At the second Full Council meeting of the new unitary authority, I tabled a motion, which called for a “devolution settlement to properly reflect Cornwall’s national identity and the national minority status of the Cornish.”
Following discussion between elected members – including the leader of the Council Cllr Leigh Frost – it was drafted to include a challenge to central government to follow through on the national minority status of the Cornish and “formally recognise Cornwall as one of the five nations of the United Kingdom.”
It was seconded by Liberal Democrat councillor Rory Gow, with named supporters coming from six of the seven political groups on the Council.
The motion was passed by 53 votes to 22, with two abstentions. It was supported by all councillors from the Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Mebyon Kernow groups, and all independent councillors – bar one! Two Reform councillors voted in favour.
An extract from my speech was as follows:
“Standing up for Cornwall is what this motion is all about.
“We should all be proud that, in recent months, politicians of all shades have repeatedly come together to make the case for more powers for Cornwall.
“I recall that it was not long after the General Election that all six Cornish MPs came together with Group Leaders from across this authority to co-sign a letter to the Government seeking greater autonomy.
“We have also been consistent in making the case for a new democratic settlement that properly reflects Cornwall’s position as one of the five historic nations of the United Kingdom, very much linked to the national minority status of the Cornish.
“I remain disappointed that Ministers in Westminster have yet to address these representations, and I am disappointed that new legislation – focussing on regionalisation and combined or mayoral authorities – does not include a tailored deal for Cornwall.
“The leader of this Council has made it clear that he is committed to securing meaningful devolution for Cornwall, while also protecting the integrity of our Celtic nation as a political unit.
“I believe he is right in doing this.
“Six months ago, this chamber overwhelmingly backed a motion similar to this one.
“We have since had an election and this motion has been brought forward for us to, hopefully, reaffirm the previous position of this authority; and to give our public backing to Cllr Frost’s efforts and those of his administration and, indeed, people from across the wider Council.
“It is my hope that we all agree with the Leader’s position and that we all want greater powers for Cornwall – so that we are able to do more to deliver for our residents.
“I do accept that we may have varying views about what form devolution for Cornwall might take and I look forward to such discussions.
“But the purpose of this motion today is to bring people together by focussing on our support for the principle of proper devolution on a Cornwall footprint.
“We have a thousand years of history and a myriad of reasons – cultural, economic, linguistic, social – as to why we need to stand together and maintain our unity in pushing for that meaningful and bespoke settlement for Cornwall.
“As democratically elected representatives of Cornwall, make one and all proud by sending this strong message to Westminster.”