The unitary authority has produced a “White Paper” setting out a call for greater devolution for Cornwall. The five Group Leaders were involved in the discussions around the document. In these discussions, Cllr Dick Cole, on behalf of the Mebyon Kernow / Green Group, has consistently argued that the “ask” needed to be more ambitious.
The White Paper was presented to a meeting of the Council’s Cabinet today, and the ten members of that Cabinet, agreed that there should be a period of wider engagement [until 16th August] and that the revised document would go to a further Cabinet meeting on 18th September.
Cllr Dick Cole spoke at the Cabinet meeting. His speech was as follows:
“Can I start by saying that I am pleased that we are all collectively talking about devolution and getting more powers for Cornwall.
“The report variously notes that the White Paper has been developed in collaboration or shaped by this Council’s five Group Leaders. I have indeed been involved and, I can confirm, that a range of changes have been made as a consequence of the copious representations I have made on behalf of the MK / Green Group.
“I have been active at the heart of the campaign for ‘proper’ devolution for Cornwall for over 30 years. Next year will be the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Declaration for a Cornish Assembly – which I was proud to write – and was supported by more than 50,000 people over an 18-month period.
“It will therefore not come as a surprise, that it is my view that the White Paper is not the document I hoped it would be. It does not go far enough and I would appeal to the Cabinet to make additional changes to strengthen it further.
“I welcome that the White Paper opens with a foreword, that states Cornwall is a ‘proud Celtic nation’ and also notes the national minority status of the Cornish people, while calling for a ‘deeper devolution settlement’ that reflects the status Cornwall shares with Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
“That is a positive start to the document, but that narrative of parity with the other Celtic nations does not extend fully throughout it. It seems to me that, for much of the text, the authors fall into the trap of seeing devolution in the context of English local government.
“Linked to this, I will say that I do welcome the strong comments from the Leader that the only unit for devolution can be Cornwall. She is right to reject all talk of south west regional constructs, into which Cornwall might be submerged.
“It is right that we acknowledge that the new Labour Government has confirmed it’s plan to bring forward an English Devolution Bill. But given Cornwall’s distinct cultural and constitutional heritage – our nationhood – surely an appropriate and symbolic ask from us would be a Cornish Devolution Bill.
“The White Paper claims to be a stepping stone on a devolution journey and deliberately avoids any discussion of democratic structures for the devolution settlement. I see this as a problem.
“The White Paper includes proposals for a range of new entities – such as Innovation Cornwall, Homes Cornwall or Public Infrastructure Cornwall.
“Such additional powers are to be welcomed, but it remains my assumption, that if such responsibilities come to Cornwall, much would undoubtedly be overseen by partnership bodies such as the Leadership Board or the Growth Board, principally made up of non-elected appointees, rather than a higher tier fully democratic body – such as a Parliament or National Assembly.
“This is something that needs to be addressed. We need democracy to be at the very heart of this document.
“Fifteen months ago, I moved a motion at Full Council. It argued that Cornwall merited parity with Scotland and Wales in terms of devolution structures and called for a really meaningful democratic settlement. It also called for a cross-party delegation from Cornwall to lobby ministers in London.
“I want to be optimistic. It is still my hope that we can build a coalition here in Cornwall – all political parties, Cornwall’s six MPs, this Council – and that we can all unite around a really exciting devolution ask that will re-set the relationship between Cornwall and Westminster, build a healthier democracy and change the lives of people in our nation.
“To conclude, I welcome that the time to comment on the White Paper has been extended, and I sincerely hope that this time can be used to liaise with Cornwall’s six new MPs, to hopefully agree a collective way forward that is more ambitious than the present proposal in the White Paper.”
The White Paper and associated paperwork can be viewed at:
https://democracy.cornwall.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=577&MId=13337&Ver=4