it could have strengthened the accountability to local people in a more direct way rather than have a model that relies quite heavily on a Council Chief Executive. On the other side of the argument, the idea of a single individual representing the whole of Cornwall unsettles some of our Cornish sensibilities. Can our historic "one and all" culture be represented in a "one for all" system of democratic accountability? If we have lots of councillors from one party but a Directly Elected Leader from another, or no party at all, would that create problems? In the end, I was concerned that, whatever the argued benefits of such a model, it would be difficult to get Cornwall to warm to the idea.
Nonetheless, I took the view that this was about the governance and constitution of Cornwall Council, and it was important that the Council and its elected councillors were given the space and time to run a consultation, let the debate take place and then reach a decision about where the Cornish consensus lay at the end. Linda Taylor and her cabinet have done just that, setting out the case but listening carefully to what they heard from Cornish people and responding accordingly, and they should be given great credit for doing so.
The important thing now is that we all throw our efforts into pursuing an enhanced Tier 2 deal with additional powers for Cornwall but without the need for a change in governance which is what the Cornish people would like. Some councillors from Mebyon Kernow have attempted to use this as an opportunity to argue for even more disruptive governance changes, with a whole new tier of government through an assembly that would sit above and duplicate much of the work of Cornwall Council, at great expense to the taxpayer at a difficult time. They have not listened to the message from the consultation. The people of Cornwall don't want to see tinkering with governance structures, they just want a focus on delivery and some additional powers and finances where that would help get delivery right.
I would still like to see measures such as further powers to address the problem of second homes included in a future agreement. I would also like to see increased support for adult social care which is crucial to solving the problems at Treliske. Skills education is also important and whether or not additional responsibility is taken on by Cornwall, I will continue to make the case for the Government to give more funding support for vocational education. I have also argued relentlessly for a mining remediation fund to help those affected by historic tin mine workings in this part of Cornwall and will continue to make the case for this fund. Finally, Cornwall should be given a greater role representing itself on heritage issues at international groupings like UNESCO and the British Irish Council. I will continue to work hard with colleagues in the Government, my fellow MPs, and of course, Linda Taylor and her team at Cornwall Council to ensure we have the best outcome for Cornwall.
