POLITICAL parties in Cornwall have reacted with disappointment after the Government unveiled its plans to devolve powers to regions.
In a plan widely mooted to involve the abolition of district councils in other parts of the country, the Government says the devolution deals will hand more power to local authorities.
However, Cornwall Council is already a unitary authority, having been formed from the former six district councils of North Cornwall, Kerrier, Penwith, Caradon, Carrick and Restormel along with Cornwall County Council in 2009.
With the Labour government publishing a white paper outlining its plans for devolution, it has transpired that there might be limited powers offered without the installation of a mayor, a proposal which had been met with outrage earlier in the year. It led to plans for a devolution deal conditional on the installation of a mayor being dropped.
The latest proposals for devolution have been met with disappointment from two of Cornwall’s opposition parties.
Mebyon Kernow, a party which campaigns for a Scotland and Wales level devolution of powers for Cornwall, said that the failure to listen to the area’s MPs was ‘shameful’ and ‘disturbing’.
Meanwhile, the new leader of the Liberal Democrats on Cornwall Council, Cllr Leigh Frost, said that Cornwall’s unique demands required a bespoke settlement on devolution.
Cllr Leigh Frost, the leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Cornwall Council, said: “I welcome the Government’s recognition of the need for greater devolution, but this White Paper falls far short of the bold, transformative changes Cornwall needs.
“Cornwall already benefits from a single tier council and a proud tradition of local decision making, yet these proposals fail to address the distinct challenges faced by rural and peripheral areas like ours. While the emphasis on streamlined funding and long-term agreements is a step in the right direction, there is little clarity on how the government plans to ensure fair funding for rural communities, where higher costs and stretched services are a daily reality.
“Cornwall’s unique identity and needs demand a bespoke devolution settlement; not a one size fits all model dictated by Whitehall. England ends at the Tamar, and the Government must acknowledge that by empowering us with the tools we need to secure a prosperous, self-sufficient future for Cornwall.
“We will push for stronger guarantees that Cornwall will have greater control over our transport, housing, and economic future, without imposing a directly elected mayor, which runs counter to Cornwall’s governance traditions.
A spokesperson for Mebyon Kernow, a Cornish political party that campaigns for devolution of a style akin to Scotland and Wales for Cornwall, said: “Mebyon Kernow is campaigning for a Cornish Devolution Bill, which reflects Cornwall’s nationhood and the national minority status of the Cornish. It is nonetheless extremely worrying that the Government’s ‘English Devolution’ White Paper is so dismissive of Cornwall’s aspirations.
“The document appears to have identified three tiers of devolution; a Foundation Strategic Authority (without a mayor) with very, very limited powers, a Mayoral Strategic Authority and an Established Mayoral Strategic Authority.
“It needs to be pointed out that none of this compares to the Celtic-style devolution, which has been achieved in Wales and Scotland, and is what Cornwall needs.
“And the ability to become a Mayoral Strategic Authority or an Established Mayoral Strategic Authority appears dependent on a mayor and covering more than one local authority area. The document also seeks areas for such authorities to have populations of over 1.5 million people. This is all prejudicial against Cornwall, which will be denied access to the Council of the Nations and Regions.
“This is a grim day for Cornwall and it is particularly frustrating that the Westminster Government has ignored the collective representations for a devolution settlement for Cornwall, which came from all groups on the unitary authority and all six Cornish MPs.
“Indeed, it is shameful and disturbing that the Ministry for Communities and Local Government has failed to acknowledge or address Cornwall’s unique historic, cultural and constitutional status within the UK.
“But now is not the time to defeatist. Now is not the time to be accepting of these top-down proposals, which are plain wrong for Cornwall and its communities.
“Now is the time to campaign energetically for what Cornwall needs. Now is the time for all politicians in Cornwall, and representatives of Cornish society,to come together to demand greater powers for Cornwall through a meaningful democratic settlement, similar to those secured in Wales and Scotland.”