At today’s extraordinary meeting of Plymouth City Council, councillors voted by 38 votes to one to support the “establishment of a South West Peninsula Mayoral Strategic Authority” and that the proposed authority should “encompass the combined geography of Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay.” There were four abstentions.

Commenting on behalf of Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall, Cllr Dick Cole said:

“The decision of Plymouth City Council to vote for the “establishment of a South West Peninsula Mayoral Strategic Authority,” which would ‘encompass the combined geography of Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay,’ is extremely presumptuous.

“Cornwall’s politicians – including the leaders of the political groups on the unitary authority and all six MPs, have been collectively calling for devolution to Cornwall as a political unit.

“It is important that we continue to demand a meaningful devolution settlement for Cornwall, which properly reflects Cornwall’s national identity and the national minority status of the Cornish.

“In terms of national minority status, the UK Government has stated that it would treat Cornwall the same as Wales and Scotland. It is time that this happened in regard to devolution and our democracy.”