The new Labour Government has been asked to create a Minister for Cornwall just a week before the Duchy's councillors vote on a motion to call on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to provide fairer funding for the county.
The Conservative leader of Cornwall Council and the chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Economic Forum have written to the new Prime Minister calling for the appointment of a Minister for Cornwall. In the letter, Cllr Linda Taylor and Lord Hutton have told Sir Keir that "a Minister would be pivotal to unleashing Cornwall’s ability to support the ambition of a stronger and more sustainable United Kingdom through our ability to contribute significantly to powering, feeding and acting as the lungs of the country".
The letter also calls for fairer funding going forwards and invites Sir Keir to visit Cornwall as soon as possible to "witness our positive progress and amazing potential first-hand".
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The letter states: "Many congratulations on your election as Prime Minister. We look forward to working with you and your Labour Government on our mutual priorities, particularly deepening devolution and grasping a host of unrivalled opportunities to create good growth in Cornwall. We are confident both Yvette Cooper and Ed Miliband got a sense of that immense and limitless potential when they visited Cornwall last month on the campaign trail.
"As you start to shape your Cabinet and ministerial team, we ask that you give serious consideration to appointing a Minister for Cornwall from either the Commons or Lords. This would ensure all Government departments and agencies respect the two Council of Europe treaties that afford the same legal status to the Cornish that apply to the people of Wales, Scotland and Ireland – all of whom benefit from having Secretary of States, Minister of States, Government Offices, plus devolved administrations with First Ministers.
"Furthermore, a Minister would be pivotal to unleashing Cornwall’s ability to support the ambition of a stronger and more sustainable United Kingdom through our ability to contribute significantly to powering, feeding and acting as the lungs of the country."
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Cllr Taylor and Lord Hutton add: "Over the long term we are confident that an empowered Cornwall, armed with the ability to realise the aforementioned opportunities, can become less dependent on funding from Westminster. However, in order to reach that goal and address the acute challenges faced today, we also urgently need a promise of funding to sustain growth and services for 2025/26 and thereafter a fairer funding formula that gives justified weight to population profile, sparsity, deprivation and socio-economic factors that are driving demand and cost."
Cornwall councillors will vote on Tuesday (July 16) on a motion calling for "fair funding" from the new Labour Government. The motion, which has been proposed by Liberal Democrat group leader Colin Martin and seconded by Independent councillor Armand Toms, calls for the Government to increase funding for all public services where Cornwall currently receives below the national average per person.
Cornwall is one of the poorest parts of the UK, with low wages and high housing costs. Poverty, ill-health and worklessness are a vicious cycle, but Cornwall Council receives £168 per dwelling below the England average. Increasing Cornwall’s funding to the England average, says Cllr Martin, would give the council an extra £47 million per year to fund core services such as social services, public health and road maintenance.
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Dedicated schools funding is £83 per pupil below the national average. For the “high needs block” of funding (used to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities) Cornwall ranks 142nd lowest out of 151 authorities. If Cornwall received the average, it would be worth an additional £15.1m per year.
Cllr Martin says this will be a test of whether Labour councillors and MPs are more loyal to the people who elected them or to their party leaders: “Since 2010, Labour councillors have complained about austerity and called for the Government to increase funding for Cornwall. Will they change their tune now that their party holds the purse strings?”
He has invited all 87 members of the council to pledge their support for the motion before it was published, and while it was backed by Lib Dem, Conservative, Independent and Mebyon Kernow councillors, no Labour councillors signed up as supporters. All members will have the opportunity to vote for the motion on July 16
Cllr Martin is encouraging residents to keep up the pressure on Labour to stand up for Cornwall by signing an online petition at www.seclibdems.uk/fairdeal
