independent Cornish news and comment

Cornwall - a democratic desert?

There are local council elections on May 1 in England and Wales – but not in Cornwall. In Cornwall we are in the midst of a democratic desert. One day the rains will fall again – but will we then see our land covered by the usual yellow weeds?


Consider the important changes taking place in Cornwall’s democratic landscape – without a vote cast.

v The County Council has asked Government to do away with the Borough and Districts and set up a centralised single authority with a huge cut in the number of elected councillors. They had neither mandate nor necessity to do this.

v The Government has agreed to impose a so-called unitary authority on Cornwall in spite of clear and massive opposition from its people. No question of a referendum.

v In preparation for unitarization the County Council set up a 24-member One Cornwall Interim Joint Committee (OCIJC) “to support, promote and refine the One Cornwall proposal”. The OCIJC composed of 24 Borough/District/County councillors had inbuilt ruling party control. No question of direct election.

v A second Gang of 24 was later set up called the One Cornwall Joint Scrutiny Committee. Appointed not elected. Inbuilt Lib-Dem control.

v Parliament passed The Cornwall (Structural Change) Order 2008. Without reference to the Cornish people.

v The Order turned the OCIJC into a statutory body called the One Cornwall Implementation Executive (OCIE). This remains an appointed, not elected, body.

v Its political complexion is spelled out by the Order itself – four Tories, six Independents, one Labour and thirteen Liberal-Democrats – which clearly does not mirror the political complexion of the current Borough, District and County councillors in Cornwall.

v The Order postpones all planned parish elections in 2008 for a year.

v It also postpones all planned parish and town elections in 2011 to 2013.

v And it cancels all proposed 2008 District elections – whether the District agrees or not.

v On April Fool’s Day 2009 the members of Cornwall County Council become members of the unitary council - without election. We will have to wait for the ballot box to return to Cornwall.

To the extent that the Borough and District Councils were a foil to the County Council and could exercise “checks and balances” from the communities to the centre, Cornwall is losing out.

Can anything replace that function? It will, of course, be difficult. The Cornwall Council will be undermanned and whatever its numbers there will always be a democratic deficit. They will continue – like the OCIE – to keep our people underinformed about what they are doing, publishing the results of their meetings (minutes) weeks after the meetings take place.

Lacking the time, ability or willingness to do a proper job they will set up quasi-quangos stuffed with unelected, self-appointed ‘voluntocrats’ who have never needed to present themselves for election.

So, who can be mobilised to defend Cornish democracy?

First those who the future Cornwall Councillors should work with as their first choice partners – the men and women who represent the people at the real grass roots of democracy – parish and town councillors.

The future holds changes at that level of Cornish democracy which we con only dimly make out at present – but change will no doubt come. There will only be two ways of representing your people in future at the parish/town level and at the Cornwall level. Few will be able to do the latter. Some parish and town councils are seeking greater powers – they have a prolonged battle before them!

Secondly, we should look to the Cornish press to keep our people informed on what the new regime is doing. At present the papers in Cornwall do a fine job in reporting village and town news. Reporting at the “all-Cornwall” level will become more important. Not just news and repeating the occasion Cornwall Council press release, but also letting the readers know what is being planned, what decisions are being made, analysis/comment and explanation.

There are also bread an butter matters like giving dates of Cornwall Council meetings – certainly those open to the public – and listing the contact details of local Cornwall Councillors when they are eventually elected.

Thirdly there are the voters themselves. The ballot box will return to Cornwall, you may no longer be able to vote for a Borough or District councillor, but you will still have your parish and town council and you will one day be asked to fill the seats of the unitary Cornwall Council.

In dong so you only need ask yourself one question. Not what’s best for London – but who’s best for Cornwall.

When the rains fall again on Cornwall’s democratic desert let us hope that our fields will be filled with more colour that the current near-monoculture at County Hall.

Phil Rendle, Deputy Leader - Campaigns,
Mebyon Kernow - The Party for Cornwall
2 Helnoweth Cottages Gulval Penzance TR18 3BS
01736 363762.