The Autumn Budget included the creation of a Kernow Industrial Fund worth £30 million over two years. Cornwall’s MPs have been widely commended for their efforts in making this happen. John Brown, Chief Executive of the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, was among those making positive comment about this and the launch of a Critical Mineral Strategy. He stated that: “There is a real palpable sense that Cornwall has arrived into the lexicon of Westminster and we have done so not as a Dickensian Oliver Twist character but as a region, area, a country – choose the word as you feel – that is going to fundamentally spearhead a new exciting economy for the UK.”
Many have pointed out that, at the same time, Cornwall is getting less financial support than it would have received through EU structural funding that has been lost post-Brexit. Councillors on the unitary authority are also continuing to challenge Government Ministers on the underfunding of local government. The Leader and Deputy Leader of Cornwall Council, Cllrs Leigh Frost and Adam Paynter, have just written to Westminster about the Fair Funding Review and the decision to reduce the weight given to “remoteness.” They have stated this leaves Cornwall Council facing a “net loss of £3.6 million and a staggering £37.5 million swing away from where we should rightfully be.”
John Brown has further been reported as saying that the ongoing debate about devolution might be a “distraction.” I feel that his statements are somewhat contradictory, and I will continue to make the case for more powers for Cornwall.
Cornwall is the only Celtic part of the UK without meaningful devolution and it is worth looking at how the other nations fared in the recent Budget in terms of core funding. The Northern Ireland Assembly secured an additional £370 million, while Treasury paperwork noted another £185 million over three years that had been committed in June. The Welsh Government had confirmation of an extra £508 million, which comes on top of investment of over £200 million in place-based initiatives.
And in Scotland, the Scottish Government is due to get an extra £820 million. The associated governmental paperwork even states that the “Scottish Government continues to receive over 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending across the rest of the UK reflecting the real costs of delivering services across Scotland’s diverse geography, from the Highlands to the central belt.” What a contrast to Cornwall’s rurality!
It is clear to me that meaningful devolution would lead to increased investment in Cornwall’s public services and its businesses.
Article by Cllr Dick Cole published in the Cornish Guardian (10th December 2025) and West Briton newspapers (11th December 2025)