Article by Cllr Dick Cole to be published in the Cornish Guardian and West Briton newspapers

The UK Government’s “English Devolution White Paper” was published on Monday 16th December.

As expected, it did not include home rule for Cornwall. The document specified three potential tiers of new powers, though all were much less substantive than the democratic settlements enjoyed by the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland. Cynics, such as me, would describe the new proposals as tweaks to local government, rather than Celtic-style devolution.

The White Paper makes it clear that the Government will only allow the top two levels to happen if a new combined authority (stretching over two or more council areas) is created. Their preference is for these new authorities to cover an area with a population of 1,500,000 or more, with a directly-elected mayor at the helm.

I issued a strong statement from Mebyon Kernow following the launch, in which I expressed great frustration at how the Westminster Government has not acted upon the collective representations for proper devolution for Cornwall, which came from all groups on the unitary authority and all six Cornish MPs. I likewise said it was disturbing that the Ministry for Communities and Local Government had failed to acknowledge Cornwall’s unique historic, cultural and constitutional position within the UK.

But I would like to make it clear that, while I am criticising the UK Government, I am not criticising Cornwall’s MPs.

Since being elected in July, they have collectively made the case for more powers for Cornwall. They stood up on the floor of the House of Commons and called for a Cornish Assembly. And on the day of the launch of the White Paper, it was good to see that three of them asked questions of the Minister, Jim McMahon. Two even spoke about the national minority status of the Cornish and the minister himself suggested that there might have to be a “more nuanced approach” to Cornwall.

It was particularly pleasing to learn that all six of Cornwall’s MPs have also met with the Deputy Prime Minister to push for devolution for Cornwall.

So now is not the time to be defeatist, and now is not the time to be accepting of top-down proposals, such as a “Devonwall” set-up, which would be plain wrong for Cornwall and its communities.

Now is the time for all politicians to the west of the Tamar, plus representatives of Cornish society, to come together to support the efforts of the MPs, and to  campaign energetically for a meaningful democratic settlement for Cornwall.