Activists meet at Fraddon 

Mebyon Kernow held a successful Conference at Fraddon on the 22nd September which will form a springboard to a revitalised campaign for a Cornish Assembly.

There was a wide-ranging and considered debate on the need for greater Cornish self-government. It was noted that following recent political events in Cornwall, the National Executive of Mebyon Kernow has started work on a new policy document which will set out, in considerable detail, MK’s call for a Cornish Assembly.

The Conference reaffirmed MK’s long-term aim of a Cornish Assembly with powers broadly similar to those of the Scottish Parliament but also agreed that campaigners need to be both realistic and pragmatic and build campaigns which can unite Cornish communities in the short-term and work towards greater Cornish self-government.

It was agreed that the policy document should to set out a clear ‘road-map’ of the first phase of our campaign towards an Assembly, as follows:

(i) MK will continue to focus campaigns on the recognition of Cornwall as a distinct national community for all forms of governance and administration.

(ii) MK will use the publication of the MK policy document to challenge one and all to support the creation of a Cornish Assembly, which shall exercise those strategic powers currently exercised by the South West Regional Assembly, the Regional Development Agency and other unelected quangos.

(iii) MK will call on central government to work with Cornish communities to deliver bespoke legisation for the creation of a Cornish Assembly.

It was also noted at Conference that MK has traditionally campaigned for a range of Cornish institutions to work alongside the Assembly such as a Cornish Development Agency and a Cornish Housing Board. An alternative approach was agreed. It was felt that such ‘arms-length bodies’ are not necessary and their functions should be embedded in an appropriate department of the democratically-elected Assembly.

The document will also cover the need for a Civil Service to support the new democracy in Cornwall and to develop a clear vision of the type of local government we would like to see operating beneath the umbrella of a Cornish Assembly.

When the policy document has been completed, it will be presented to a meeting of MK members for debate and adoption. The date for this meeting is likely to be in early 2008.

The following motions were also passed at the Conference:

Condemnation of unitary council decision

This Conference condemns the announcement by Government that it is “minded to approve” Cornwall County Council’s proposal for a unitary authority “if and when the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill is enacted” and writes to Cornish MPs calling on them to meet with the Secretary of State of the Department of Communities and Local Government and demand that the Government does not allow the unitary proposal to proceed due to its failure to win the support of the people of Cornwall.

Judicial Review

This Conference congratulates Penwith District Council for launching proceedings for a Judicial Review which will highlight the Government’s shameful and undemocratic ‘decision’ to support Cornwall County Council’s proposal for a unitary authority.

Elections in 2008

This Conference responds to the Government Discussion Paper “Councils’ proposals for unitary local government: an approach to implementation” broadly based on the following statements:

• We call for elections to the new transitional council to be held in May 2008 and not delayed to 2009.

• We also note that the originally proposed number of 82 councillors is inadequate to serve the whole of Cornwall and demand that the number of elected councillors be doubled to 164.

Town and Parish Council elections

This Conference responds to the Government Discussion Paper “Councils’ proposals for unitary local government: an approach to implementation” with the following comments:

• We do not agree with the proposal that Town and Parish Council elections should be synchronised with the unitary elections from 2013.

• And that the future cost of town and parish council elections be met by the principal authority.

Cornish Constitutional Convention

This Conference notes that the direction of the Cornish Constitutional Convention is presently at odds with the political direction of Mebyon Kernow and takes the decision not to renew its corporate membership of the organisation.