A new museum in St Ive, near Liskeard, honours Emily Hobhouse - and it is truly striking. I hadn’t fully grasped the impact of this extraordinary daughter of Cornwall, but the museum vividly brings her story to life. Emily’s humanitarian work in the concentration camps of the Second Boer War reflects her deep commitment to the vulnerable. Her legacy is one of compassion, justice and unwavering advocacy for people without a voice.

Liberal Democrat values are rooted in fairness, community and standing up for those who need it most. Emily’s example is woven into Cornwall’s deep-rooted tradition of charity and community support. The numbers tell a compelling story: Cornwall’s voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector contributes an estimated £580-million in our annual turnover, with an impact worth around £886-million. It employs around nine per cent of Cornwall’s workforce, triple the national average of three per cent, providing crucial services from environmental conservation to hospice care.

Yet, this sector faces major new challenges as it struggles to afford the increases in the National Living Wage and Employers' National Insurance Contributions that were announced in the autumn budget. At a recent meeting of a charity where I’m a Trustee, I was stunned when the CEO estimated the impact on Cornwall’s sector would be £900,000. Then she corrected herself: she had left off a zero and the real impact is a shocking £9-million. Nationally, it rises to £1.4-billion.

While the government’s changes aim to support fair wages, they also impose significant financial strain on small charities already operating on tight budgets.

Many of our small charities rely heavily on local government support. Yet local councils have faced years of funding cuts and are now grappling with the same financial pressures from the autumn budget, with Cornwall Council anticipating an additional £6-million in staff costs and a further £11-million from increases in contractor fees. Even with £5-million in government support designed to cover this, the council still faces a significant shortfall.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations supports, champions and represents charities and voluntary organisations across the UK, and has said that it remains committed to raising the voice of the sector on this issue “so that government understands the very real impact it is having”. A key part of this work will be helping to shape the Civil Society Covenant, which was proposed by the government in October last year as a framework to redefine and strengthen the relationship between government and the voluntary sector.

As a Liberal Democrat, I believe that fairness, compassion and community must be at the heart of decision-making. As Emily said: “The whole of humanity is one family, and the care of its suffering members is the highest duty of all”. Now is the time to speak up for Cornwall’s charities: share your views on the Covenant Framework, write to your MP, and visit Emily’s museum to hear her voice echo through history. It’s an experience that will stay with you.

Hilary Frank, Cornwall councillor for Saltash Essa