Devolution, environmental protection

Aspirations for Cornwall are pointless without devolution. Once again, we have the Liberal Democrat’s in a position of power at Cornwall Council and key independents such as Julian German - but where is our Cornish Assembly? I know that there have been various rounds of devolution (the results of which are not really communicated to the people of Cornwall) vbut they have not focused on tax retention or raising powers.

These are now more essential than ever to plug the presumptive gap in the Cornwall Council budget as a result of Covid and the coming recession. The “Great South West” is an appalling unaccountable back door toward a SW regional assembly and with less money around could become an unfortunate and unacceptable reality.

Where devolution is desperately needed is around planning. Johnson and Cummings want to take apart the last vestiges of the planning system. It is essential that there is proper spatial planning with the public able to influence decisions. What do we get at the moment? Awful little boxes selling as inevitable £600k second homes on Hayle Harbour.

Where is the capacity plan for Cornwall? Population growth is unsustainable.