Brass band music continues to be an important and much-loved tradition in Cornwall, and hundreds of players will be descending on Clay Country on 20th June, when the 100th Bugle Band Contest will be taking place. My local band will be present and it is also celebrating an anniversary this year. Indian Queens Band was […]
Marking 170 years of Queens Band Read Post »
I present regular written reports to both St Dennis Parish Council and St Enoder Parish Council. The report for April 2026 is as follows: 1.0 Council and other meetings Physical Cornwall Council meetings during the last month included Full Council, the Constitution and Governance Committee (and an associated pre-meeting), the China Clay Area and Luxulyan
Report for 23rd March – 30th April 2026 Read Post »
I have sent the below letter to Noah Law MP setting out my concerns about the impact of top-down planning policy changes on the planning process in Cornwall. The planning system in Cornwall We have previously discussed my concerns about how Cornwall’s planning system has been undermined by the top-down imposition of an inappropriate, unsustainable
Planning concerns: My letter to Noah Law Read Post »
I present regular written reports to both St Dennis Parish Council and St Enoder Parish Council. The report for March 2026 is as follows: 1.0 Council and other meetings Physical Cornwall Council meetings during the last three weeks included Cabinet, Corporate, Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee and an associated meeting about business plans
Report for 1st – 22nd March 2026 Read Post »
MPs started their deliberation on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill in July 2025 and, over the last nine months, Cornwall’s representatives in the House of Commons have consistently argued for a meaningful devolution settlement for Cornwall. They have had repeated meetings with Ministers and, I understand, they have received positive feedback from them.
Cornwall is being ignored in “devo” debate Read Post »
On St Piran’s Day, the leader of Cornwall Council sent a letter to Darren Jones MP (Minister for Intergovernmental Relations) seeking tick-boxes for Cornish nationality and proficiency in the Cornish language on the 2031 Census. In my view, the letter was a powerful cross-party statement. In addition to Cllr Leigh Frost (Liberal Democrat), the letter
Are the Government and ONS listening? Read Post »
At the meeting at Cornwall Council on 21st April, I seconded a motion, which challenged the failure of the UK Government to allocate funding to Cornwall through their “Pride in Place” programme. The motion was proposed by Lib Dem councillor Ruth Gripper and received near-unanimous support across the Council. My speech was as follows: “I
Cornwall ignored by “Pride in Place” Read Post »
In recent months, I have written a couple of columns setting out my exasperation at top-down diktats from central government, which have fundamentally undermined the planning process in Cornwall and England. The housing target for Cornwall was 2,625 new residential units per annum but, at the end of 2024, the UK Government imposed a new
Planning system is still broken Read Post »
At the start of this year, I wrote about how 2026 is Mebyon Kernow’s 75th anniversary year and I am proud of the work put in by so many activists since 1951. I have been the leader of MK for nearly three decades and I must admit often feeling frustrated with the speed of progress,
Looking back at some MK campaigns Read Post »
On 26th November 2025, Steve Webb, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, ruled out the threat of a Devonwall Mayoral Strategic Authority being imposed on Cornwall. In a letter to the unitary authority, the Minister stated that the UK Government “is minded, on an exceptional basis, to work” with Cornwall Council
Devolution and Cornwall – an update Read Post »
